Gross

My niece Whitney is a funny girl. Whit is mild-mannered and droll. She is very smart and very much a smart ass. Even as a small child, Whitney was always very sarcastic, dry, subdued. She is very calm and has always taken things very literally.



Whitney is my oldest niece, the oldest grandchild in our family. Whit is Tegan's twin sister and, other than sharing the same birthday, and that special twin-love for each other, they have very little in common. Tegan is very dramatic. Very frou-frou. Girly. A conversation with her includes lots of hand motions and raised eyebrows and a fair number of "oh-my-gosh"s and high fives. Tegan is funny, too, but in a different way. She tells big, exaggerated stories. Whitney, on the other hand....the only exaggerated thing about her is her exaggerated calm. Whit is very chill, and nothing gets her too wound up.


When Whitney was in the 4th grade, my sister Carrie (her mother) came home from work one day to find that Whitney's finger was hugely swollen and bruised-black. She couldn't bend it and was in quite a bit of pain. Carrie asked her what she had done and Whitney said she jammed it playing basketball before school. Carrie was, understandably, upset that Whit's hand looked like this and she was just now finding out about it. She asked her if she had gone to the school nurse. Whitney said she went to the nurse when it first happened and they taped it and told her to come back if it turned blue. When Carrie asked her why she didn't go back to the nurse, Whit said, "Because it didn't turn blue...it turned black."


So knowing that that is quintessential Whitney, the events of yesterday morning should not come as a surprise to anyone. Whit works as an intern at my office. Yesterday morning, when she came to work, she had a bandage on her hand. She explained the bandage by saying that the night before, she had been at a friend's house and scratched her hand. Umm. Ok.


A bit later, she was looking in the first aid supplies for some neosporin and I offered to help her. She said it didn't bleed much and it didn't really hurt but she wanted to keep it clean. She took off the band aid to show me her scratch. Here's Whitney's scratch.

As one might imagine, I went and got her mother who took her to the Acute Care where she got her "scratch" stitched up.

Today's Quote:

"So reports of my madness, as they say, were greatly exaggerated. Not that I give a bugger either way." -David Icke

One Thing Led to Another...

And all of the sudden I've taken an inadvertent hiatus from blogging. And my how I've missed ya'll!!

(I'm still fighting the stupid spacing issues that Blogger likes to inflict on me. Sorry about the screwy look.)

Home

I've been back home from my travels for a week and I've been going a mile a minute since. I had jury duty on Monday and I must say, after years of knitting anywhere and everywhere, it is highly disconcerting to sit around hour after hour after hour without the knitting. Knitting needles are verboten at the courthouse. Instead I got some work done and started reading Water for Elephants. It is an excellent read, if you find yourself with free time and (gasp) no knitting.

I also recently read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, which I highly recommend.

Now, let's see what kind of ground we can cover in this post. (Sorry if you are on dial-up....I've been taking pictures.)

On the Go

While my travels last month were for business purposes, the scenery was really beautiful there. I was a bit short on time and perpetually neglectful of my camera but I did manage to get a few semi-decent pictures, including one night shot. These pictures don't do it justice. Really.

Knitting in the Big House

In early September, Katy, Lori and I took our 10-year-old niece and nephew to Alcatraz for a long-awaited birthday outing. I took pictures but before I found the time to post them, September got crazy. Better belated than not at all, I suppose...

It was a really wonderful, fun day. They are great kids (not that I'm biased...) and we all had such a good time. The weather was grey and sort of dreary and I loved it.

Coit Tower, from the vantage point of waiting for the Alcatraz ferry. Arriving at Alcatraz Island.

There are still remnants on Alcatraz from when the location was used for a military fort and military prison, including the cannon seen here in the background.In front of the Industrial Building, which sits at one end of the Rock.

Visiting the sock, locked up for some undisclosed indiscretion.

Even knowing the facility has long-since been decommissioned as a prison, there is something disturbing about standing behind those bars. We did anyway, of course.

The Nephew.

The Niece. (Look at that pitiful expression! She is a drama queen.)

The Lori. (The angry convict, apparently.)

The Katy. (Maybe this picture gives you some indication of where The Niece gets her drama-y streak.)

The Me. Knitting. (After all, it was just prison, not jury duty.)

The view from the Warden's house, back into the city.

Antique Shopping

Yesterday we three aunts had ourselves another little outing. Lunch, some antique shopping, other shopping, dinner. All-in-all, a very good, refreshing day. We visited our favorite bakery, Teacake Bake Shop, where the cookies are $2 a piece and the cupcakes are $3 a piece, and both are worth every single red penny. Delicious.

During the antique shopping portion of our fun, I found an old sewing standing.I remember my mother or possibly my grandmother (one or the other - it is a vague memory) having one of these when I was growing up and I thought it would be the perfect thing to put beside the chair to hold my knitting. It didn't hurt, either, that it was 40% off the marked price. Lucky me.

Knitting

I finished my socks but I don't have a picture of them, yet. They fit beautifully and I am very pleased with them. If I had known how comfy they would be, maybe I'd have knit socks for myself sooner. Probably not, but maybe.

I have been doing some knitting the last few days. I'm making a scarf.

I've wanted to do something using the Farrow Rib pattern that I fell in love with way back during the ISE3. I've also had a yarn I've been hankering to knit with but no real need. The yarn is the lovely 50% camel hair 50% wool blend of Ksar from Bouton d'Or. The softness is indescribable. I've paused more than once while knitting on this scarf just to fondle the yarn. I've wanted to knit something from this yarn and I've considered all sorts of things - hat, mitts, etc. - but nothing seemed quite right, so I finally decided what the hell. I'm just going to knit a scarf, even if I don't currently need a scarf or know anyone who particularly needs a scarf. That's a knitter's prerogative, right?

Like Ripping Off a Band-Aid

I really have been crazy busy and that has kept me from post - or reading blogs, either, for that matter - but also, my absence from blogging can be partially attributed to that old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So I'll tell you this quickly, to get it over with, and then we can pretend I didn't say it.

I found out last week that I'm going to have to have more surgery on my ankle. Despite everyone's best efforts, it hasn't healed the way it should have. My doctor warned me last August before that first surgery that it may not fix my problem and I guess that's what has come to pass. So, more surgery, more months on crutches, more hassle, more everything. Bleck. I can't say I want to have surgery again but I won't deny that I am keen on the idea of it not hurting anymore (surprise, surprise). The prospective of having an ankle that is really and truly better makes it easier to swallow. At my heart, I am forever an optimist.

That being said, I'm working diligently at looking at the bright side and I'm asking your forgiveness in advance for the maudlin moments that are inevitably ahead. I've thought about just not blogging because I don't want to be a whiner and really, sometimes I don't have anything nice to say, but I've been reminded that the bloggers and the knitters are wonderful encouragers and supporters and so here we go again.

Knitters Make Great Friends

Speaking of fabulous knitter friends...I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine. This is Deb. Deb and I met at my LYS at Wednesday night knitting. Deb is a joiner and loves a knit-a-long, thus the name of her blog. It is one of the things I love about her - she always has some new wonderful something in the works. When I go a few weeks without attending the Wednesday night get together, I always come back to discover some fabulous new something on her needles. Welcome to Blogland, Deb!!

Ghosts are a Phallusy

Have ya'll seen the new MagKnits? Those little ghosts are so freaking precious. My affinity for felted creatures is certainly no secret so it should not come as a surprise to anyone that I'm knitting some ghosts. I've knitted two and nearly a third but I haven't felted them yet. Luckily, I'm well versed in the miracles of shaping after felting otherwise I might be a bit perturbed with these precious little specters. I'm counting on post-felting-shaping to bring these darlings to a G rating.

Reading Up

I really am a little behind on reading anything online which explains why I'm more then four years late reading Knitty articles. I recently read Kate Boyd's piece entitled Bildungsrowan and I think I love that reversible cable knit shawl from Lily Chin, via Vogue's American Knits. Have any of you ever seen this book or this knit in person? Seems a bit daunting but I love the softness and complexity of it. Another addition to the "one day" list.

All Caught Up

Now that I've prattled on and on, I'm going to try to get caught up on what all of you are doing. If you happen to be reading this and you were the winner of one of the prizes in my recent contest, I'd love to know that your prizes arrived safely. So far I have only heard from Colleen and Susanne.

Today's Quote:

"Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings." -Jane Austen

Life in the Fast Lane

What a crazy few weeks it has been. I didn't even realize how long it has been since I posted - nearly two weeks. Sheesh! Things have been crazy in my corner of the world. For the last week, I've been traveling for work and I will be traveling this week as well. Thus far, it has been a very productive trip, though hectic and kind of exhausting - - but the good kind of exhausting. Luckily this weekend included a little fun time. Yesterday we got to go to Tegan's football game and it was so much fun. Fun to watch her cheer at a college football game (a game they were predicted to lose but won) and exciting to see how much fun she is having cheering and at school in general. Here she is pre-game. Cutie, huh?

I've had my camera with me but I haven't taken even one picture. (Someone else took that picture above.) Hopefully later this week there will be time for taking pictures before I head home on Thursday. I finished my socks on the plane on the way here and I've cast on for a pair for another one of my nieces, Whitney. These are my first go at knitting with Lorna's Laces. So far I'm liking it.

I hope all is well with all of you.

You Give Me Fever

The other night, I got a text message from Lori. It said and I quote:

"Having a problem. I need your help. I feel the urge....to.....embroider something. Perhaps a pillow....my jeans.....something. Help ME!"

What self-respecting craft lover can resist that kind of invitation?

I texted her back with an enthusiastic "OK!" and within a couple of hours, we'd gone to the craft store (luckily it doesn't close early on Saturday night), picked out fabrics and threads and were back at my house, where Lori was learning the gentle art of the figure-eight knot. (The figure-eight knot, for those who don't know, is the knot used in candlewicking. It is my knot of choice, as the french knot makes me curse and throw things.)

She is making a pillow (two pillows, actual. Lori is ambitious.) She is doing a square, instead of the circles, a la Purl Bee. Here she is, showing off her very first knot. Last night she went to Borders and bought an embroidery book, then today she told me that she didn't want to do work. She wanted to work on her pillow. I was nearly moved to tears of joy.

I felt a bit like the blind leading the blind on this one, as I am certainly no expert when it comes to embroidery, but she seems happy and now she has her book so all is well.

I have been working on a connect-the-dots pillow for my mother. I am pleased with the way that it is coming along and should have it done soon.

The fabric at the top will be the back of the pillow and the front will be the embroidered piece. The colors aren't exactly true. In this picture they appear to be red, yellow and white but in reality they are more like a deep burgundy, dark dark mustard and a cream that is almost tan.

On the knitting front, I am working on a pair of toe-up socks for me. Yep, for me. I am using what was left of the yarn from Tegan's socks. These socks were not planned but I am glad to be making myself socks. The night a few weeks back when my husband ended up at the hospital, he was taken there by ambulance and the whole thing was kind of frantic, as one might imagine, and I didn't have much time to plan for knitting. I grabbed the little bag with Tegan's unfinished socks and was out the door. Shortly into that all night ER vigil, I finished the socks and realized I didn't have anymore work-in-progress knitting with me so I cast on for another pair of socks. Since I knew the gauge of this yarn/needle combo, I measured my own feet and started knitting....and I was once again oh-so-very thankful to call myself a knitter.

Thanks again to everyone for participating in the contest. The air conditioning is finally fixed at my house and I can comfortably do something in my home other than gather up clothes to take to someone else's house to sleep. I boxed up each of the prizes last night and will be taking them to the post office tomorrow.

Today's Quote:

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Blogging is a Minefield

My husband has this particular friend. For the sake of his privacy, I’ll call him Fester.

Several months ago, I found out that Fester reads this blog. I didn’t think much of it, other than to think it was kind of funny since he doesn't knit, and then I sort of forgot about it. My blog is not a secret. I don’t go out of my way to publicize it but I certainly don’t hide it from anyone and I would say that most people who know me know about the blog. Most people I know likely haven’t visited this blog because they could care less about knitting...which explains the blog’s very existence...but I digress.

Fester and my husband have been friends for several years. I can’t remember how many. Mr. used to work with Fester and still does work for him occasionally. When they were working together, Fester and his wife and the Mr. and I used to socialize more. I really like his wife and I have always liked Fester, though we don’t spend much time together, which is unfortunate. As far as I know, I have never been anything but pleasant to Fester. If I have been otherwise, I was probably only kidding.

Ya’ll know, if you’ve read more than say two entries on this blog, that I fully acknowledge my lack of coolness. This is not something new. I have never been particularly cool or hip and I am completely ok with that. I drive the speed limit, I completely stop at stop signs. I didn’t drink until I was 21. I’m not terribly capable when it comes to fashion and my all time favorite song is Key Largo, by Bertie Higgins. It was a big hit when it first came out…in1982. I do origami and I take pictures of yarn in the grass in my front yard, sometimes late at night. At best, I fall into the “hip to be square” category, at worst the "painfully lame" category.

My point is that I am fully aware of my idiosyncrasies and I generally embrace that. I can joke about it and I am even ok with being teased about it. I am generally a good sport when people mock my knitting (I figure they just don’t understand) and Lord knows I’ll talk about it to anyone who even mentions knitting or my blog or sewing or crafts or whatever. And when I talk about knitting and people make that “oh man, she’s really into this, what a lame ass” face, I just smile and pretend not to notice.

So for all my big I’m-ok-your-ok talk, I am also kind of tender-hearted. I don’t mind being harassed and/or mocked to my face but it does bother me to know that someone, someone I consider a friend, is making fun of me behind my back. What really bothers me is when my husband or anyone else finds themselves in the position of defending me or my knitting or my blog or my lameness. As much as I’d like to say otherwise, it hurts my feelings and maybe even bruises my ego a bit, when I hear that someone is basically talking smack about me because they’ve read my little knitting blog. It robs a little bit of the joy.

I guess the upshot of all this is: If Fester wants to read my blog, obviously that is fine. I put it out there on the big bad internet because I want people to read it. If he wants to mock me for my knitting, that is ok, too. In fact, he should feel free to mock me in the comments here or call me up and point and laugh when I say things like “fibery goodness” but honestly, he is a smart and successful man. He owns a successful business, has a beautiful home, nice cars and a beautiful, successful, wonderful wife. Surely he has better things to do with his time and considerable energy than to give my husband shit because I knit and talk about it too enthusiastically on the internet.

One thing is for damn sure: Fester is not getting handknit socks for Christmas.

Today's Quote:

"I like people and I like them to like me, but I wear my heart where God put it, on the inside." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

And the Winners Are...

Hurray! We have winners of prizes! I am pleased and excited to announce that I have picked winners for all of the wonderful yarn prizes. I wish I had prizes for everyone but sadly, I don't. I do have some nifty prizes, though. Here we go!


First Up: Embarrassing Stories: Thank you SO much to everyone who shared their embarrassing story. I laughed and laughed - and cringed inwardly for each of you. They were all wonderful stories but I did pick a favorite and that was....Susanne. Congratulations, Susanne! I hope you knit socks (or want to learn to knit socks) since this Trekking XXL and basket combo will be heading your way later this week.
There was no correct guess to the number of buttons question. I was as surprised as anyone when I counted my buttons and discovered that I have - drumroll, please - 733 buttons. Colleen's guess of 500 came the closest without going over. Congratulations, Colleen!! I will be sending you two skeins of SiSu Sock Yarn and Leeway Cottage on CD.
Susanne, Kniterella, DaayDream and Tactless Wonder all guessed the contents of the cookpot correctly: Tapioca Pudding. Extra contest entries for them!! I love tapioca pudding and my favorite way to eat it is while it is still hot. Yum!




So I added up the entries and put everyone's entries into this orange bowl then I started drawing names for the remaining prizes.


The book and candle prize goes to:
Tactless Wonder!


The three skeins of Softwist go to:
RobynR


I added another prize without telling anyone but I haven't taken a picture of it. I will, but didn't want to delay the posting of the prizes for this one picture. Two skeins of Sugar and Cream and some of my handmade soaps. And the winner of this one: Ikkinlala

Last but certainly not least, the Anne and accompaniment go to: Marit!!!

Congratulations to everyone and thanks so much for playing along. Later this week, I'll post my most embarrassing story and I'll show you the progress on the embroidery.

Right now, I am knitting up Tribbles. Our church is having a craft fair fundraiser on September 15th and my mama asked me to make some handmade soaps and Tribbles for sale at the fair. We'll see how many Tribbles I can get done in that time. Our A/C is on the fritz (today's high: 104 F) so I will not being hanging out at home knitting.

RC, I have your mailing address but for the rest of the winners, please email me (crickitleigh at hotmail dot com) with your mailing address.

Today's Quote:

"A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?" -Kahlil Gibran