Owl Chick's Nest

Companionable Mitts

2012-01-02T11:06:00.007-05:00

Lazing away, and so glad that these mitts are done (I finished them on the plane returning from my holiday in Seattle) as the temperature has dropped significantly. It'll be in the 30s this week, after such balmy 50s - 40s since November.

Rose Tyler mitts, of which I've knit three pairs, are gorgeous, and these purple ones are for me. They're in Kate's new dk weight yarn, a soft and squishy single-ply superwash merino. It reminds me a lot of Malabrigo in its luxurious feel. Mmmmmm!

But why would I need to make 3 pairs...?

The first pair was for Christina, to whom I'd lent all my Dr. Who DVDs last year. She admired Rose as the Companion, and so I knit a pair for her in a lovely Louet Riverstone, in the aptly named colorway Rose.

In a lovely quirk of fate, I ended up being Christina's Secret Santa at the office, so I left her little things every Monday in December, finally ending up with the packet containing scented handmade soap, and these mitts. She wore them around the office all day, and was completely thrilled. Yay!

The second pair is in Miss Babs Yummy Sport, and is the exact weight called for in the pattern. I started them, thinking I'd keep them for myself. Then Kate accepted a job at 38 Studios, hired away from us by my nemesis, Mr. Moorgard. :(

I've always told Kate that I'd never knit anything for her as she's a great knitter herself. As I knit away on this pair of mitts, Kate complimented their color (which is a lovely rusty punkin), and suddenly, they became in my mind Kate's mitts. And so, I gave them to her for Christmas. They're perfect for her, and she wore them on her vacation to Scotland. I'd suggested that she take pics of the mitts at various locations during the trip, like folks do with gnomes and such, and she did. :) Her album's on Facebook, but for some reason, every time I try to link to a thing today, Blogger's interface messes it up, so no links for you!

But trust me, her mitts had a great time. :)

Later today, I'll do my 2012 tarot reading. I thought about it last night, but was caught up in downloading books from gutenberg.org to my new Kindle, gifted to me by my little cherubs. I only wish I'd gotten one sooner; it's fabulous. I've already finished 4 books on it (Pride and Prejudice; The Secret Garden; Heaven to Betsy, and Emily of Deep Valley), and am nearly done with A Little Princess. Why, yes, I do love to re-read old favorites. :)

I also copied in a knitting pattern .pdf, to see how it would work, and it looks pretty decent. Clearly, this is no iPad, but at the least I can carry around various patterns with me to consult with as I knit. Only 20 years to appreciate technology are left to me (to quote Donna), and I hope to make the most of them.

Six Cats

2011-11-05T09:16:00.002-04:00

I'm going to get out my camera sometime this weekend to document them. Four cats currently live in my basement, while Mittens and Melody roam around upstairs.

The basement cats belong to Anna, my new roommate. She and I work together, she knits (yay!), and we're both crazy cat ladies. Although, Anna is twice the cat lady I am, given she has twice the cats.

Melody is not very pleased with the new inhabitants. Mittens goes up to the basement door to converse with them, but when we've opened the door to allow co-mingling, he is less forthcoming. Melody growls at them under her breath. She's apparently scarred after living with Scooter, who tormented her the entire time Dan and I lived together. =\

In any case, everyone will have to get along because this arrangement allows Anna and I to both save money, and maybe even turn on the heat once in a while. The price of my heating oil is more than a dollar higher per gallon than it was last winter, when it cost around $1,000 to heat the house. Aiee!

You can see why it's good that Anna can knit. She will want to cover herself with blankets, hats, and gloves to keep from freezing. Indeed, she may move into the basement herself as it is generally the warmest room in the house in winter.

Ohai, Blog :)

2011-10-30T10:08:00.005-04:00

Put on your MovieDude voice! In a world filled with distractions, her blog went un-updated for nearly four months....

What have I done? Where did the time go?

As shown in image one, I saw a buncha sheep. Kate, Catherine and I drove up to Rhinebeck for the New York Sheep and Wool festival. It was a blast! Kate worked both days in Miss Babs' booth, while Catherine and I prowled around separately, fondling yarn and ogling sheep, goats, and alpacas. I ate fabled artichokes, and brought back some maple sugar cotton candy for Veronica (and it was pretty tasty; she shared it at knitting night before becoming slightly ill from having so much... hehehe).

Also in the past three months, the sock pattern I designed for Kate's yarn club went out. It's called Kaguya-hime, and was part of her World Folktales Yarn Club shipment for September. I also wrote the re-telling of the story, and made some little Japanese paper bookmarks to go with the pattern. The pattern will be available for non-Club members in December! Yay!

What I liked about this sock pattern is that it was easy to memorize and customize. I also used a band heel for it, which worked out really well as it's a simple style that's perfect for two-at-a-time Magic Loop socks. At first, I used info on it that I found on the internet, but after doing one pair of socks following the dimensions on those other instructions, I realized that I didn't particularly like how the heel turned out (even though those socks turned out well), so I changed it up to the version in with my pattern.

I also designed another sock pattern as part of Ravelry's Sock Knitters Anonymous June challenge, but haven't written up the pattern for that as yet. My August socks were knit in a cool cotton blend yarn that Donna gave me for my birthday, so I need to do another pair in actual wool to see how well it works. It's an all-over lace pattern derived from the same Japanese stitch pattern book from which I got the Kaguya-hime stitch. Opera Socks (the cotton socks) will be written up and released later as well. Squee!

And, also for Kate, I designed a shawl for a kit she wants to put together for her Etsy shop. It's called Molly's P'shawl, and the first test knit of it came out rather nicely. I made a half-sized version and gave it to Kate's daughter Lili. Super cute, if I do say so myself, and easy to knit, with a gorgeous lace edging. I'll knit a full-sized one later on, but the first p'shawlette, less than 50 grams, took no more than a couple of days to work up. It would have been done more quickly had I actually spent more time knitting.

For lo! The true reason this blog has languished isn't because of knitting and designing patterns, but the fault of Mass Effect, both 1 and 2. O.o I've done three playthroughs as FemShep, and now have MaleShep nearing the end of ME2, after importing him from ME1.

Dude. I've spent hours at this game (well, both), and I love it! And also, I am tickled to death to learn that Chris (my c-worker) wrote Ashley Williams and Thane Krios, as well as all the planet descriptions for the first two games.

I found out the latter fact when I mentioned how writing nearly 400 Operatives descriptions for The Agency, plus corporate backgrounds (which included bios of all their important people) gave me a case of hating biographies, and that I felt sorry for the person who wrote those planet descriptions. Hehehe!

A Good Little Witch

2011-07-21T08:31:00.003-04:00

Kevin and Candyce wanted to adopt a baby girl. They filled out forms, they had inspections, they childproofed the house. And not too long ago, they got the call that a beautiful little newborn girl was potentially their forever child.

Her name's Sabrina. In my excitement when Candyce called to tell me, all I could remember was that the name they were planning to use started with S and was a famous fictional witch. :D I kept saying, "Samantha?" Hahaha! :)

I'm so excited for them!

Also so sad because by the time I can get out to meet her in person, Sabrina will likely be at the "I'm afraid of strangers" stage and so I won't get to cuddle her and kiss the top of her head. But we shall see!

Meanwhile, I knit a little dress for her. Other little tiny clothes to follow. Very exciting time and I can't believe how wonderful this is for my bestest friend and my Other Husband!

The Opera

2011-07-05T22:29:00.004-04:00

There's a Ravelry group called Sock Knitters Anonymous, and each month, they feature a sock designer and particular technique. While I've been a member of the group for a while, June marks my first actual participation. It just sort of worked out that every time they had a theme, I'd already done something similar, or didn't want to knit any of that designer's patterns, or whatever.

June, however, brought a Design Your Own category, and so I did. :) While I initially intended to use a different stitch pattern entirely, I found that I didn't really like how it looked. I did, however, love how this particular stitch knit up. It looks so random on paper, but as you can see in the photo above, there's a lovely, soothing repetitive swirl across it. I love it!

My plan is to write up the pattern and put it up on Ravelry. I think I've found my new passion. Not just knitting socks, but designing them. Yay!

I spent some time this weekend with Mass Effect 2. After having a difficult time with one fight sequence (jumping over concealment objects is really a pain in the ass), I tossed aside the game aside in favor of Civilization Revolution. :) This morning at work, I was telling Anna how I hated the fight mechanics when Chris, who was one of ME2's writers, came in.

He suggested I use the easy/casual setting. :D It had never occurred to me. Hahaha! In any case, I got home from work and did just that, and have now gotten through another objective.

It pays to work with smart people. :)

Socks for Me :)

2011-06-20T06:57:00.005-04:00

Meet Rainbow Over Lahaina, a feather and fan sock pattern. It feels like forever since I knit a pair of socks for me, which isn't really true, but there you go. I used the yarn that Kate dyed for the first installment of her sock yarn club, World Folk Tales.

I have finished a single sock in the pattern that I'm writing for her to send out in a later shipment. It's been an interesting process. When I started writing the pattern, most of my yarn stash is variegated, so the pattern doesn't show up as much. After finishing a pair of long-suffering cable socks, I decided to use what was left to knit up a single, large-size sock to photograph for the pattern.

It turned out rather nicely, and enabled me to see where I wanted to make adjustments to the final pattern instructions. I spent some time this weekend writing down the changes I've made, including an adjustment to the heel I'm using: the band heel.

This is an old-fashioned heel style, also known as the German heel. It's really simple to do, but the end result on my first attempts was a shallow heel cup and that worried me. I usually wear my socks with clogs anyway, so having the pattern come almost all the way to the floor is okay, but it can be an issue if one wears socks with enclosed shoes. To test a theory, I knit it a slighly different way on the Rainbow Over Lahaina socks and it was perfect! Yay! So that's the version that's going into the pattern.

Now I just need to write the story to go along with my pattern, and to make the little bookmarkers that Kate will include with the shipment when it goes out. Very exciting!

Strawberry Fields Forever!

2011-06-04T21:30:00.004-04:00

Veronica and I got up early. That's not so unusual, except that it's Saturday. Our goal: strawberries!

As you might guess from the photo, we were successful. We drove up to Brown's Orchards and picked our own. It's been close to 30 years since I last picked strawberries, though I'm not sure why. We were pretty early, but there were already quite a few people in line to pay for what they'd gathered, or out in the fields.

I wish I'd brought my camera. When we finished picking, Veronica and I sat in the sun beside peach trees laden with tiny, fuzzy fruit. The skies were clear, and the hills spread out before us, farmland tucked up between them. The day was absolutely perfect for being outside and doing something fun with a friend!

After an exciting ride in the field van, we paid for our berries (and learned that there were three women named Tracy there today; I so rarely ever encounter any others), then headed to the Brown's store to get some lunch before heading home.

My goal is to make a little bit of strawberry freezer jam with some of my berries. I cleaned up half of them, froze those on sheet pans, and will cook them down later. And, of course, I had to have some immediately, too! Following Veronica's suggestion, I made a shortcake of one of my favorite Brown's cookies, whipped some cream, and voila! Dessert!

I took a nap after eating it. :) What a happy day!

The Cabbie, the Coffee, and the Chai

2011-05-20T07:21:00.004-04:00

The morning I left Seattle, both Kev and Candyce had to work, so I made arrangements for a "limo" service to pick me up and take me to the airport It's not really a limo; they call it that for the prestige. The rate was reasonable, and I did like the fact that they'd send a clean car to get me.

I've been in cabs in Seattle before, and was always surprised at how filthy they are. My mother was a cab driver, and her car was kept pretty clean, if a bit cluttered; she did a lot of crochet while driving, so her front seat often had bags of crochet cotton and paperwork. In Hawaii, cabs are often the personal car of the driver rather than a bulky "yellow cab" vehicle, so there's more pride of ownership. In any event, when given the choice, I chose a vehicle that wouldn't be a grubby mess.

The driver arrived in an Escalade. It seemed like overkill to me, just one passenger, but it was really clean.

I like clean :D

His name was Deepak. He lived nearby, which is why he had been assigned to get me. Before we'd even left the hilltop where Kev and Candyce's house is, he'd told me all about his daughters and I'd told him about my sons. As we continued down the hill, I asked, "Could we stop to get some coffee before we get to the airport?"

We drove through one of my favorite little stands in Factoria, Jazzed. This is definitely something I miss about Seattle: you can find good coffee everywhere. I offered to buy Deepak some coffee, but he declined, saying he'd pay for his own. I got a latte; he got a chai.

As we continued onward to the airport, the talk suddenly turned spiritual. I don't even remember what brought it on, but Deepak was full of generic advice, guidance, and counsel. It was sort of like being in a cab with Deepak Chopra. In a way, I did need to hear everything he said, because I was so sad about leaving again, and already missing Candyce so much. I wonder if he picked up on my unhappiness and wanted to console me somehow?

At one point, while discussing Osama Bin Laden, I said that it disturbed me how people were celebrating his death, because it was after all the death of another human. Deepak said after a moment, "I appreciate your gentle nature and compassionate spirit, but that man was evil." How many times has your cab driver ever complimented your nature, my friends? :D

When we reached the airport, Deepak helped me out of the car and smiled at me. "Your kindness in offering me coffee... I didn't know you, and so I paid for my own chai. But now I feel that I know you, and I am very appreciative of your thoughtfulness."

I've never had a more pleasant, if surreal, cab ride before.

On Being an Owl

2011-05-19T07:41:00.002-04:00

Some friends of mine are going through a rough patch. I don't know what I should do to help them, or if I should do anything more than listen, sympathize, offer hugs.

My reading came out sideways! Well... okay, the photo is sideways and I don't know how to fix that. Anyway...

I like that the outcome card is Page of Pentacles. She's grounded, yet surrounded by the lightness that grows from the pearl in her hand. And, of course, I love the owl perched nearby. This is clearly me. :)

This is a new deck for me, the Shadowscapes deck. The imagery is gorgeous, and the book that came with it is a lyrical joy to read. I bought this when Candyce and I went to the East West Bookstore in Seattle.

How I miss living there. I miss the city, my friends there, the weather... and yet, I love the East Coast, too.

In any event, I am a rock. And an Owl. My purpose is to be there for my friends, to hold up a light for them when they're feeling the need to talk about their troubles, to hold them when they cry, to hoot softly and nibble their ears.

Well. Most of that stuff anyway. :)

Going Visiting :)

2011-04-21T06:23:00.003-04:00

I'm going on a good, old-fashioned one-week holiday! Yay!

My destination: Chez Candyce and Kevin, where I will get to snuggle up in "my room," fold laundry, and relax a bit while finishing Candyce's socks.

They are coming along gorgeously. Jeannie graciously helped me at knitting night last night, advising me on different ways I could do the heel so that it comes out evenly (unlike the heels on the first pair I made). I'll work on that this weekend so that when I'm in Seattle, all I'll need to do is finish off the foot to fit Candyce perfectly.

No photos yet, as I want her to see it in person in all its glory first :)

The loudest birds on the street visit the church across from me. They arrive around 5AM and stay there till 6:30AM. I could sleep in my back bedroom instead of the front one, but I generaly like listening to street sounds. I mean, why live in the city if the noise bothers you, no?

My back still bothers me and it pisses me off. I'm on more ibuprofen than I've ever taken for such a long time. The doctor is easing my mind on that by running a blood test to make sure I haven't overdosed on midichlorians or something. And I'm on Skelaxin (aka, Skeletor), which does not make me drowsy.

Listen to how quiet it is now. Only cute little songbirds are still outside my window. Every so often, a car goes whooshing past. I can hear a large truck rumbling a couple of blocks or so away (maybe the fire trucks getting ready to roll or something).

You Spin Me Right Around!

2011-04-08T21:58:00.006-04:00

That's the song the little birdies chirped as they circled my head the other day when I hit the ground ass-first.

It was not a graceful vision.

But, I am now on new muscle relaxants that purported do not make one drowsy, or so my doctor says the pharmaceutical rep told her. I'm not sure about the drowsy stuff, but it does make my head spin a little about an hour after I take it. That's its main side effect, apparently.

Possibly due to being unable to think coherently, between dizzy and a painful place, I had a lot of trouble knitting since landing on my butt. I hope this clears up as I need to make more progress on Candyce's socks. That way, I can finish them up and give them to her when I go out there to visit in a couple of weeks.

Yay for visiting! Boo for dizzy-making drugs!

I also started, ripped, started, ripped, started, ripped and started a new pattern called Not a Drop. It requires a lot of concentration because it's difficult to repair any mistakes in a prior row, given that it's reversible. But I love how it looks, so simple and elegant, and this yarn (an Ella Race Lace Merino that Kate bought for me last year) really looks gorgeous in it.

I hope my mind clears up some. I hate being woozy and wobbly.

Bad Dreams

2011-04-01T07:18:00.004-04:00

Dreams are so weird, how you can be watching something happen then suddenly be in the action. I know why I had this bit of a dream, but that didn't make it any better.

Cassie (that's her in the pic, one of the lead figures in The Agency, the game that I worked on which was cancelled yesterday... I had done her temp voice overs when I was at SOE-Seattle) and some guy were waiting for a helicopter to pick them up at a resort. The couple wasn't working, they were on a holiday and the helicopter ride was to be a tour overlooking the islands.

The helicopter lowered enough so that Cassie could pull herself up into it and I thought, "That's what's important; she can do pull ups supporting her own weight."

Once she and her companion were inside the helicopter, I saw things from her point of view. The pilot turned the chopper slightly in order to begin the tour. I realized that Dan was Cassie's companion as I asked the pilot how long he'd been doing tours. He said he hadn't been licensed yet.

"You at least have a pilot's license?" I laughed. I glanced out a side window and noticed that the water was being whipped into waves by the rotors and that we were slowly falling into the water as the pilot manuevered.

We hit the water and I said, "Open the door; equalize the pressure!" The pilot was fumbling with belts and locks and seemed concerned only with his own safety. Dan sat still. I shrugged his hand from my shoulder and grabbed the door handle, taking a deep breath. Water filled the cabin as I opened the door and began to climb out.

And awoke, upset. Stupid dreams.

Expected Surprises

2011-03-31T22:31:00.003-04:00

Probably not terribly unexpected, but my former office closed today. What sucked is that some jerk who got some insider info started tweeting about it last night, so that entire offices of affected employees woke up to frantic texts, emails, and calls asking them if they were okay... but they didn't get the official word until 11AM.

You know who you are, you insensitive, media-seeking jerk. I cannot even imagine what would make someone's need to be the center of the universe be so overwhelming that he can't step away from the internet for just a few hours so that all these people can find out in a much more appropriate way. Jerk.

Anyway, I've often felt very fortunate in my career choices. Moving to Maryland was sudden, but it was also a choice made while considering the future of the position I'd held. And when you reach the point where you can no longer honestly enjoy your job, well, there you go!

The irony is that when I left, I hadn't even really been looking for a new job. Dan was the one who had been sending out resumes and going on interviews. A recruiter contacted me out of the blue, and within a very short space of time, I was offered my current position.

So lucky. And yet, so survivor-guilty. And yet again, so glad to be where I am.

I hope the guys and gals that I'd worked with land on their feet. I'm sure that they will, even the ones (dare I say it?) whose past choices might have changed the way today went.

My Other Husband will find a good position. I wish he'd come out here and bring Candyce with him. :) Knit-worthy Jose will find something, too, I'm sure.

It's just tonight where it's all so sudden and new and mind-numbing that everything seems strange.

Liberation

2011-03-28T21:41:00.003-04:00

Cookie A.'s socks are gorgeous things, created from eye-popping charts. Well, I am failing in my first O.W.L. attempt for the Ravelry Harry Potter group as I've decided not to finish my Cookie A. Stricken sock.

At least, not yet. I bought the pattern last year and it is one that I want to do, but the deadline is looming and I've made mistakes in the cables that I just don't like. If I'm going to do these socks, I want to do them right and that means taking my time with them.

Instead of killing myself to get them done and then hating them every time I wear them, I decided to set them aside to do a bit of knitting I really want to do. I'm making Candyce's Tree of Life socks in absolutely scrummy purple Miss Babs, as well as a light purple Rock Creek Yarn that I picked up yesterday at the Homespun Yarn Party.

You can't imagine how wonderful it feels to not be stuck with Stricken right now. :) I knew I was not going to finish them when it took me an hour to carefully color-code the chart and make sure I had indicated which symbol did what to get the heels done, then realized I'd color-coded the wrong rows. Le sigh!

And so, I slipped Stricken onto dpns to use those needles on Candyce's sock. It'll be fun to do this pattern for her!

Spring Snow

2011-03-27T07:54:00.003-04:00

It's a light little dusting on the sidewalks and street. It's cold enough out there for more snow, but we are told it will change to rain.

A good thing, too, as several of us are making a road trip to Homespun Yarn Party at Savage Mill. I don't need more yarn (she keeps saying this), but I love road trips with fellow yarnies!

Kate's been dyeing yarn lately, and it's so cool to see how she's been progressing. She's got an Etsy shop set up now, A Hundred Ravens, so I told her she ought to come to the Yarn Party to see her competition :D

Weekend started off very nicely! I'd gone over to Christina's and we had sushi while watching Dr. Who. It's been a long week, though, so I dragged myself home after a couple of episodes. She's been introduced to the rebooted Dr. Who now, so I suspect she will be borrowing all my DVDs soon :D

Somehow while I slept, I did something to my shoulder, and it hurts to raise my arm or turn certain ways. Yesterday it hurt so bad that I ended up taking a muscle relaxant in the afternoon. It's worn off now, but I can't take another until after our drive to and from Savage, as it wipes me completely out. And I would rather be wiped out by fondling precious handpainted, handspun yarns than by drugs today!

It's the Other Husband's Birthday!

2011-03-16T07:30:00.003-04:00

The photo's from his 2009 birthday party :) And there's Candyce when she was blonde. Happy birthday, Other Husband!

I miss being there. Candyce has had more migraines in the past year than I remember her having before. But then, she's always been someone who helps others and may not have always mentioned it when her head hurt. I want her to get better. She deserves to be healthy, happy, and whole.

Very sad about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I spent some time in Sendai during my Army Reserve days, and it was a beautiful Seattle-like city. And also, my little cherub Phil's exchange student host family lives in Iwate prefecture, which suffered the worst damage. He visited them after his high school graduation as well, and they were so, so good to him. I hope he hears from them.

Tree of Life

2011-02-27T21:56:00.004-05:00

Not bad for a weekend's work. Rearranged all the stitches to set up the heels. They're turning out nicely, although I'll make some changes for the next pair of these. I didn't like working the tree portion across the break between the needles. It felt sloppy, and the stitch definition definitely suffered a bit. I plan to do the rearranging of the stitches much earlier so that I can see the tree coming to life as I go.

I might overstitch a little owl shape into one of the branches. Maybe :)

The Good, the Bad, and the Missing

2011-02-12T08:36:00.005-05:00

Last week, during all the snow and ice, some asshole hit Jane Grey, crumpled up her left front door and didn't leave a note. It took a couple of days for me to get a cop over (since it wasn't life-threatening) to write up a report. She will need $1,500 in repairs, and I will need to pay just the deductible... but still, she will be in the shop for a week.

The only amusing thing about Jane's accident is when Officer Davis and I were saying our farewells, Melody tried to make a dash out the front door. I pulled the storm door closed and it locked behind me. Fortunately, Officer Davis knows how to kick in a door (she was so funny, saying excitedly, "I never get to do this!"), and I was soon back indoors where it is warmer than 20 degrees.

On Sunday, we went to Sweitzer's for Heather's un-Superbowl party. It also happened to be Kristy's birthday, and I had planned to make cupcakes to take. Alas, thinking about baking wasn't enough to conjure up the eggs that would be necessary for anything!

And so, I went to Icedgems in Reisterstown and bought a dozen little beauties to take with me. The frosting is slightly sweeter than even I prefer, but they are very tasty!

It wasn't until Monday night that I realized my purple shopping bag was gone. Before the road trip, I tossed in some Alpaca Silk, my entrelac sock project, and my new copy of Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders, a couple of extra 40" cable circulars. I honestly don't remember taking it into the shop. We'd stopped at Brown's on the way and I had put my cookies and apple cider into my shopping bag, and it was cold enough to leave them in the car while we knit.

Nevertheless, although the cookies and cider are in the house, the purple bag and its contents are not. I went through every closet, cabinet, looked under beds and tables. That bag is gone.

This morning, I need my crochet hook which is mixed in with all my DPNs. Some of them I inherited from my mom, most of them are ones that I procured in the past couple of years, including all of my favorite Darn Pretty needles. The entire container is missing, and I remember now that I had wanted to take it with me in case I finished all of my knitting projects, or some such nonsense.

The original loss was under $100, so it was upsetting, but mostly I'm annoyed that I couldn't find the stupid bag. With all these missing DPNs into the mix, I'm probably $200+ in disappeared stuff. :\

I'm usually so methodical about where I set things down because I know I can be scattery. Yet again, no little red container of DPNs in any of its usual spots.

Hopefully, I did actually take it into Sweitzer's and left it there. I'm waiting to hear back from Heather to see if she's found it. If not, then I add this to my litany of woe from the past week.

Dunharrow

2011-01-26T20:53:00.005-05:00

– simple socks by Owlchick.

This is the pattern for a pair of socks I knit last year and submitted to Cherry Tree Hill for a sock contest. They didn't win, but this is the only knitting pattern I've ever written up before, so I wanted to post it. :)

The Dimholt Road leads from Dunharrow to the Paths of the Dead...

Peter Jackson's Return of the King happened to be TV the night I received my skein of Middle Earth yarn, and I noticed that the colors in this skein were very similar to the scenes near the Rohirrim’s encampment. These socks feature a simple four-stitch repeat over eight rows that's a journey from cuff toward the toe.

Easy to memorize, quick to knit, and with a pebbly diagonal texture that's reminiscent of an ancient road.

Gauge = 8 stitches per inch in stockinette
Yarn = Cherry Tree Hill Fingerpaints Supersock Self Stripes (shown in 1001 - Middle Earth), 420 yards
Needles = Sample was knit using Kollage square 40 inch circulars in US size 3, which works up for me in an equivalent of US Size 2, 2.75 mm. I knit two-at-a-time Magic Loop, but the pattern is easily knit on DPNs, two circulars, or one-at-a-time Magic Loop.
Size = Sample is Women's US 8.5. Sizes are easily adjusted by adding or removing 4-stitches as needed.

Stitch Pattern:
Round 1 – K2, P2
Round 2 – K2, P2
Round 3 – P1, K2, P1
Round 4 – P1, K2, P1
Round 5 – P2, K2
Round 6 – P2, K2
Round 7 – K1, P2, K1
Round 8 – K1, P2, K1

Note – You can easily mirror the diagonals across the socks if you prefer by reversing the rows in the pattern, creating a left and a right sock. The sample pair is knit in one direction of diagonal so that I can wear each sock on either foot.

Leg:
Cast on 64 stitches using your favorite cast-on method to provide a stretchy edging. I prefer a knit-on cast-on method as it leaves me with very little excess tail... because I always mess up my longtail cast on with too much yarn. =)

Join to knit in the round, making sure not to twist the stitches. Mark the beginning of the round with a stitch marker, if desired. I usually leave the cast-on tail dangling as my marker.

K2, P2 ribbing for 1 inch, then start Dunharrow's diagonal rib pattern.

Work rounds 1 – 8 eight times, or to your desired length. Eight repeats gave me a 6-inch leg before beginning the heel. I have enough leftover yarn upon completing the socks to have done another two repeats of the pattern.
Make a note of which round you stop with if you do not do the complete eight rounds of the pattern, as you'll continue from that point after you create the heel.

Heel:
The heel is knit over half the total number of stitches, or 32 stitches.
Round 1 (Right side row) - +Slip 1, K1+ Repeat + - +, ending with K1
Round 2 (wrong side row) – Slip 1, purl across
Round 3 (RS) – Slip 1, +K1, Slip 1+ Repeat + - +, ending with K2
Round 4 (wrong side row) – Slip 1, purl across (fixed error 06/2011)

Repeat these four rounds until the heel is at least 2-1/4 inches in length. As I have a high instep, I generally knit until 2-1/2 inches.

Turning the heel:
Start the heel turn on a right side round.
Round 1 – Slip 1, K18k, SSK, K1, turn
Round 2 – Slip 1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 3 – Slip 1, K to within 1 stitch of the gap (you'll notice the gap on the prior row), SSK using one stitch from either side of that gap, K1, turn
Round 4 – Slip 1, P to within 1 stitch of the gap on the prior row, P2tog using one stitch from either side of that gap, P1, turn

Repeat rounds 3 and 4 until you've gone back and forth across all the stitches, reducing to 20 stitches total on the needle holding your heel stitches.
End on a right side row.

Gusset:
Pick up stitches along the slipped stitch edges of the heel flap toward the instep stitches. The number of stitches you pick up will depend upon how long your heel flap is. I picked up 17 stitches total on the sample sock, but on some socks have picked up as many as 21 stitches. When you've picked up stitches along the heel edge, you will be back at the instep needle. Knit across the 32 stitches on that needle in Dunharrow's diagonal stitch pattern.

If you had stopped on any round other than the 8th round prior to starting the heel, you will continue the pattern from wherever you'd left off. Once you've knit across the 32-stitches of the instep in pattern, pick up the same number of stitches along this side of the heel flap as you had down the first side of the heel flap (anywhere from 17 – 21 stitches).

Now that you've got a circle of stitches again, prepare for the gusset decreases. These decreases will take you back down to the original 64 stitches cast on. Consider these rounds as beginning in the middle of the heel, since that will easily divide the decreases equally on both sides of the heel.

Gusset decrease:
Round 1 – Knit to the last three stitches before the instep. K2tog, K1. Knit in pattern across the instep. K1, SSK, K to end of round
Round 2 – Knit all stitches along the heel and gusset. Knit in pattern across the instep.

Repeat these two rounds until you have decreased back down to 32 stitches on the heel; you will keep 32 stitches on the instep throughout this process.

Foot:
Knit in pattern across the instep. Knit across the bottom of the foot. Keep knitting until you are 1-3/4 to 2-inches from the tip of your toe. Generally, I've found that the leg portion of the sock is roughly the same length as the foot portion of my socks for a US women's size 8.5. You'll want to measure your length to fit your own foot.

Toe Decreases:
Knitting in Magic Loop, I usually start my decreases at the beginning of the instep. Using DPNs, I tend to start at the end of the row on the stockinette/foot side. The main thing is that the decreases are equal on both sides so that you end up with the same number of stitches for grafting.

Round 1: At start of instep needle, K1, SSK. Three stitches before the end of the instep needle, K2tog, K1. On foot stitches needle, K1, SSK. Three stitches before the end of the foot stitches needle, K2tog, K1
Round 2: Knit all stitches
Repeat rounds 1 and 2. For a more rounded toe, repeat only round 1 for the last three rounds to hit the final stitch count.

When there are 8 stitches left on both the instep and the foot stitches needles, graft the toes using the Kitchener stitch.

Weave in your ends as you re-watch The Lord of the Rings.

Happiness is a Knit-worthy Friend!

2011-01-22T07:52:00.003-05:00

Jose got his hat and scarf in the mail yesterday, and I could practically hear him squee (in a manly tone) all the way from Seattle :D Can't wait for him to take pics of him wearing them!

He bought the yarn in November and sent it to me, and asked for the scarf to be done a certain way. No problems there. I added in the hat from the extra yarn left, and I figured it would be nice to have a matched set.

As "payment," he sent me The Legend of the Guardians, which is a cute movie starring a bunch of owls. And then, even before he got the stuff I'd sent him, he ordered more Malabrigo for me so that I can make myself something.

I'll be awash in Mmmmmmalabrigo... so yummy. I love how it feels, it's so luxurious. Also a big fan of Jose, the most knit-worthy dude I know :D

For my next project, I'm going to cast on Tree of Life socks. This'll be my second pair of colorwork socks, and I'm a little anxious about the sizing, especially after how many tries it took to get the Owlsocks figured out. Not sure if these yarns are the exact ticket, but I like the earthy tones for them. I'm using the dark brown for the tree itself, and the lighter yarn as the main color.

For Ravelry's Harry Potter Knit/Crochet Cup, I'm doing five pairs of socks using different techniques as my Arithmancy OWL. Mind you, I had no idea what an OWL was until Kate babbled nearly incoherently about hers (a very gorgeous shawl) last year. I've been listening to the Harry Potter books on CD, which Molly's been lending to me, so now I finally know what an OWL is. :)

The group's idea is that you start your OWL project after receiving approval from your House's examiner. There are a variety of Hogswartish subjects, broken down into the ways in which students (aka, group members) can achieve success in that subject. I chose Arithmancy, in the option of making at least eight related items by the end of March.

My five Arithmancy socks will be: textured sock (Christina's); toe-up lace socks; colorwork; twisted stitches and cabled socks; and, finally, a pair of entrelac socks. Since I love knitting socks anyway, and was going to knit these at some point this year, I decided to put them into this OWL, which gives my knitting a sense of structure and purpose beyond making nice things.

I like having structure. :)

A Little Snow, A Long Scarf

2011-01-12T07:02:00.005-05:00

It snowed last night! No photos, but trust me, it's quite lovely to see the city street scene outside. Maybe 2, 3 inches total, so nothing at all like last year, but still pretty.

I'm propped up in bed (yay, real bed with headboard!), sipping tea, glancing out the window, and stealing wifi. My back is giving me some twinges and I'm not looking forward to taking the World's Tiniest Snow Shovel to the pavement before heading out to work.

Meanwhile, please enjoy a glance at what I finished yesterday: a scarf for my friend Jose! It's Knit Pick's Moguls Scarf pattern, in a luscious Malabrigo merino worsted. Nom nom nom!

He's such a knit-worthy guy, peppering his emails to me with exclamation points over how excited he is to see this scarf :D I'm currently using the remaining yarn to knit him a hat, too, because I love his enthusiasm! See, even I am moved to exclamation marks!

Last time I knit him a scarf, he bought me yarn to repay me for the time it took. This time, he sent me a Blu-Ray of Legend of the Guardians, which I know I'll love because it's full of owls :)

Happy 2011!

2011-01-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

A busy end to 2010, and let me tell you, I have never been happier to see a new year. Ever!

Chris came for the holidays, and we crammed as much activity into his visit as we could. The only downer for me is that Phil is off in basic training and so wasn't with us. =\ Still, we talked about him and imagined his take on different things that were going on, so it's almost as though he were with us, too.

Thanks to Chris's presence, I was able to finish Fallout 3, finally. =D Now I just have to play through the add-on packs, but the main story is done. Yay!

I've been doing laundry, dishes, and nibbling on leftovers all day. The house seems so quiet without Chris. I can see him lounging on the couch, playing Halo 3. Or in the kitchen, rummaging for snacks. Or upstairs in the back bedroom, helping me schlep furniture around. I'm glad he came out; I wish he were here all the time.

This year, I'm participating in the Ravelry group "Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup," despite not knowing much about Harry Potter at all. Kate was in the group last year, and talked so glowingly of her experiences (even the frustrating ones) that I decided to join, too. I sorted into Hufflepuff as a House, which makes sense as every quiz I've taken online points that way.

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

Except for the one that made me INFJ.

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Anyway, will finish up some more laundry and then begin Jose's scarf. It's in gorgeously soft Malabrigo and will be a real treat to knit up for him! If I have any leftover yarn, I'll make him a hat, too. :)

First Snow at Hampden Place

2010-12-16T22:19:00.002-05:00

And not a photo to show for it! My camera battery is recharging. But, glancing out the window, I suspect there will still be stuff on the ground tomorrow morning for a bit of a photo shoot!

It's pretty!

Although, I did have a bit of panic when I had to go around the block tonight to find a parking spot. There are streets designated as "snow emergency routes" here that means you can't park on them if it's snowed. They plow those so emergency vehicles can get around. Fortunately, my street isn't one of them, but displaced parkers from elsewhere have come up the hill, it seems!

After a tour around the block (none of the cross streets were salted or plowed, I might note), I found a spot right across the street where someone had just left. Yay!

In other news, I announce my retirement from knitting for others. Sort of. I'm going to knit a scarf for Jose because a) he asked a while ago and ordered the yarn, and 2) he's so appreciative. But no knitting for others! None! :) Especially not for those who come to me today because it snowed to ask me to drop everything to knit a hat for them, offering to bribe me to stop knitting my Xmas gifts just so they can cover their head.

I mean, really? And don't try to flatter me that you've come to ask since I'm the "best" knitter in the office when you've probably never really seen anything I've ever knit before. Srsly. No.

The Adorable Neti

2010-12-16T06:50:00.002-05:00

I love my little Neti pot. It looks like this one:

I bought it after catching an episode of Martha wherein she has someone demonstrate it live. Looks hilarious! But I always wanted to try one, and this video definitely encouraged me to give it a go.

Let me tell you what: whenever I don't use it at the first signs of impending colds/allergy attacks, they knock me down for several days. Since I've started using the thing, I'm usually back on my feet in a day. Mind you, I still feel somewhat meh, and I might sound horrible, but I feel better.

Any time I mention it and my listener says, "Oh, but I do use my Neti pot!" and they're sick for days, I get the feeling that perhaps they are using it as a paperweight.

Yesterday, I commented to my co-worker Eric that they may be addictive. I've caught the local plague, and have been using the Neti pot every morning. I don't think you're supposed to use it multiple times a day, but boy, I sure want to!

If you've never used one, seriously, it's the best thing since brushing teeth in terms of hygiene!

Getting High!

2010-12-05T21:06:00.004-05:00

I had a social weekend! Kicked off Friday night for Anna's Cheeeeeesecake Factory dinner, where I very wisely (and frugally) chose to have only cheesecake. As it turned out, one piece of cheesecake was almost too much, but I persevered and finished it all. Yay!

Saturday, I baked cookies. Not as many as I would have liked, but I did try out a new-to-me recipe called Coconut Crispies that is essentially a shortbread cookie with coconut (surprising, I know). You have to make these guys thin, though, or they might hurt. They are very crispy! I had a couple for breakfast this morning and sighed happily, for they are also very buttery. I love butter!

Also made some ginger and brown sugar shortbread. Meant do do Russian tea cookies, but didn't feel up for it as I had to get to Zeb and Helen's for their annual cookie baking and champagne party.

I skipped it last year due to a snowstorm; this year, it was cold and bright, and I am within walking distance. Brr! Lovely, brisk walk! Lots of cookies, as there had been baking all afternoon before I showed up. Sam L had made good use of an item I'd recommended to him a while back: ninjabread men cookie cutters. They were adorable!

Then Sam drove me home and helped me schlep the box with my headboard up the stairs. He offered to stick around and help me assemble it, but I declined the offer. I knew that Rex would help me on Sunday, so I was all set!

Rex, you may recall, is my Hitachi power drill. =)

In any event, Rex and I spent this morning together putting together my bed frame. I have always wanted this particular one; it matches my bureau. And, since it's a platform bed, I don't need a box spring. Handy that, since my old box spring is gathering dust in the Cat Room since it doesn't fit up the stairs.

This bed is really high. When I dangle my feet over the edge, I don't touch the floor. It's higher than my end table. I had to switch around what table I have my alarm clock on as I couldn't see it on the lower table.

I only hope that I remember in the morning that I'm now something like three feet above the floor and not just a mattress.

Bonus!

2010-11-27T20:22:00.002-05:00

Got my last shipment of sock club yarn the day before Thanksgiving! This box contained the September skein (that the post office ate), the November skein, and the bonus skein.

I am tickled since it is based on the game I suggested: Space Invaders!

And I've already wound up the yarn as I would very much like to knit a pair of bmp socks. Muahahahaha!

Meanwhile, however, I've been finishing up hats for various gifts, going over to feed and play with Moe (Christina's cat), and mentally rearranging furniture here, all the while feeling blech because my right ear hurts.

I'm going to have myself a cuppa tea now to warm up my tonsils. It's 61 degrees inside Hampden Place, which might not be helping my ear any, but I fret over the cost of heating. I'll save my heating budget for when Chris is visiting as he has no extra fat like I do, and will feel the cold even more. =)

Reims

2010-11-21T21:54:00.003-05:00

Spent the day knitting my current fancy sock project, Reims. I'd won a copy of Sock Club (the book in which this pattern appears) several months ago, and this is the first sock I'm knitting from it.

The yarn is an interesting mix I bought at Rhinebeck. It's called Footprints, and is sold with one large skein of a main color plus a small skein to use for the heels and toes. Love this color combination quite a bit! It's very regal and Reims-like.

I'd have finished it, but was suddenly overcome with sleepiness. And so, Mittens and I are going to call it a night and curl up beneath the down comforter.

G'night!

Pretty in Pink, or Purple

2010-11-14T14:19:00.004-05:00

Last week, I wandered into Lovelyarns, which is my LYS. It's cute, close by, and has a great selection of yarns for the types of projects I tend to do (ie, socks!).

Sue, the owner, is really sweet. She bustles around helping folks figure out a stitch, or a pattern, or what yarn might go with what project. Of all the yarn shops I've been to, this is right at the top of my list!

I picked up a request last week to make a hat and mittens for a local school kid, and wandered back over to day hand them in. There are boxes and shelves piled high with completed projects, waiting to be delivered to the school around Thanksgiving. Yay!

Kate liked the photo she'd seen of the hat I'd made, Laura Irwin's Side Slip Cloche from her Boutique Knits book. She squeed (as usual! She is a gratifying audience for my knitting!), and I immediately offered to make another cloche for Lili.

And so I did. This is a surprisingly quick knit, considering that the band is knit first, then you pick up 96 stitches around to knit the crown. Ninety-six stitches! That's like, a lot! And then you increase fromm there! Aiee! But, the end result is totally worth it. This is definitely a hat I'd like to knit again, for me.

Socks! Owlsocks!

2010-11-03T23:00:00.003-04:00

Is there anything cuter? Owlsocks, with bonus rounds of acorns, such that the owls on the feet ended up peeking out of my maryjanes, as though I had planned it!

Chris will be coming for the holidays, surprise for me! Well, not so surprising, since he invited himself over and needed to make sure I'd be here (and able to arrange tickets), but I wasn't expecting to see either of the cherubs, so YAY! I want to show him off to all my knitting peeps!

It's gotten much colder. So cold that I turned on the heat. Each time the furnace thing goes off in the basement, I can practically see dollar signs working their way through the radiators. =\ Right now, the temp is set to 64 degrees, so it's pretty cool inside Hampden Place. But at least I have two furry kittehs, a lovely down comforter, and lots of knitting to keep me warm.

Especially cute owl socks! I want to pick out different yarn and do them again!

Going to the Rally! Vroom! Vroom!

2010-10-30T08:56:00.004-04:00

Anna had mentioned this a while ago, probably when it was first announced. I'm excited to go since I actually live close enough that it's do-able. Yay!

Veronica and her husband Jon will be coming over about 10:30, then we'll head out to find Silver Spring metro station. I hope we find it; every other time I've ever gone to Silver Spring, I get lost despite Gypsy the GPS. This is because Silver Spring is a mystery spot on the East Coast. It just doesn't play up this aspect of its personality.

As a typical knitter, when Veronica asked what I am going to take, I immediately mentioned a sock project in progress. Heh! I am, however, also taking some water, apple cider bread, and some satsumas.

One never knows when a good satsuma could come in handy.

Observations

2010-10-24T22:23:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was winterizing day! I exchanged the screen in the front door for glass (it has a panel that you swap; pretty spiffy, as I've never seen one like it before), put little foam cozies over water pipes, and invited Matt F, our IT guy, to come shut off my water.

Thanks to the miracle of a 12-foot basement ceiling, I'm not tall enough to reach the inside shut-off valve for the water hose at the front of my house. The other day as we were getting coffee, I observed that Matt is much taller than me. And his parents live near me, so I asked him if he'd drop in to help out. He's such a nice guy, he actually showed up! Yay!

Also showing up were Kate and Gavin (Lili was at a farm with the Girl Scouts). We all hung out for a bit, which was really awesome. I love living someplace that's large enough to have folks over! They'd probably show up even if I hadn't bribed them with thoughts of white chocolate coconut cream pie (on a gluten-free crust)! That said, I did only manage to clean one room before anyone showed up because I have to many to clean. Oh, well.

Kate later brought Lili to hang out for a bit while Kate knit and I started winding yarn.

Lili helped. Then, we cleverly distracted her with some movies so that I could begin untangling the yarn. Heh!

Today, I stirred not from Hampden Place. More puttering around the house. More yarn winding. Some knitting. Lots of pondering.

I wondered, for example, about my sock yarn club. I joined one early in the year with the idea that I would then just use their yarn and not buy any others this year. Hahahaha! N00b! Anyway, I signed up for a whole year, enchanted by the idea of a club in which I could make monthly payments. Most clubs, and they aren't cheap, make you pay all at once up front. Montly payments were just want I wanted, and so I signed up. Still, my total cost is over $230 for the year's membership, even if it is paid in smaller doses.

In July, I'd asked them to confirm whether I was already paid in full. I resent the email a month later, and received a response that they were a bit busy at the moment, what with making up our September shipments, starting school for their kids, and so on.

Then their website went down. For a week. I posted about it in their Ravelry group and was told to just PM their customer service person instead of posting something like this, but they'd get it sorted out. Around the same time, my email to them about my account started bouncing back to me.

We were supposed to get a yarn shipment in September. Someone else posted to ask where the shipments were. As of now, no one has received them. Their rep on the board said the post office lost our orders, but not to worry, they'd re-dye and then send us our September yarns in November with the November shipment.

I know it's a small company, but it's still a business. This whole thing about "oh, we can't sit down to calculate what you might owe right now because school's started" is bullshit. The yarn (supposedly) goes out every other month. The kids go to school the same time every year. The web hosting service doesn't just wink out without someone at the company noticing. Emails don't sit around with no response until the customer posts on a public forum.

My guts have been telling me since August that this is a company in trouble. =\ A real shame, as they do have nice yarn. But, after this episode (and presuming I get the three skeins owed me for this year), I'm not buying from them again. Probably won't be able to; I suspect they're going out of business.

Anyway, that's what I was thinking about today as I wound up several skeins of yarn.

Rhinebeck on a Whim and a Budget

2010-10-17T22:10:00.006-04:00

Technically, the New York Sheep and Wool festival, but everyone calls it Rhinebeck, after the town in which the fairgrounds are situated. Last Monday, Kate asked me if I would be interested in going up to New York with her, and after doing some budget crunching, I agreed.

We drove up late Friday night (I'd had a prior party to attend) and arrived in Hastings at 2AM. Exhausted, yet full of excitement, we passed out cold at Kate's mother-in-law's condo on the Hudson River.

Lili, Kate and Becca's adorable little cherub, came with us. She perkily arose at the crack of dawn, and so Kate and I very groggily prepared for our day with the sheep and the wool, with an emphasis on wool.

It was glorious. The day was bright and mostly clear. Predicted rain did not happen, and so though there was quite a lot of wind, we remained dry as we traipsed from barn to barn. Once Lili became disinterested in wool, Kate took her off to do stuff and I wandered along alone in the crowd, happily browsing for myself, and doing some sock yarn shopping for Anna.

As I do with gambling, I set myself a $40 limit for yarn buying, and stuck to it. Anna had given me some money and a request to find her more sock yarns. And so, at the end of day, not long before the closing announcements went out over the loudspeakers, I had done all the shopping I could, and we set off for our home base in Hastings.

We drove through Sleepy Hollow, which was filled with folks wandering around, looking for horsemen or at least haunted houses. We saw so many gorgeous houses, beautiful landscapes, and wonderful little shops all around the area. It seemed that every other moment, we were laughing at something, and promising ourselves that we would come back up sometime with Becca and just hang out.

Today, we wandered around Hastings in the morning, stopping at a soda fountain in a drug shop for a treat. I had my very first egg cream, which has neither egg nor cream, but is nicely chocolatey and refreshing.

And then, we drove home, nibbling on junk food and giggling like schoolgirls. Best weekend adventure in a long time, and such a nice getaway! And I have the yarns to prove it!

Suddenly, Autumn

2010-10-06T06:36:00.008-04:00

Last week, it was warm enough to wear short sleeves. Suddenly, mystically, beautifully, it became autumn. All my windows are closed in Hampden Place, and it's still lovely cool inside.

And I have a cold. =\ My sinuses hate me.

I have new fuzzy house shoes. They are not slippers, but mocassin-style fleece-lined little shoes. The only downside is that they feel so much like regular shoes that I've had to turn around and come back into the house to put on real shoes a couple of times.

Did I mention how I locked myself out of the house for the first time? It was the Saturday morning I dashed out to pick up Veronica so we could head to Feederbrook Farms. Slightly before 9AM, and as I pulled the door shut behind me, I realized that I was holding the spare car key and not my usual keys. Why do these realizations never strike before one has pulled a locked door firmly to?

In any event, Christina and I had exchanged house keys when I moved to Hampden, and so later that evening after my day of sheepitude, I simply went to her place to pick up the spare, and let myself into my place. Disaster averted! Yay for Christina, whose idea it was to exchange keys lo those many moons ago!

As a result of my cold, I haven't felt like concentrating on charts, so I set aside the Owl Socks until I can knit without snuffling. I'm adding in a variation I saw on Ravelry, which not only adds stitches around (which I need) but also adds length (which I want). Very exciting! I had just gotten in the first row of the colorwork when I set it aside, and will be very happy to stop coughing and sniffling so that I can continue!

Also set aside the Leafy Fingerless Gloves whose thumb gussets look like ass. I plan to rip back that part only and re-knit it on dpns, but don't feel much like doing that at the moment, either. Kate stopped knitting on hers, too, for reasons I can't remember. She's not big on knitting through the back loop, which is what this entire glove is, so that might be part of it. She is, however, making a Swallowtail Shawl in the meanwhile, so go, Kate!

Since I can't not knit, I started up something completely different. Last week, Veronica had a cute little shawl curled up around her throat, and when she explained that it's Simple, I decided I wanted to make one. This is because, prior to seeing her, I had blocked out my Citron shawl and was immediately possessed with the desire to knit another... even though I had said I would never do so. Now, upon seeing Veronica's shawl, I had an alternative to bajillions of ruffle stitches! Yay!

Mine is in laceweight JaggerSpun Zephyr (wool/silk blend); I'm calling this my Jagermeister shawl ;) Holding the yarn doubled, though, as I wasn't feeling up to an itty bitty laceweight project. It's coming along nicely. Mostly, I like that the stitch pattern is whatever you want. My variation has rows of yarn overs and knit-two-togethers. Veronica did her completely differently, without any yarn overs at all. I think that's what I like about knitting. Two people can make the same project, and they can both be entirely different but still beautiful.

Like little snowflakes. =)

A Day at the Farm

2010-09-28T07:29:00.010-04:00

Molly, Veronica, and I spent all day Saturday being lazy at the farm. Feederbrook Farm, to be precise. Molly owns half a sheep up there (that's her sheep in the photo with her), and Lisa (the farm's owner) was having an open house, so we took picnic supplies and headed up.

Lots of lovely grounds, a variety of animals, and cool old buildings. Lisa explained what-all varieties of sheep she had, but I don't remember a thing. We walked around the grounds, admired architecture (well, I did), and got to sit in the shade of enormous maple trees, knitting or spinning. The day was hot, but in the shade, it was about perfect. Beautiful sheep, too. Rob would have liked it. ;)

I was in heaven. It was the sort of idyllic day that might have led me to buy Goat House, thinking I'd love a life in the country. But my practical side kicked in (eventually), and I'm grateful to have Hampden Place, with occasional visits to the lifestyle to which I am unsure I'd ever become accustomed.

I'm glad we had such a nice outdoorsy day on Saturday, for Sunday brought a deluge! I sat in the front parlor knitting and looking out at the sheets of water washing down the street. It's still raining today, and the world smells fresh. Once the rain stops, I need to haul in the window air conditioners. No sense pulling them in while they're wet, though. I hope we get some dry days before it gets cold. =\

I need to frog the Owl Socks again. Even on larger needles, they are too tight at the heel. Next go, I'll be increasing stitches after the cuff, so need to add a few columns to the pattern. Not feeling up to it at the moment, so I turned to the knit-along that Kate and I started with a pattern for Leafy Fingerless Gloves instead.

Bye-bye, Birdie!

2010-09-24T22:29:00.004-04:00

Poor Owl Socks! Adorable! So quickly knit!

So small! :) Frogged!

On the bright side, though, I've learned to knit with color A in one hand, and color B in the other, so that's good. And I'm starting these over because they are so stinking cute. Instead of size 2 needles, though, going to use my Kollage size 3 needles to give them more room. Although, I have this foreboding sense that the last time I did a type of colorwork, I had cast on 80 stitches and they fit perfectly. Owl Socks is only 64 stitches. And the Panda Silk (the same stuff I used for Kevin's Skyp Socks) is very thin. These could be the strangest Owl Socks ever.

We shall see!

Moving Right Along

2010-09-18T08:49:00.004-04:00

I think I have developed a cold. Snuffling, sneezy, and chilly. Need to knit a pair of socks with toes that I can wear with my slippers as I shuffle down into the basement to do laundry.

Last weekend was busy. I'd taken my bereavement leave and spent the time knitting, cleaning, thinking, and recovering from OSM's death. On Saturday afternoon, Candyce flew in from Seattle to give me a hug.

Have I mentioned before that I adore Candyce? If not (but I'm sure that I have), I mention it. We drove around DC for a while before turning on the GPS and heading back to Baltimore, where she got to see Hampden Place. Yay!

Before OSM's passing, I'd planned a Sunday brunch as my local yarn shop, Lovelyarns, was having a trunk show. It's about 3 blocks from where I live, so I'd invited over my knitting peeps. After OSM died, I didn't want to cancel my event. In some ways, I needed more than ever to have friendly, happy people in my home. So, knitting peeps came. They got to meet Candyce, which made me so happy to have her meet my new friends.

And then, we walked down to the shop, and Candyce and I had to turn around almost immediately so that I could take her to the airport for her flight home.

Shortest trip ever, but so worth it for the hugs.

Also made me miss being in Seattle, hearing all about how my Seattle friends are going about doing cool things together. I've read about their doings on Facebook (a blessing and a curse of modern living), but seeing Candyce and hearing about what they've been doing makes it even more real. Their lives are going on without me. Aiee!

And my life goes on without them. Or more like, with and without, since we have the type of friendship wherein it's not necessary to live in one another's pockets. Every bit of time we get together is precious.

In knitting news, been working on two socks simultaneously. One pair is another pair of Monkey socks, which I started after seeing Kate knitting hers. Kate, Anna, and I all started a knit-along, making Monkeys two-at-a-time. Heh! Anna is so brave. This is her first pair of socks, and her first two-at-a-time, too. When she went to the trunk show, she bought a ton of sock yarns. I think I have converted her. Muahahahaha!

I decided this time to try the Strong heel, which has no pick-up stitches. Couldn't figure it out on my own; lots of references to how simple it is, but I need real instruction. :) Finally found it via something called Fiber Camp Boston. Dude! What a fabulous concept! Both the camp and the heel. Looks very nice, especially with stripes. Will probably do this heel more often, now that I understand it.

The other pair of socks I'm making is Broadripple. I love how the top of the sock becomes almost crenelated due to the stitch pattern.

If my stolen wifi weren't so wonky, I'd include photos with this post. Maybe later.

Days of Remembrance

2010-09-10T12:27:00.005-04:00

While initially I was going to put off taking bereavement leave from work until my sister and I had figured out what to do with OSM, on Wednesday I was pretty much tied up with filling out various forms relative to the cremation. That ate up part of my morning, which I had intended to use to revamp and test some stuff for an internal play-through.

Mind went to mush. Paul asked me if I wanted to treat one of my revisions with plan A or plan B, and I couldn't make up my mind, instead dissolving into tears.

And so, bereavement leave. In most cases, folks probably use the time to actually attend funerals or whatnot. Barb and I are having OSM cremated and will eventually scatter the ashes somewhere in Hawaii.

Kurt, bless his soul, offered to meet my sister next month when he's up in LA, take OSM, and then do the scattering for us seeing as neither my sister nor I live in Hawaii any longer. But at this point, I don't know when we will do this. I cannot afford to go right now; Barb is still unemployed, and will not go unless her daughter can go, too (and I cannot afford to fly three of us), so OSM will reside in a closet in San Diego while we figure this out.

I'm a lot more upset than I thought I would be. I was never close with my mother, ever. I'm still not big on family, other than my little cherubs. And even so, they live on the opposite coast, and have lived primarily with their father, so I am not as close with them as I would like.

When folks tell me wonderful and warm stories about how great their parents are, I'm filled with a sense of loss and regret. I don't have many good things to remember. OSM was difficult, volatile, and often mean-spirited. She promised to embarrass me in front of any boyfriends I might bring home, so as you can imagine, I did not bring very many people over at all.

She broke dozens of long wooden chopsticks over our legs and behinds, making us go get them for her so she could beat us. Most of the time, I dreaded going with her to her friends' homes because she inevitably beat us when we got home for doing, or not doing, something...and the something always seemed to change. It was difficult to know what would set her off. Even now, I am diffident about going to other people's houses, or to parties in general. I suppose that inside me is the little girl who knows she'll do something wrong, and will be punished for it later.

Once, when I was a teenager, she handed me her various meds and demanded that I kill myself with them because I was worthless, and everyone would be better off if I were dead.

But, she did have a very, very rough life and I'm sure she did the best that she could given her circumstances. She put me and Barb through private schools at considerable cost in time and effort on her part, especially since our dad had abandoned our family before I even started kindergarten. She worked jobs that allowed her to be home when we came in from school, until I reached high school and she could leave me home alone. She made all my prom gowns by hand, to my particular specifications. She was gifted with the ability to see something ready-made and could figure out how to recreate it later, whether it was knit, crochet, sewn, or cooked.

As she got older and the dementia set in, OSM (short for Our Sainted Mother, which Barb and I took to calling her around then) became a different person entirely. She was pleasant and friendly. While I was still wary of her, I didn't have to fear the sudden and violent temper that she'd exhibited while we were young.

Then again, aren't all children likely to see their parents in a completely new and different light, once they grow up? Maybe she always was someone else, someone I never knew.

OSM

2010-09-07T22:10:00.001-04:00

You may forget but
let me tell you
this: someone in
some future time
will think of us
~Sappho

My mom died last night, not unexpectedly, but I am still somewhat in shock, and not without some anger.

She had a long and difficult life. I hope she's at peace finally.

Yaaaaarn

2010-09-05T07:31:00.004-04:00

Though I briefly considered taking before and after pics, in the end, I simply sat down with a cup of coffee and an intensely tangled hank of sock yarn and after a long, somewhat soothing process, got it wound into little yarn cakes.

Very satisfying, if time consuming.

The weather is September now: sunny, bright, and warm, with a cool edge to it. Thank goodness, I say, for hot-hot-hot was not doing me any favors. Then again, I am acclimated now, and the heat doesn't bother me as much as it used to (aiee). The other night, I drove home and glanced at Jane Grey's thermometer: 89 degrees. But I didn't even have the a/c on, because it felt okay.

Our bocce ball season ended last week. We lost the game, but it was one of the best we've played. Clearly, six weeks of practice is all we need to get into the swing of it. The play-offs are this week, so it'll be our last bocce event. Unless we go to the King of the Hill tournament and Bar Crawl.

Since yesterday was dedicated to yarn, today will be all about gaming. I need to finish hooking up the 360 and the PS2. Yes, that's two as in, "I can't afford PS3." Perhaps it's just the dust balls floating around, but I've been hankering after a good roll through of We Love Katamari again.

Wish me luck! :)

Tea Time

2010-08-29T07:14:00.004-04:00

Poor Kate. Yesterday's tea was a disappointment for her and her lovely Britishisms. We were served two different teas in pots, neither of them English tea; we had to ask for refills when we'd drunk them both. And she had to ask for a cup of black tea with milk... and they brought her half and half, with her tea in a mug. =)

The food, however, was yummy. Since two of the knitters didn't show up, and I'd already reserved all our slots, I ended up bringing home their "leftovers" and had them for supper, and will have another serving for lunch today. The food was good, the desserts were nice. But the lack of real tea was a surprise, even to me. I mean, the meal was "tea," so one might reasonably expect good old English tea at least as an option. It's not like it's any more expensive than what we were served.

In any event, we had a blast! Catherine, Kate, and I met in Hunt Valley and carpooled merrily into Pennsylvania. Sweitzer's is a cute little shop, I believe it was once a butcher's, with a couple of the most well-insulated rooms I've ever seen. Tables were filled with a wide variety of sale yarns, and Heather is a sweet lady; she's a treasure.

I bought a couple of skeins of sale yarn, plus a circular needle organizer for all the various needles I now have around the house. Yay!

We ended the trip at Brown's, home of cookies the size of my head. Enormous, cakey, soft, buttery discs of pure joy. Mmmmm!

What's that? Ooh, a cookie and some scones are calling my name. Guess it's time for breakfast!

Stolen Moments

2010-08-28T09:50:00.004-04:00

I am using unsecured wifi. There are three different connections around Hampden Place, and I've used them all.

In the kitchen, it's Neighbor Belkin. He only keeps his wifi on in the morning, with occasional, random evenings. Upstairs, I can choose between Neighbor Linksys and Neighbor Netgear.

Howdy, Neighbors! Thanks for being so understanding as I download games via Steam! I'm trying to keep my usage to the middle of the night to not slow down their own use, but I'm imagining that Neighbors Linksys and Netgear don't actually do much but check their emails and maybe play Farmville or something.

I wonder how far away these folks actually live from me. All of the signals are "Poor," although every so often Neighbor Linksys pops up as "Low." Currently observing Fallout 3 downloading on my poor connection. I have about four more hours left. Or six. Or three. It changes every time I check. Mysterious!

Anna and I hung out last night. She graciously helped me wrap and schlep glass blocks from the apartment over to Hampden Place. We walked down to the Ave and had dinner at a little Italian place, cruised a couple of shops, and I bought a print to hang in my bedroom. This possibly means no yarn for me at today's outing, but I really liked the image; she's going to preside over my bedroom eventually. For now, she's on a bookshelf in the living room, getting to know me.

Later today, going to PA with Kate and several of the Wednesday knitters to Sweitzer's Country Store for her sale event. We are following that up with afternoon tea at Serenity Station. And to further my caloric demise, will then go to Brown's to get cookies as big as my head. Yay!

One More Week!

2010-08-22T22:29:00.003-04:00

Nothing like procrastinating, I tell ya! Wheeee!

One more week of renting the old apartment. I spend most of the day there, scrubbing floors and putting cute little vacuum stripes onto the bedroom floor. There's still some stuff there I need to pick up, and then vacuum up the living room, but then I'll be done with it.

The forecast today was for thunderstorms, but I sure didn't experience any. I spent some time with my coffee and a new sock project, hanging out in the front parlor. The chair Jeannie gave me is comfy and cozy, perfect for knitting while watching traffic go by. I installed a door sweep on the front door to keep critters and stuff out. Then I came upstairs to put together a nightstand I bought last month. It's been in pieces all over my bedroom since it's been too hot upstairs to work on it.

So hot upstairs, in fact, that it asploded the battery in my wall clock. =\ Ow!

Not having bits of wood all over the floor any longer does make the bedroom open up more. I have lovely original pine flooring in here, as is the case throughout most of the house.

As the weather starts to cool, my fretting turns to heating Hampden Place. All I've heard is how expensive it will be since I have an oil heater. That makes me very sad, as I don't know what to anticipate, and am not looking forward to bills of over $300 a month to heat the place.

Clearly need to knit more hats and wraps. But first, more socks!

New project is actually a repeat of my first sock project: Twitterpated! It's well-written, quick to memorize and knit, and is just flying off the needles two-at-a-time! I cast on late Friday night, and even though I was busy nearly all day Saturday, I got far enough along that tonight I was able to turn both heels and move on to the gussets. Whee! I love this pattern =)

Finally!

2010-08-15T20:57:00.005-04:00

Behold! I finally finished my Citron shawl. I started it in April from the laceweight Zauberball I bought when our knitting group went on a field trip to Sweitzer's in Pennsylvania.

And I finished my Mad Color Weave socks, which I also started back in April. House-hunting and moving took all my energy. It's nice to finally feel like sitting down to do some actual, factual knitting.

Still have a few things to wrap up at the old apartment, then I'll be completely in Hampden Place. That'll give me more time...to knit! Yay!

Yesterday, Ellie and Jim had a little get-together at their house. I played Rockband 2 for the first time since I left Seattle (and I still suck at it), plus a couple of other games. I miss game nights. =\

Chandra, one of the Wednesday knitters, is in town this weekend, and so a few of us got together this afternoon at Judy's house. Another lovely day of socializing with friends.

And that's what I like best about living in Maryland: friends. Yes, I still miss Candyce, and my little cherubs, but I have friends here, too. Huzzah for friends!

Days in the Big City

2010-08-10T22:22:00.006-04:00

Nice thing about the East Coast is how close everything is, in relative terms. Hence, when my high school friend Kurt let me know late on Friday that he'd be in DC, I arranged to take Monday off so that I could drive down there and spend a couple of days playing tourist with him.

We had a great time getting caught up on each other's news, as well as wandering around the Mall so that I could see all the memorials that I'd never actually been close to before. The only monument we didn't get to was the Jefferson Memorial, and that's mostly because it was swelteringly hot and I was developing blisters from all the walking.

And once again, everywhere I went, I was gleefully reliving moments from Fallout 3. Muahahaha!

Kurt remembers peculiar details of stuff that happened to us back in the day. For example, we were at the Viet Nam vets' memorial area, and one of the statues depicts a soldier holding an M-60, which sparked a memory for him. While I don't remember the episode, Kurt mentioned that while we were at a JROTC Spring Camp one year, he and I were in the same group firing M-60s, and that I'd apparently tried to load the ammo into it incorrectly. When he told me it was backwards, I took the ammo out (he says), and jabbed it into his hand, telling him to load it himself. Or something to that effect.

Which, I am sad to say, does lend credence to his account, as it is exactly the sort of thing I'd do. =\

I'm uploading photos from the weekend on Flickr now. Need to edit them a bit, as there are something like 50 shots of the ground as I attempted to get a good photo of a cute squirrel, and stuff like that. I'd include photos in this post, but apparently the interface has changes on blogger, and I'm too tired to wrassle with it tonight.

I was really sorry when our holiday ended so quickly. Kurt flew back to Hawaii today, and I went to work as usual. The cats were happy to see me when I got home tonight, and I'd missed them, too. Still, it was a nice get-away, so close to home, and yet so far away!

Two More Weeks

2010-08-01T10:10:00.004-04:00

This is going to be a very lean couple of weeks, according to my budget calculations. Last month of paying the rent on the old apartment, combined with the new mortgage, and the new associated bills.

Good times =\ I have not a spare dinar to my name and will set aside paying for my bills immediately (as I usually do), waiting instead for the due dates that coincide nicely with my next payday.

Two weeks. Surely, I can make it two weeks. I will need to fill the tank with gas, but I have enough food in the house to not need to purchase anything more. Filling up Jane Grey will be about $25 or so.

I haven't lived this close to the wire since the first year after my first divorce. That December, I had thirty-two cents in my wallet the week before Christmas. I had already bought the boys their gifts in the months leading up to the holidays, and so we had lasagne for Christmas supper and I anxiously awaited my next paycheck.

I'm a year ahead of myself in terms of home-buying. I hadn't meant to buy a place this year, but decided that the $8,000 tax credit was too good to resist. And so, I've made my bed (still on the floor), and will lie in it, knowing that there would be a painful period of material privation for a bit.

Hence, only stolen wifi. Hence, shuffling from room to sunlit room, until the sun is low enough that I must turn on a light. I spoke with the oil company people about setting up an account, and they estimate that it cost over $1,000 last winter to heat this house. I can pay in monthly installments of $99, starting now, if I like.

Good thing I have several wool coats and enough yarn to knit thick scarves and mittens all winter long. No, I do not want a bill for $99 a month for an entire year...not this month, anyway.

The bureau is upstairs, although I had it put together before noticing two of the supports are in backwards. They are significantly lighter in color than the rest of the thing, but I don't feel like taking it apart again for cosmetic reasons. Will be heading upstairs to put away clothes, now that I have a place to put them. It's amazingly open again in the living room, now that the bureau isn't taking up space and absorbing light beside the stairs.

I've been re-reading His Dark Materials, to fill the time between opening boxes and stowing things away. This morning, I curled up in Jeannie's Ikea chair with The Amber Spyglass and a cup of coffee. A little card fluttered from the pages of the book: "Sunshine, heart you and miss you already, love always, e."

He'd marked a book of mine with a note from his ex. I put the note into the recycle bin, but I don't think I'll be able to forget it. For a little while, anyway.

At Home in Hampden Place =)

2010-07-31T10:23:00.003-04:00

So! Movers came on time last week, and got all my worldly goods (well, all the ones I'd packed) into Hampden Place.

My bureau couldn't fit up the stairs, so I need to dismantle it. And also, my queen-sized box spring is now providing a hiding spot in the cats' room off the kitchen since it, too, would not fit.

Oh, well =)

As soon as I have fewer boxes forming the decor, I'll take new photos for folks to see how it's coming together. Alas, I set out my camera last Saturday for my housewarming party and forgot to actually use it.

It was the hottest day of the year, over 100 degrees! Oy! And yet, nearly everyone who RSVP'd and said they'd show up actually did stop by at some point. I didn't even have to unfold my new folding table, as people came and went at a rate the allowed my seating to handle nearly everyone, including at the point where Candi and Donna perched on the stairs. Rane arrived, bearing cherubs, and we chatted for a while after everyone else had left while she fed the boys before heading home.

There's still cleaning to be done, and a few odds and ends, at the old apartment; but I'm finally living in my own home.

This morning, the weather cooled substantially. I opened all the windows and sat in the front parlor, gazing out into the street. Jeannie, one of the knitting ladies, brought me an Ikea chair that she didn't want, and it's the masterpiece of the front parlor. It's the perfect perch from which to keep an eye on pedestrians.

And now, I am at the kitchen table, swiping wifi, finishing breakfast, and waiting for one of my co-workers who's moving to let me know when he is actually going to stop by to get the boxes I've saved for him. A load of laundry tumbles in the dryer. The fridge hums. Two cats wander from room to room, flooping to the floor for acute napping. The alarm beeps periodically to let me know it's on.

It's a good place.

I Know Nice People :)

2010-07-18T19:30:00.003-04:00

The former owners left me two window air conditioner units in the house sale. One was already upstairs and just needed to be hoisted into a window. The other was in the basement until today, when Ellie and her husband Jim came over to install it for me.

Yay!

It's positioned in the cats' room such that it points toward the doorway into the kitchen. From there, the ceiling fans circulate the ocoler air throughout the living space.

Double yay!

Over 95 degrees today at Hampden Place, until the A/C went in. I do not want to spend a million dollars cooling the place, but I need some coolness in the living space, especially since I am having a party this coming Saturday to celebrate the move.

What better time than the first weekend, during which time I don't need to apologize for the mess (everyone knows I just moved in!) and can buy most of the party snacks (I'm still unpacking!). I do plan to make a couple different panninis and something sweet, but otherwise will buy pre-made everything.

In this frame of mind, I noticed with glee that Chick-fil-A sells iced tea by the gallon. Muahahaha!

I also ordered a folding mahogany table and a couple of chairs. Whether they make it to me in time for the party or not will be this week's mystery.

Early Wake Up Call

2010-07-16T07:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, some of my old co-workers at SOE were laid off, including one of my favorite co-devs from our EQII days, Saavedra.

He and I would often find ourselves amongst the lonely few in the office, working late into the night to get things polished and complete. He's one of the most dedicated people I know, with an old-school work ethic that the job gets done no matter what. I even blogged about our working relationship back when I was an official SOE blogger for a time.

Thinking about the past is likely why I had a nightmare. A year ago, I drove across the country and planned my drive to coincide with Dan's class reunion so that we could have one last weekend together. Little did I realize at the time that it was the actual last weekend we'd ever have together, but that weekend, too, was started off with news of layoffs at SOE. My sister was one of the folks let go last summer.

My nightmare had to do with seeing Dan again and trying to hang out as friends, but it was filled with tension. What woke me up was finding out (in the dream) that his dog Butch had died, but Dan hadn't bothered to tell me since he was busy planning all these layoffs.

I love Butch; he's an adorable dog who would leap into bed to spoon against me on cold nights, or curl up beside me for protection (his, not mine) while I played Fallout 3 and would yip in terror (me, not him). Butch is also over 13 years old and has health issues now. I really hope he's okay.

And I really hope that the layoff cycles will stop soon for everyone.

Nearly Done!

2010-07-11T16:10:00.002-04:00

I've been leisurely hauling boxes over to Hampden Place. And even Mr. Moorgard, who was in town last week, got roped into the box-haul advenure.

Mr. Moorgard burst into an uncontrollable (and, therefore, all the more annoying, since it was at my expense) chortle at something I said at dinner one night, though. He almost evened things up by flushing away a dead bug that had haplessly fallen into the basement toilet, but since I can still see him sniggering in my mind's eye, he clearly still owes me.

Kathy came over yesterday morning in the lovely, cooling rain despite her migraine to help me haul quite a few boxes over. And one of our IT dudes met us at Hampden Place to carry things into the house for me. How nice!

If only Matt (the IT guy) had been there this morning. I unpacked boxes in the kitchen, then stacked them in the front parlor. On my last trip to the parlor, a rather large dark blob fled the pile of boxes I was making and disappeared beneath the radiator.

I let out a quiet gasp of horror and backed away. I think it was a mouse, which is not as repulsive to me as a roach, but still...something scuttling away so close to me was quite unnerving. I turned off the lights, locked the door, and left.

Whatever will I do when I am living there for good? =( I hope Melody catches mice as well as she does spiders.

July Heats Up!

2010-07-05T19:14:00.003-04:00

According to the weather reports, it'll be around 100 all week long, with increasing humidity. Joy. =\

I spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday unpacking and arranging the kitchen at Hampden Place and found that it actually remains relatively cool on the main floor. Then again, it wasn't very humid, and that's what makes it seem so much hotter.

Kate and Becca had quite a few folks over Sunday evening for a lovely Fourth of July celebration. I made the mistake of not hydrating enough and felt rather overwhelmed by the heat. But Becca had grilled up a mess o'burgers, beef, and other goodies. I left not long after the fireworks were going. The noise makes me nervous.

Actually, a lot of things make me nervous. =)

Mr. Moorgard told me he'll be in town this week and wants a chauffeur. Perhaps I will hijack him to Ikea with me and then make him haul a wardrobe up the narrow stairs at Hampden Place in exchange.

Heating Up!

2010-06-26T08:22:00.002-04:00

An entire week of 90+ degree temps = OW!

Fortunately, I spend my days in air-conditioned comfort at work. By the time I leave in the early evening, the heat isn't as blast oven intense. Indeed, it's often like a snuggly hug to step outside and be wrapped in warmth.

That said, I am not interested in being outside more than necessary while it's so steamy out, but today is the company picnic. I'm going to head down to Ray and Rane's, as Rane has offered to be the designated driver today. Yay! I hope to sit in shade and drink sweet tea, watching other people flirt with heat exhaustion while playing kickball.

My official move date is the end of July. I'm using a local company recommended by a co-worker. Should be exciting! Having a definitive date picked gives me a target by which I must finish packing.

Still waffling about my computer hutch and even the bark-o-lounger. They are big pieces that need to be disassembled or hoisted in through the front window. I haven't used the hutch for anything but storing my desktop PC as all I ever use now is a laptop. The bark-o-lounger is so comfy, but it's blue and has never been my favorite color. I bought a slipcover for it, so we'll see.

Earlier in the week, Becca gave me a lovely little storage bench. Kathy helped me carry it into Hampden Place. Veronica came with me last weekend to carry a couple of boxes. Christina dropped in to bring me flowers. Nearly all my bestest local friends have been to the new place, and that's so wonderful to me.

Can't wait until I'm settled and can have my little cherubs and maybe even Kev and Candyce to visit! Then it will really be a home.

Hampden, Hon

2010-06-13T22:05:00.003-04:00

This is the first weekend I could move things and spend time at Hampden Place.

It is also the weekend of Hon Fest, a street fair in my new 'hood. Parking would be at a premium and it also turned out to be a very, very hot couple of days.

Yesterday, I packed a bit. Not a lot, since there's limited space in the apartment for boxes, but I got several boxes of kitchen items done. And today, I got up early and drove over, found a parking spot nearby, and unloaded Jane Grey before walking down to see what Hon Fest is all about.

They block off the Avenue, have a couple of stages with live entertainment, and lots of kitschy items are for sale. There were dozens of women with fluffy beehive hair-dos wandering around; it really made me wonder for a moment how many of these ladies dress like that all the time.

It was so hot, though, I didn't feel up to finding Christina and Nate, who were also somewhere on the Avenue, so after buying a couple of nifty advertisements, I headed home.

I met the neighbors who live in the black-painted industrial-style rowhouse beside mine, as well as a woman who lives in the house next to theirs. Enterprizing residents hold stoop sales to catch the eyes of folks parking and walking by.

I bought a cool leather shag rug for my front room from Jaime and Sara, the couple living beside me. They have a cute pug named Cashew, who was waddly and adorable! Sara and Jaime introduced me to another couple who live down the street by the firestation and they all helped me carry my new rug into the front parlor.

It's a good neighborhood, hon!

Done Shopping...for now :D

2010-06-06T23:09:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to replace the glass-blocks-and-boards TV st and for some time. Guess now's the time!

While I liked the type of TV stands with boards upon which one hangs the TV, I don't have fifty cables and wires (well, I kind of do) hanging out. And so, instead of the Ikea stand, I ordered one from Overstock.com. That's their photo I'm using, since I just ordered the thing and will need to screw it together once I actually receive it.

But that's it! That's all I'm buying before moving to Hampden Place! Honest!

Feeling a little anxious and fretful now, with only a couple of days to go before closing. It's almost like sleepwalking. Some moments, I have no idea how I got here. Other times, I feel as though I'm being smothered. It's stressful and will be until August, when I will be out of my apartment completely and ensconced in Hampden Place, surrounded by boxes.

It's a real shame this manicure isn't very well done as it's likely to be the last one I get for a long, long time.

Nailed!

2010-06-05T18:46:00.005-04:00

Last night, I wanted to freshen up my manicure. I've been getting gel nails for a couple of months now and really like how they look...when done correctly.

I dropped in at the shop I usually go to and they sat me right down to get started. Then as soon as the gel was on, they moved me as someone with an appointment walked in. Makes sense, except for the time that five of us had appointments at this same salon and when we arrived 5 minutes ahead of time, they'd filled all the seats and we ended up waiting over an hour. :P

In any event, three different people worked on my nails, including the woman I think is the shop's owner. They close at 8PM, and at about 8:05, she waved me out the door, taking my payment and tip.

By the time I got home, three of the gel nails had started shrinking from lack of adequate curing. This morning, every nail had shriveled up. I went back to the salon and had them fix them...twice. Shades of my sister and her terrorizing of nail techs! An hour later, I walked out with a bubble on one nail and the grim decision to never go there again.

Sigh.

Since I was already out, though, I decided to go to Ikea! =D

Bought some small rugs, magnet strips for my knives, and frames for the art that Mike drew for me. Had me some Swedish meatballs for lunch, and then decided to check out the mall.

Which is how I ended up buying a rug for Hampden Place's living room. I'd seen this one on the internet and wasn't that into it, but seeing it in person (for under $200) sealed the deal. It'll go in the living room and set the tone for what furniture I bring into the space eventually. Might not go with the blue bark-o-lounger, but I have chosen a number of pieces to get (eventually) that will make more sense.

Packing

2010-05-29T21:48:00.003-04:00

The irony! A year ago...exactly a year ago...I packed. Half the stuff stayed in Seattle. Half the stuff prepped to move here to Baltimore.

I'm really glad I saved all the boxes! :)

Bought some tape to put those boxes together again, and wandered around Home Despot for a while to look at things. I love things. That's why I have so many. =\

Fortunately, I have a couple of months over which to spread my move, so I am not particularly panicked about this year's moving distraction.

Let's remember: 2008 = Civilization Revolution. 2009 = Fallout 3. And 2010 = Pokemon Heart Gold.

I'm also spending time looking at remodeling and design websites for inspirations because there is nothing like procrastinating! It is an art at which I excel!

What a weird 12-months, though. Definitely didn't think I would be living this life now. I figured if I bought something, it would be a year or two from now, but I like Hampden Place. It doesn't need anything right away, which is nice. I can enjoy it immediately and plan what to do to improve upon it.

It's 1380 square feet, which apparently only counts the currently finished bits. That means that when/if I finish some of the basement, it will be the most enormous place ever! Muahahaha!

I lean currently toward filling in the space beneath the main floor bumpout. Some moments, I see it as a master bedroom with doors leading to a broad wooden platform that steps to the bricked patio. Then I remember how narrow the place is (only about 13 feet wide!), and rethink the bedroom idea.

Cannot wait to get back in there with a tape measure! Wheeeee!

Countdown

2010-05-27T21:07:00.003-04:00

My nose is so raw from having a very bad allergy day....blech. Woke up at 3:30am all stuffed up and ended up coming home from work early because I could not stop my nose from running. =\

Lovely thunderstorm passed by a bit ago. It'll be awesome to be in Hampden Place, as I'll have a view from the back bedroom that should allow me to cower sufficiently away from the windows while admiring the lightning.

All the paperwork seems to be in place. Even the termite inspection I didn't know I needed was already completed earlier in the month. I have homeowners insurance lined up and have gotten an estimate for flood insurance. Not that I will be in a flood plain, but my basement is below street level at the front, so if the water main on the avenue goes kaput, it could potentially damage my property.

I've been checking out different websites to get some decorating ideas. Apartment Therapy has a serioes of Home Tours via photo that's pretty cool. I like the looks of a couple the apartments featured and have bookmarked them for reference.

Won't be buying anything for quite a while, but I like to plan ahead. :)

Dreamtime

2010-05-22T11:09:00.008-04:00

I'm in a daze of homeowner daydreams. My goal is to live in the space and figure out over the course of time and season what must be done, what would be nice, and what is a dream. Right now, the list goes something like...

Rearrange the kitchen. I want to move the fridge away from the radiator. Most logical place is beside the pantry on the righthand wall. Since I plan to bring in a kitchen island eventually, this will be a fix that resolves my concern over having the cooler next to the heater. That Silestone countertop got really, really hot when we turned on the heat and will be essentially unusable during the winter. That much heat must affect the fridge in some way. Plus, I think it will look nice to see across the kitchen to that far wall, making the original window with its leaded glass transom more of a feature.

Clean off all the transom windows. Each room upstairs has a nearly painted shut transom. I want to strip off the old paint and make them a useful feature once more. Since there isn't central a/c (yet...muahahahaha), airflow is important. I think this is something I can tackle myself, especially since I have a basement and brick patio upon which to do the paint stripping and refinishing work.

The Bathroom. There is only one full bath in the house, which is fine for now. I want to brighten this space cosmetically. Down the road, I plan to tear down that tile wall surrounding the tub and replace it with a clawfoot tub to open the space up physically. That's a major event that I don't want to do anytime soon. I can immediately repaint the room a lighter color, take down that tiny, dark over-toilet cabinet and put up something more useful.

I also eventually want a powder room on the main floor. There's enough space in the front parlor to put one in, as well as a coat closet, and still have a cozy little room to hang out in.

Finish the Basement. It's going to be segmented because previous updates and remodels in the home's 90-years have scattered major bits of equipment all over. There's the oil tank at the front of the space; the maid toilet (technical name for this fixture is "a flush"); the heating pump; the hot water heater; washer and double concrete sink; dryer (on a different wall than the washer, so it could be vented out the window); and a built-in workbench.

You can see in the photo how high the ceiling is. I have no idea how to segment the space, since that oil tank takes up valuable space in the only open area with the front windows. The windows are tiny and high up. Since they're at street level, I don't believe I can do much about them, so turning the space into a bedroom isn't an option.

There are so many ideas floating in my head now. Can I build a porch off the back bedroom onto the roof of the cat's room below? Or should I enclose the space beneath it so I can move the washer beside the dryer and have a better vent that a knocked out window pane?

Am also thinking design ideas. I will essentially be a blank slate, since the things I care most about are my bureau, bookshelves, and bed. The bark-o-lounger is comfy, but I am not sure how it will work in the space. And, of course, I cannot afford to jump in a just get new stuff. My computer hutch, which I like a lot, is too big to fit into the house through either door; it would have to be disassembled or passed through a window (after we remove the window panes), so I have to think about it some more.

Weekends

2010-05-16T10:04:00.003-04:00

Now that my House Hunters period is in hiatus (waiting for the repairs and other stuff to happen before closing), I can do other things with my spare time.

Yesterday, I hung out with Kate. Her wife and kids are visiting out of town, so we could goof off all day without worrying about their son's sports schedule, or potty breaks or anything else.

We spent time knitting at the yarn shop in Glyndon, had a late lunch, and then I took Kate for a drive-by of Hampden Place. We ended our tour at the Rita's frozen custard shop down the street, sitting outside and enjoying the early evening calm.

Today, I'm going to meet one of the RIDs for an Orioles game at Camden Yard. My goal is to catch the light rail, which I have never done before. Hahahaha! Can I pile on the stress or what? :)

Hampden Place

2010-05-02T10:20:00.004-04:00

It's the kitchen that attracts me. Silestone countertops, a nice gas range, that little leaded glass window at the end that denotes where the original exterior wall ended.... While Kelethin House had a better kitchen layout, every appliance in it was from the early 80s and would have had to be replaced soon. Hampden Place's appliances may not be top-of-the-line, but they are at least from this century. :)

And that's what happens when you hit publish by mistake :D Moving right along...

The living room is a nice, big rectangle right off the kitchen. The floors were refinished last year and look wonderful. And despite the fact that Hampden Place has dropped ceilings, it's still got about an 8-foot ceiling.

There's a front parlor, the living room, the kitchen and then a little sun room on the first floor. I plan to put all the cats' stuff into that sun room. It's what used to be the landing for stairs that led to the patio. I like the space. Maybe the cats won't get it after all!

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms; one at either end of the structure, with a smaller room in the middle next to the most disappointing little bathroom ever. :D

At least it has a skylight...apparently, skylights were de rigueur in the 1920s, when the building was built. For some reason, the current owner decided to redo the bath and installed dark wood cabinets and painted the walls an ugly olive green. It makes the space so visually small. I want to rip out the dark cabinets and replace them, but we shall see.

I debate the merits of losing the third bedroom and converting part of it into a closet and master bath, then adding the extra square footage to the existing bath. The cool thing is that it is already connected to the front bedroom; the little closets between the two rooms are separated by sheetrock that would be easy to remove. It's certainly worth considering.

There's also a basement that runs the full length of the house and can be finished. In the basement is the "maid's toilet" (a toilet without enclosure), washer and dryer, and the door to the patio. There's also a ginormous built-in workshop bench thing. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's the sort of thing upon which one could pot plants or use power tools. :D

I really like the place. Downside is that dismal bathroom and street parking, but it's walkable to some really cool area shops, two different grocery stores, a movie theater, and restaurants. I wanted a walkable 'hood, and Hampden Place is certainly that!

The Frenzied Homebuyer

2010-04-30T22:08:00.003-04:00

My first offer fell through yesterday, sadly. Farewell, Kelethin House, with your rampant backyard and tree-studded deck! I'll miss you!

Hello, rowhouse in Hampden :) You were my second choice and are now number one! I haven't given you a name yet, but perhaps we'll just call you Hampden Place because you're that place in Hampden.

The only reason for my diving into homeownership is the expiring tax credit. I wonder if it acted upon my (and lots of other folks) in the same way as gambling does? It's sort of exciting...like driving to the post office at 11:45PM to turn in your tax returns or something.

I have never done that before (I always file early), but I am swept up in the home buying fever!

Hampden Place (I didn't take any photos; it was early in the day and I hadn't had my coffee yet) is close to shopping, near a huge old cemetery (yay!) and has no front porch or grass to mow. Rob's been offering me suggestions on what sort of doors to install, but he declines to fly out here to help. ;)

Right now, it's still somewhat up in the air. My agent and I think we have the place, but if the seller doesn't sign by midnight tonight, all will be chaos.

And then I have to get an inspection, panic a bit, and stuff. Aiee!

Tomorrow is Maryland Sheep and Wool. I am going with a group of the Wednesday knitting group to spend the day fondling yarn (if we can get close enough) and watching sheepdog trials. These ladies have been giving me tips on different neighborhoods and such, so it'll be fun for us to talk about my new (possibly) place. And it'll be big enough to have all my friends over for a party! Yay!

Houses

2010-04-24T19:54:00.004-04:00

Houses are buiildings. Houses aren't always home.

I would not want to live in the house beside which someone decided to sit on the curb and gulp down a handful of little alcohols, without even recycling their empties.

Random notes to people selling houses:

Do you own the world's biggest dog? Perhaps you should scoop up your yard before a scheduled showing, even if your yard is a concrete and dirt enclosure.

And maybe put away the world's biggest doggie water dish while you are at it. (And this wasn't even in the same house mentioned above!)

Maybe you could also sweep up the dead carpenter bees from your enclosed sun room, rather than have me ask you to do so. Maybe.

All those home shows that talk about de-personalizing your home are right, especially if your taste in decorating with photos includes photos of JFK that were put up while he was still a senator. Just sayin.

All those coconut husks drying in the basketball hoop aren't quaint; they are weird.

Tidy up your yard!

Invest in a good air cleanser. Or open some windows before the buyers get there.

Just some friendly tips from a prospective buyer that got a little worried at some of the houses today!

Goat House

2010-04-17T15:39:00.004-04:00

I've been calling it "Goat House" because the yard seemed so huge from the photos online that the only way to deal with it would be to borrow goats from one of my knitting friends and stake them out here and there.

Turns out the yard isn't quite as huge as all that. It's big, but it's not scary-big. It definitely is more yard than I would like, but I can pave some of it in the time honored Hawaiian way. ;)

I met the current homeowner and two of her little cherubs. She's a bright, happy person who bought the house from a spinster lady who grew up in the house. The next owner will be the fourth owner in the past 100+ years. That's pretty cool.

The only real issue is that the front of the house is sagging slightly and I would prefer it be bolstered up somehow. And yet, I was so enchanted that I didn't take any photos while inside.

Otherwise, it's in good shape. The kitchen is great! There isn't much living space on the first floor, but it has a huge basement that I could stand upright in and a finished attic.

Currently mulling it over and planning to see a couple of other houses, too. I don't want to jump on anything. I figure at this point, I won't sign anything in time for the $8k tax credit anyway, so no rush.

HGRealLife

2010-04-15T22:57:00.003-04:00

That is my version of HGTV. I started looking at houses in the area as a lark, mostly. So many cute places! Porches! Fireplaces! Yay!

And then I saw a couple of houses that were more, "Hm...I could probably live there..." and eventually, that became, "Why not?"

After a disastrous breakfast with one of the RIDs (a gentle hint: please do not run your finger around your plate and then lick off the syrup...omg, we're in a restaurant and that is so not hot, I don't even know where to go with that....), I went to an open house.

Cute little place, but waaaay too much back yard and need for updating. And then, I drove by the little place that I am calling Wisteria Lodge.

Wisteria Lodge is a Sherlock Holmes story and I do love Sherlock Holmes, especially as played by Jeremy Brett. But that has, aside from the name, nothing to do with this house. If you look at the photos of it on my flickr page, you will note that it needs some fixins. Ayup. Floors need to be redone, especially upstairs where it's just linoleum tile. The attic is unfinished; I do not think one is supposed to see each nail holding each bit of new roofing material sticking into the attic itself, but I may be wrong about that. Only Anna (a friend of mine from work whom I brought along) could stand upright in the basement, where the washer and dryer are located.

But it's very charming. The neighborhood is nice and it is completely landscaped. It comes with a riding lawn mower (hehehe) as well as a push mower and the storage shed in which to keep such things.

It also has central air. Wheeeee!

I'm going up to the state line early Saturday to look at a couple of houses up there. As one of my Wednesday knitter friends commented, they are both near the deer processing plant.

How convenient.

Lovely Day

2010-04-11T09:01:00.003-04:00

If I were the kind of parent who goes for cutesy names, wouldn't that be a great name? "Hi, this is my daughter, Lovely Day. And her sister, Holly Day. And this is my son, PTO."

Going to meet up with one of the RIDs (random internet dudes) for breakfast in downtown Baltimore. According to Google, it will take me a half hour to get there, which surprises me. It took a little over an hour to get to DC last weekend and I didn't suppose I lived this far from downtown...but clearly, I do.

Yesterday's adventure was marvelous. We each bought some nice yarn with which to make stuff and things. And several of us are going to make Citron from our acquisitions. Donna and Veronica have both already made one apiece, and Donna has cast on another one using Zauberball, which is what kicked off our road trip to PA.

More later...I must go throw on something suitable for breakfast in the big city.

Hugs and kisses, all y'all!

Yarn Diet Fail!

2010-04-09T21:12:00.002-04:00

Although, to be fair, I don't think I called it a diet year and so, any dieting would be incidental anyway. Why, yes, I can justify my purchases.

Tomorrow morning it will be a yarn shop adventure for the Women of Wegman's once again! This time, our target is Sweitzer's Countryside Fibers in Pennsylvania.

I'm very excited about this. Veronica is picking me up, then we are going to Donna's to get her, meeting up with Renee and who-knows-who-all-else at a Starbucks in Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury! What a gloriously East Coasty name!

In any event, I love going around to these far-flung shops with my knitting friends. Not only are they a wonderful group, but it's great to feel connected to the area, and to a common interest.

I'm tired tonight because Anna and Kathy guilted me into exercising tonight. :( As I sat on the exercise bike, Pokewalker affixed to my shoelace for maximum levelling up, Kathy observed (and I paraphrase), "You really don't like exercise; I've never seen such a frown."

Tomorrow starts with the shopping, but it will end with cleaning. Melody has been shedding clumps of fur over everything, poor thing. :(

Saturday in the Park

2010-04-04T09:49:00.005-04:00

A lovely day for a lovely drive down to DC to picnic in a park that I have never been to before with a random internet dude (hmmm. the acronym would be RID...which I find hilarious and shall use it now!). I picked the location, Meridian Hill Park, after consulting with Google for parks in which to picnic.

And it was a great picnicky park, folks spread blankets all over the bits of grass. RID and I snacked and chatted. Eventually, I wanted to go to Ray and Rane's to drop off the remaining maple cupcakes I'd made that morning because I was filled with thoughts of them while baking. :)

RID wanted to show me a place where the cherry blossoms were in bloom. Hah! Where have I heard that before? Erm...never, actually. Viewing the cherry blossoms is a big DC ritual, however, as there are updates on various websites that explain where the trees are in bloom at the moment and looking their best.

We drove (I followed him in Jane Grey) to a neighborhood called Kenwood, with an emergency stop for bacon at RID's favorite butcher shop. Apparently, I bring out the bacon in RIDs :) and he bought me some to take home. Heh! And then, we reached the neighborhood with the cherry trees.

Wow. Amazingly cool and beautiful. For some reason, the photo button isn't working now on this post, but you can wander to my Flickr page to see how lovely this place is. We walked up and down thru the neighborhood while petals fell like snow whenever the wind blew.

The real highlight of the entire day, though, was my rather impromptu visit with Ray and Rane and their cherubs. I sort of invited myself over, which is completely unlike me, but I really wanted to take them cupcakes. Ray picked up some Indian food and beer, and we sat around visiting until I reluctantly (and somewhat guiltily) left to come home. I've missed them and may invite myself to their place more often now!

Time for a Picnic

2010-04-02T23:55:00.003-04:00

And possibly, for allergy meds :)

So far, Maryland hasn't kicked my butt with allergies the way Seattle did. When the weather began to change from cold to sunny, though, my internal barometer went nuts. Seems to have calmed down, though, thankfully.

Went out earlier this week for a manicure with Anna, followed up by a bunch of us going for pedicures in anticipation of the great weather this coming week. Post-pedicure, we then headed to Towson for Cheeeeeesecake Factory and shopping at Lush. I even drunk texted Broos, though it is not the same was when Candyce and I drunk text him. That said, I still got a perfunctory response from him, calling me a goober. :) Love ya, Broos!

In the Tomorrow's News Today category, I am going on a date tomorrow. We are meeting at a park to have a picnic. I made a batch of Emily's butter tarts, but my oven made them a ginormous fail. :( I'm too tired now to do something else, so I hope to have the energy in the morning to make some cupcakes instead.

Hope the weather's nice where you are, too!

Sunny Day

2010-03-27T10:00:00.004-04:00

It's gorgeous and cold. The sun is out, trees are covered in the faint green of new leaves and teeny little blossoms. A beautiful, sunny day!

A nice thing about this area is that even with all the variations in weather, it is often clear and bright. Not the creepy cloudlessness of Southern California, but blue skies with wispy clouds to frame them.

Maybe it's just because it's Spring now, but I feel reenergized and content. Now disorder in my life makes me want to get up and clean instead of retreat in despair.

Or maybe, I'm just getting energy from swinging around my Pokewalker to level up my Pokedudes. :D Think of the calories I am burninating by jiggling my foot because I have that little walker held in place by the leg of a handknit sock! Wheee!

On a day like today, I look back on the sadness I felt and marvel. Was I really that unhappy? How could anyone be so filled with angst?

I thought of a Karan Casey song, Love is Pleasing. First heard it late last year on Prairie Home Companion and immediately went and bought the CD. Other than the darkness of the last verse (although, perhaps I felt that way too and am refusing to believe it), it tells the story of my Winter.

But now it is Spring and I will be going out to look for chocolates today. Yay!

Spring! Yay!

2010-03-23T19:27:00.003-04:00

A busy week and the start of Spring! The pic is of a place called Savage Mill, whereat Veronica and I spent time at the Homespun Yarn Party on Sunday.

Looks creepy, huh? We weren't in that part of the old mill, just overlooking it. And whilst there, we ran into Eric the Knitter, and Donna and Candi, with two of her little cherubs. Such a warm day that we sat out on the deck to chat for a bit before the cherubs got restless and Donna's clan took off.

We've been a bit busy at work, fixing up stuff and things. It seems over the course of the past sprint, there has always been at least one of our team out with plague. I had a very, very mild case last weekend, and recovered quickly. Ed's out again this week with whatever he's had, poor guy. :(

Spring also means that a young lady's fancy turns to romance again. I've been meeting random internet dudes for coffee.

I have some random advice for said random dudes:

1. If you and I are meeting for coffee, I'll buy my own because I'm a modern girl. So please don't worry about waiting for me before getting yourself a cuppa!

2. Did we say coffee? Or lunch? If coffee, then I think I am not wrong to be surprised to find that you've eaten lunch right before I arrived. What if we got along well and I'm hungry after my cuppa coffee? Now we can't go eat something together because you're full, and I am not the kind of girl who wants you to sit watching me eat my lunch. Or perhaps that is your ploy to make a clean escape in case we don't click? Either way, it might be nice for you to move to a clean table so I don't need to sit there sipping coffee, staring at your pizza bones or something.

3. I do have a life, such that it is. If I don't call you or email you within 10 minutes of you calling or emailing me, please do not take offense. If, however, you feel the need to be offended, maybe you shouldn't email me and tell me how vexed you are. It makes you look needy, desperate and clingy. I am looking for a man, not a cling-on.

4. See number 3...I don't know if it's something in the water on the East Coast or what. It's happened to me more than once in the past couple of weeks and I am kerflummoxed. Is there some new internet dating contact rule that I've completely missed? =\

Tomorrow night is the knitting group's second anniversary party at Donna's house. Yet again, I am so glad to have met these women. They are awesomely friendly, sweet, and funny. My apartment smells like chocolate tonight, for I am baking Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake. Nom, nom, nom!

Erin Go Whut?

2010-03-16T20:20:00.002-04:00

Must remember to wear something green tomorrow. Sadly, my Saroyan will not be completed in time, but I'll take it along to knit night. It's halfway done (yay bigger needles).

I didn't think to look at the lunch menu for tomorrow. Maybe Becca will be making us something with corned beef!

Yay!

Blah. Ick. Phooey. Ooh.

2010-03-14T15:17:00.004-04:00

Not even paying attention to Daylight Savings Time, I managed to sleep in till nearly 10:30AM. That is not like me; I am generally an early riser.

The following bout of violent sneezing provided illumination: I have a sort of cold-thinger, which also explains the cold sore thinger that sprouted up at the end of last week.

Now, I have had occasional lip-things due to stress. And, I started the year feeling extremely stressed, but have since settled into relative normalcy (as in, normal for me). When I started getting a lip-thinger, my first reaction was disbelief. Really? A lip-thinger? When I feel so good?

The answer was, unfortunately, yes.

I suppose the good side to feeling blech is that I am sequestered with my new toy, the Alienware MX11, which I purchased using my tax refund upon the lyrical descriptions of Mr. Moorgard. When he received his two weeks ago, he gloated in IMs. Well. I can see why. This little guy rocks my world (the netbook, not Mr. Moorgard)! And I have not yet gotten a cute little optical drive yet so that I can load it up with gamey goodness! It just needs a cute little name; it is too clinical to continue calling him MX11.

I've been working on my test knit socks; they are coming along nicely and I am at the point of creating the heels. Since I'm test knitting these, the designer asked me not to post photos of them in-progress...but they are very pretty. Unfortunately, they are also making my wrist hurt a wee bit since they are traveling stitches, like the Twisted Hourglass socks I recently finished. Something about them makes my carpal tunnel go PING!

That made me want to knit something on larger needles, so I started something new rather than reach for something already in progress. I am a procrastinator with a backlog of projects.

New project: Saroyan, being knit up in lucious Miss Babs Yummy sportweight sock yarn, Colorway: Verdigris.

Journeys

2010-03-07T20:57:00.004-05:00

The knitters' retreat was very...interesting. Heh :) Veronica and I hit the road a little before 6PM and arrived around 7PM...at the wrong "lodge." Evidently, when the instructions were emailed that said, "Go to the lodge!" they really meant, "Go to the hall!" We found this out after Veronica parked her car, we unloaded it, and schlepped into the lodge with all our stuff.

Eventually, in the dark and over the unpaved, muddy road, we made it to the correct building, where it was freezing cold. Freeeeezing! Apparently, the heating ducts were not working, which resulted in shivering knitters standing in front of the fireplace trying to warm up.

And then, our "rustic cabin" that turned out to be something out of Army basic training, with concrete floors and musty bunk beds. Fortunately for us, we were in the uphill cabin, as once the eight of us in our building began running water, the toilet overflowed across the concrete floor in one of the cabins downhill from us.

We did not see any bugs of note, other than spiders on the ceiling. And the mousetrap beneath Veronica's bunk (which neither she nor I had noticed, and Catherine wisely refrained from mentioning until this morning) wasn't set or occupied.

While I'm not sure I will ever do this particular retreat again, I did have fun hanging out with Veronica and Catherine. Our mutual discomfort in the surroundings as well as our love of knitting naturally bonded us together.

I took a nice little walk along the muddy road, trying to find the hiking trails. While I didn't find any real trails, I made my way out to a set of wooden swing benches in a snowy field and sat swinging in the sunshine. It was a good opportunity to be alone for a little bit during a busy weekend.

The result? I'm happy. I love living here, I love the women I've met through knitting, and I'm enjoying being me. Feeling content has been a long time coming, but as you can tell in this photo, I'm really smiling. And not just because my Skew sock is turning out mostly okay.

Twisted Journey

2010-03-04T22:51:00.004-05:00

Finally! I have actually finished a pair of Twisted Hourglass socks! :D

I started the first pair last year and absolutely loved them, then realized they wouldn't fit. Very sad! This year, I decided to do them in a much stretchier yarn. They are bright and I love them.

They also have some errors, but you know what? They fit, they look good (at a distance, hehehe) and I've accomplished something that I've wanted to do for a long time.

This coming weekend, I'll be learning how to do an entirely different sock construction, the Skew sock, while at a knitters' weekend retreat in Pennsylvania. Two of the women from the Wednesday knitting group are also going, so that will be lots of fun! Catherine is soooo funny, and Veronica is adorable. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them and learning new things. Yay!

Frogging

2010-02-28T10:17:00.004-05:00

I'd have photos to share, but I apparently left my camera at Molly's house last night after her Frogging Party (I hope, anyway, as I've unpacked all my stuff and can't find it).

What is frogging, you ask? It's when a knitter decides that a project is juuuuuust not going well, or something's been outgrown and the yarn of which it's made could be put to better use elsewhere, so the knitter unravels it. This is also known as "ripping" which also can sound like "ribbit" and hence, frogging.

Remember: knitters also abbreviate "Knit Along" as "KAL" - we are a mystical bunch.

In any case, Molly (one of the Wednesday knitting group) invited us all to her home for a potluck and frogging party. Chandra drove Jeannie, Veronica, Tammy, and myself up and we stayed till around 11PM. Lotsa good food, laughter, and many reclaimed cakes of yarn.

Sadly, my Ravelympics Rick socks were one of the frogged items. They were simply too ugly with that peg-leg thing stretching out all the stitches. I'm going to start over adding in another repeat of 12 stitches.

Also finally frogged out my original blue Twisted Hourglass socks as well as my Noro entrelac socks/armwarmers. The yarn cakes are sitting on my grown-up coffee table now, pristine (if a bit wrinkly), in lovely anticipation of what they will become next.

Olympics

2010-02-21T21:11:00.006-05:00

The first time I'd moved away from Seattle, we were back in Hawaii the year of the Goodwill Games. Watching the events unfold from the hometown of my heart was emotionally wrenching to me. I loved seeing familiar sights of evergreens, snowy mountains and bright blue water.

This year, I'm on the East Coast and looking at Vancouver during the Olympics. Vancouver is geographically so similar to Seattle that it's always felt like a hometown to me, too.

I am not homesick. Or at least, not as much as I thought I'd be. I'm enjoying the glimpses of places I've been, but not feeling sad over being so far away.

That's good. :)

I thought about going for a drive today, since it was so sunny and pretty out. Instead, I curled up to watch some Olympics (interspersed with murder shows), knitting on my Ravelympics sock. Rick is giving me grief, sadly. As you can see in the photo, one sock appears significantly skinnier than the other. That is the sock for my peg-leg. Adifferent stitch on the right sock, slip-slip-knit, is pulling it in tighter than the left sock.

At some points, I considered ripping both socks out and starting over with an extra pattern repeat to make them wider, but kept knitting anyway. It fits, but the amount of stretching it must do takes away from the cuteness of the pattern.

Anyone know any pirates who need a pair of lovely socks? :)

Ravelympics 2010

2010-02-13T10:59:00.005-05:00

I signed up, then backed out, then decided at the last minute to actually give it a go.

Ravelymics is a knitting event on Ravelry in which participants cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies and complete that project before the end of the Closing Ceremonies. Some of the events are pretty funny take-offs on real Olympic events with names like Hat Halfpipe, Nordic Colorwork Combined and Scarf Super-G.

I am on Team Socksters, in the Sock Hockey event, and will be knitting Rick. This is a Cookie A pattern in which each foot is knit "mirrored" to the other. Hitherto, I have leaned toward patterns that are completely written out with supplemental charting. With Sock Innovation, though, every pattern is only charted.

While it might not be snowy in Vancouver, where the actual Olympics are taking place, Maryland is a wintery wonderland. I've dug out Jane Grey twice this week, and predictions are for more snow next Tuesday. Our office closed Monday, which was funny/sad, as I had spent all that time digging out Jane and actually made it to the office before it was shut for the day. It closed again Wednesday for another snowstorm and then on Thursday because streets were still messed up.

I'm glad I made it to the office yesterday. Candyce and Kevin sent me flowers and a tower of cupcakes for my birthday! Yay! And when I came home last night, there was a box of chocolates from the Wiesmans, whom I haven't seen since leaving San Diego, waiting for me on my doorstep.

After all the turmoil last month, I feel remarkably calm and peaceful now. I have very wonderful old friends and very wonderful new friends. I'm very lucky.

Jane Grey and Snowmaggedon

2010-02-08T09:17:00.004-05:00

I believe the unit of measurement is "metric f*ckton." It took an hour to uncover her. I'm warming up with a cuppa tea before going out to shovel the bit of parking lot right in front of her so she can move a bit and then we shall be off to work!

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-02-06T09:19:00.005-05:00

Had to charge up my camera battery, or I'd have had a photo from earlier, before the snow started to stick. Imagine that the air conditioning pump thinger to the right has no snow on it at all until 7PM. I had to brighten this photo up slightly as it was really dark out, since the snow hadn't coated all the trees yet. The orange cast of the street lights is really peculiar.

Midnight. No need to lighten this photo. The wind was really picking up, too. It's mesmerizing to watch the snow falling, then a gust of wind shakes the tree branches, causing accumulated snow to cascade down. Almost like a silent movie, with wind. :)

At 8AM this morning, my dining room window is sprinkled across with snow. Don't know how long I'll be able to take photos through it now! Also observed that the door into the building across from my back patio was covered in snow across its lower third.

When I went out to get a photo of my own building's door snowed under, I ran into our complex's maintenance men already shoveling it out. Since I was already boiling water to make tea, I made enough tea for all of them. They've been out since 6:30AM and will be shoveling and plowing all weekend. They're a nice group of guys. Even though I'd barely run a comb through my hair and had on whatever came to hand, I took my cup of tea on the stairwell with them until they had to go back to work.

I live in a nice place.

Dead!

2010-02-02T23:12:00.004-05:00

Received my death socks yesterday afternoon. Aiee!

They are very comfy :)

That means I'm out of Sock Wars, alas. The second pair of socks, which Kate/PadowanKnitter started and I completed, have not yet reached their target in California, but she's dooooomed! And my assassin, the gracious and friendly Amanda/Obi-Wan-Knitobi, hasn't been killed yet, either, even though her assassin already sent death socks to her.

Mittens is sleeping beside me, squeaking through his nose. I think he has a cold, poor kitty.

It's pretty darn cold around here. Started snowing as I drove home from work tonight and it's still coming down. I find it very interesting to live in an area that's prepared for snow. Even little side streets around here are regularly plowed. My apartment complex clears out the parking lots, too, so that's pretty nice. And I have a cute little snow shovel so that I can scoot snow away from Jane Grey if necessary.

Last week was a particularly difficult week for me, for reasons unknown. I took some time off work, knit, read, napped and had angst. On the bright side, I've lost 20 pounds since moving out here. On the other hand, most of it is because I haven't been eating very well. And even though I feel much better and peaceful today, dinner turned out to be a couple of slices of challah with butter. I hope I'm not snowed in tomorrow. I'm almost out of challah!

Obsessed

2010-01-23T12:28:00.003-05:00

I started reknitting Twisted Hourglass while waiting for my Sock Wars target Kate to send me her socks-in-progress. Until my assassin kills me, I am still in the game. However, until I receive Kate's socks to finish them (and kill the person who had been her target), I can work on something for myself.

Last year, I'd started Twisted Hourglass in a beautiful blue tencel yarn that, while gorgeous, did not have enough stretch. Once I turned the heel, I was no longer able to get the sock over my heel. Very sad. I set the project aside to be frogged. But the pattern is so beautiful, I really wanted to finish it. And so now, using yarn that I'd bought to make Dan a pair of socks with, I am starting the pattern over again.

I don't know what's wrong with me. Had been feeling relatively well, proud of making it through the holidays without a complete meltdown. Now, though, I'm unable to function properly at anything but knitting. Reading about knitting, thinking about knitting, actually knitting...it's the only thing that I want to do. I put away half my Christmas decorations, couldn't find the boxes for my Santa plates, and so left them up. When I see them, I get a sense of panic...why can't I put them away? Why can't I look harder for the box in which their boxes are stored? And then I retreat back to the bark-o-lounger to knit.

The stitches slip off the needles, one after the other, producing something beautiful. Knitting is the only thing holding me together.

Sock Wars V

2010-01-16T10:23:00.004-05:00

Sock Wars has begun. Photo is from last night, before I went to sleep. Socks are currently double that size, but something has happened to the little memory card adapter thinger on my laptop, such that I cannot upload photos so easily. Instead, I had to use the camera in the laptop, which doesn't adjust easily.

My victim lives in New Jersey; my assassin lives in the UK. I think I can get off one kill before I am killed...maybe. Apparently some folks are having issues with the set up on Magic Loop for this particular pattern as there's an SSK at the end of a needle. Not a problem in general and especially not when using DPNs (which I'm not)...but two-at-a-time means I shall have to fiddle around a bit when I get to that point since there's a couple of points along the way where I can't slide a stitch from one needle to the next.

Which is gibberish to non-knitters :D Hahaha!

In news anyone can understand, I finished my Spot Check socks on Thursday night, weaving in the loose ends just before midnight. They're incredibly comfy and really cute! I think I shall make another pair, using a different constrast color than black. The next bits of color on the Mini-mochi yarn are cool colors of blue and green and I can't wait to use the rest of it! It was fiddly to work with, like a thin roving, but so soft.

Anyway, coffee is done and I must return to battle. Adieu!

Starting Over

2010-01-03T09:37:00.006-05:00

I like the meditative quality of tarot; it helps me focus my thoughts and see things from a different perspective than usual. Every January, I sit down and think about what I hope to achieve in the next year and where the last year took me.

I didn't do a tarot reading at the start of 2009. Glancing through my tarot journal, I see that almost all the readings I've done in the past two years were related to Dan. Dan also does tarot, and we would read each other's tarot spreads and talk about our interpretations. In fact, the first time I was over at his apartment when we weren't dating, we talked about tarot and he mentioned that his deck was under his pillow...except that it had fallen behind the bed. When he pulled the cards up and handed the deck to me, the card on the top was The Lovers. He said later that he hadn't realized it at the time but that it was certainly a good sign. And so it was.

One thing that always, always came up in both of our readings was the fact that our entire relationship was dependent upon Dan to direct its flow. One of my journal notes shows The Sun as the card of hopes and fears. My note: "A cherub. The sun rays. A red flag. A wall." Perhaps I should have paid more attention.

Yesterday, I sat down to do a reading for 2010. I get a sense of change and renewal, and doing well at work. The overall positives outweight the outcome card for me. Ten of Swords is not a tremendously positive card, but on the other hand, it's a card of change and endings. Endings aren't all bad; when one thing ends, another begins.

That's how I see it. For me, this is a year in which I will finally accept the changes that happened in the past year and put it behind me. I'll be okay.

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T19:11:00.006-05:00

What a rollercoaster year...I'm really glad it's over!

Stopped by Wegman's tonight to pick up some things and got the sushi guy to make me a rainbow roll, just so I could have something like sashimi today. Local kine girl, 'as why. :) They do decent sushi for a grocery store, and he was out of something so he put on something more expensive to make up for it. How nice. :)

I'm already in my pjs since I won't be going out tonight. Melody and Mittens are curled up beside me on the bark-o-lounger, sleeping. I'm going to put on a chick flick in a bit and eat cookies, watch the movie, knit, maybe read a magazine. It'll be like nearly all my other New Year's Eves over the past decade.

This is the year in which I learned that I adore knitting socks. I like it so well that it's pretty much the body of my completed work this year in knitting. I am in the middle of knitting my first pair of two-at-a-time socks, a pattern called Sugar Maple. When I'm finished with these, they'll be the 10th pair of socks I've completed. Next month, I'll be competing in Sock Wars as well. And, as I told them last night, the knitting group women really saved my sanity in the past couple of months. Without them, I think my sadness would have become even more overwhelming than it seemed. How lucky am I to have found them, huh?

I'm also actually rather happy here. It's just so gosh-darn pretty! When a group of us went to a yarn shop in Pennsylvania last week, I stared out the window at the snowy landscape and beautiful old buildings we passed. I do love this area and can't wait to feel completely settled.

Hang On

2009-12-21T08:45:00.003-05:00

Survived Blizzard 2009. No power outages, had enough knitting to keep me busy, also food and tasty beverages on hand. The cats and I hunkered down on the bark-o-lounger, wrapped in a blanket together and snuggled.

I also played some Dragon Age; I am a Dalish rogue. My goal today is to play through more of the story. So far, so good. I do like a nice BioWare game to immerse myself into.

Was supposed to head out to The Mannings today with some ladies from the Wednesday knitting group, but the snow is still abundant on the ground. We're going to go up tomorrow instead. Hopefully, the back roads will be plowed by then.

At my current gig, we do not get the last week of the year off with pay, as was the case with SOE. I am instead taking the rest of my annual PTO this week, which may or may not be a mistake. I've been a bit anxious about how all this freakin holiday cheer is affecting me. So far, I've only burst into tears once, though, so that's good.

This'll be the first time in forever, though, that I have not had one or both little cherubs with me. It totally sucks. I suppose in my mind, I was going to be in Seattle with Dan and would get to hang out with them...and since that isn't what happened this year, well, there you are. And here I am, in a wintry wonderland 3,000 miles away from the men I love.

Holiday Party Time

2009-12-12T08:50:00.004-05:00

The past week has been party after party, always a challenge for someone who is as "party shy" as me.

Last Saturday was the knitting group's gift exchange party at Chandra's house. I have to upload all the photos I took, after yanking out all the blurry pet photos (heh...I love Chandra's cat, who is named Remington...just like my first cat!). It was a snowy night, perfect for testing Jane Grey in the cold.

Sunday, Mike and I drove down to Rockville and spent some time with Ray and Rane. Mike and Ray talked art and got caught up while Rane and I talked about all sorts of things. :) I wish I lived closer to them; it was so, so comforting to be able to chat with someone that I knew before moving out here. They invited me to come spend time with them over Christmas.

On Tuesday, I had some co-workers and some of the knitting group over for a cookie exchange. The event filled me with anxiety beforehand, as I couldn't invite everyone I wanted to lest they all show up and have no place to sit or stand in my apartment. It seemed that every time I turned around, I remembered someone else I wished I could have invited. Still, folks seemed to have a good time, and we were certainly filled with an abundance of marvelous cookies!

Then Wednesday night, Jeremy planned a get-together for the content devs at the Irish pub. It was a nice event (even if he had to guilt me into skipping knit night) and we got to meet the significant others of some of the guys we work with. Just not enough space to mix up and visit with everyone.

And then, tonight. It's the company holiday party in DC and it'll be very big and very scary. Big because it includes the Bethesda studio as well, and scary because it's, well, a party. Fortunately, I am carpooling down to DC with Anna (our newest dev...yay! another chick!) so I won't be alone. We're sharing a hotel room down there, too, so we won't need to drive back in the middle of the night.

I just need to figure out what I'm wearing and how much gear I really need to take for a weekend in DC.

Long Weekend

2009-11-29T15:56:00.005-05:00

This is pretty much the sum total of my entire long weekend. I hung some art (probably crookedly). I dug into storage boxes of holidays past, decorated my little tree and set out my collection of Santa figures. I also cried a lot.

Haven't done as much knitting as I wanted. My Tidal Wave sock is nearly done; maybe an hour more on it. Also nearly done is a diagonal scarf for one of my Secret Sant-ees. I might do a hat to go with it, but the way I've been feeling lately maybe not.

I meant to go to Ikea today, but the thought of swimming upstream against the holiday shoppers was overwhelming. I might go one night after work, though. We'll see.

Bought some Xmas gifts online, planned out others, ordered a grown-up coffee table for myself. I've been using an old pressboard steamer trunk and want to look less like a college student and more like a real adult. Eventually, I'll get a real TV stand, too. Much as I like the glass blocks and boards, they do look a bit more like dorm room than living room.

I picked out gifts for Dan that I know he'd like but that I won't be buying for him. I wonder if he does the same thing? Probably not. Women always seem to hold onto emotions much longer than men. This weekend was much more difficult than I expected. Just as I thought I was getting to be over things and moving on, someone made an innocent comment that made me sad and sad is where I am still.

All of the stuff we bought for Christmas last year as well as his old holiday decorations are here...can someone let him know that I'll send them to him in January, when I think I'll be able to look at them again? Thanks.

Crazy

2009-11-24T20:30:00.004-05:00

These are my new favorite socks: Monkey, by Cookie A.

I've never really been interested in these socks, but then I bought my first Crazy Zauberball yarn and it wanted to be this pattern. It shall not be the last time I get this yarn; it feels pretty darn comfy...can't wait to wear these to work tomorrow.

Working on Rane's baby blanket has halted for a few days. I ordered a longer cable for my Knit Picks Harmony needles as the blankie is now at the limit of my 29" cable. It should get here next week. Yay!

The apartment smells nice since I baked a chocolate gingerbread cake to take to Zeb's on Thursday. I made one last Thanksgiving, too, since Dan's dad Ed loves chocolate even more than I do and he wanted chocolatey desserts. I'll miss Ed...he was pretty darn cool.

This is the kind of cake that will improve with time and will be perfect by Thursday. Provided, that is, that it turned out. It cools unmolested on the stove now. Perhaps in a bit, I shall wander in to test it. Yeah. Testing it. Uh-huh.

Reviewed

2009-11-23T21:11:00.003-05:00

The IGDA book, Writing for Video Game Genres, has a nice little review on Slashdot.

I hear the chapter on MMOs is pretty good. ;)

Sunday in PA

2009-11-22T21:56:00.004-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how I love walking through cemeteries? Well, I do. :)

I spent yesterday cleaning house and rearranging my collection of empty boxes. This morning, I hauled a couple of piles to the garbage and realized that it's a beautiful day. And so, I texted Mike and asked him if he wanted to go do something. He was up for it, so I drove up to Pennsylvania and we cruised around, from York to Lancaster (because one cannot have a York without a Lancaster) and back again.

In Lancaster, we passed an interesting cemetery, so I pulled over and we got out to walk around. Turns out that Woodward Hill Cemetery is the burial site of James Buchanan
, our 15th President. That said, we didn't actually see his grave; we were too busy trying to read old headstones and taking photos of interesting carvings and such. Sadly, quite a few of the headstones were broken and some of the monuments defaced. Just seems like bad karma to me for someone to have gone around pulling statues off pedestals and all. =\

The town itself looks pretty interesting. The interesting shops were all closed, so we'll probably go back some Saturday to check them out.

Is the Year Over Yet?

2009-11-20T21:15:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is next week already! Aiee!

I won't be hosting an orphan meal this year. I am an orphan now and will be spending the afternoon at Zeb's house with his family and some of the folks from work. This weekend, I'll be making up a batch of chocolate gingerbread to give it time to mellow and develop. It'll be perfect by Thursday.

Part of healing is finding new ways to celebrate life. I have to get myself moving, keep myself from lapsing into sadness. I can honestly say that I have never been so unhappy about a break up, but I can also honestly say that Dan was the best boyfriend I've ever had. I almost feel sorry for my next boyfriend; he has a lot to live up to. Next boyfriend will need to open doors for me, bring me Uncle Seth's pink cookies and let me be a goofball.

Are you listening, Fate? :)

In any event, I am having some friends over for a cookie exchange next month. It will force me to clean, to purge and to decorate. It would be far too easy to let all that go this year, but since I won't have anyone around, I need to motivate myself.

I bought a ton of butter for shortbread (and mused with Kathy that my freezer is full of butter and bacon...not that there's anything wrong with that) in anticipation.

Anticipation is good. It means that I'm looking forward instead of continuing to look back.

A Day in DC

2009-11-15T09:16:00.009-05:00

Long day of firsts. First dim sum in Maryland. First time getting lost in Silver Spring (although quite likely not the last; that place is a Bermuda Triangle). First time on the DC Metro.

And, may I just say, that the whole DC experience is completely enhanced by a good playthrough of Fallout 3. :) I stood in happy awe that the Metro stations look just like they do in the game, except in better repair. Becca asked why there were so few trash cans, and in possibly one of my geekiest moments ever, I said that they were taken out because too many people hid their loot in them after killing Super Mutants.

Somewhere along the way, the beautiful silver bracelet Dan gave me last Christmas fell off. I noticed it was missing the Air and Space Museum, which added to the odd experience of being there.

Last time I was in DC and in that same museum, I was preggers with Phil. And still about five years away from realizing that I hated pretending to like airplanes just because my then-husband adored them. The group wanted to see this particular museum, so in I went...but within minutes realized that I didn't have to pretend any interest; I could go and do something else.

And so I did. The group had actually separated upon entering the museum, scattering off to look at different things. When I realized my bracelet was gone, I retraced some of my steps and Mike ran into me; we went to the Hirschhorn. Where, may I note, they have lovely leather couches that tired people can sit for a bit to strategize where else to go.

We spent the last hour of the day wandering through the Natural History Museum (which, again, gave me gleeful moments of Fallout 3-ness). Loved the rooms of little tiny skeletons! We were chastised for trying to head into the reptile room after the guard had given us all a two minute warning to leave.

After getting lost (again) in Silver Spring, we headed back northwards and had supper at Fazzini's, whereupon I fell into a food coma.

I hope I recover enough to get to the Irish festival and its kilt contest today.

Oh, and this...

2009-11-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

...is Jane Grey's best feature: butt warmers!

I love you, Jane Grey!

Random

2009-11-12T19:56:00.004-05:00

This is Nottingham, done in bulky alpaca. Mike picked out the yarn on Saturday and it was a good choice! I had an easy time knitting it and it feels sooooo soft.

...

The other day in a meeting to go over something at work, I took an opposite view to everyone. =\ Not trying to be difficult (I don't have to try; it comes easily to me), just trying to make a point. One of the artists pointed out that we could do things my way if he did X and so folks decided to do it the way I suggested. Kate, the goober, says, "Well, you are one of the most influential women in MMOs..." for which I smacked her. Heh.

...

Same sort of thing happened this morning at scrum, although I forget exactly what we were discussing, but this time it was our QA lead Jason who said it. Fortunately for him, he was standing as far away from me as possible and so I didn't get to smack him.

But maybe I will, anyway, tomorrow.

...

Chick-fil-A for dinner tonight via the drive through.

Me: May I get a number one, deluxe, with a small Peppermint Chocolate Chip shake?
C-F-A: You have to get that in large.
Me: Well. Okay. Twist my arm.
C-F-A: [laughs]

I pull around to the window and she leans out and says, "You are the nicest customer I've ever had here, and I've been here for two years."

Isn't that a shame? :( I suppose folks give her grief because they can't get a small shake or something. I tell you, if you have to take out your miserable day on Chick-fil-A's drive through peeps, you do not deserve their food, especially this Peppermint Chocolate Chip shake which is amazing.

A Grand Day Out

2009-11-08T16:51:00.002-05:00

It was supposed to be much colder yesterday, but luck and the sun shined upon us all day. Yay!

In the "it's a small world after all" category, one of the artists where I currently work used to work with Ray, Rane's husband, back in Colorado. They didn't know that I knew each of them until I started planning this next weekend's trip to DC and included Ray in the email (handy that he works for the same company, even if in a completely different location).

I have been moping quite a bit lately, coming home from work on Fridays and hiding with cats and knitting until Monday forced me back to the office. Yeah, I know. We broke up in September; it's now November and I need to get over it. Whatever.

In any event, yesterday turned into a really awesome day, and not just because of the great weather. Mike (aforementioned artist dude from work) had been talking about a restaurant he likes in Hampden. Christina, who watched my cats for me, lives in that 'hood and has been talking about the cool yarn shop there. Since we all already had plans to meet up at the Greek Festival that afternoon, I invited myself to have brunch with Mike.

We walked up and down the street, hitting up a number of shops along the way. My favorite shop was Ma Petite Shoe, which features shoes and chocolate. How awesome is that?

The yarn shop was very bit as cool as Christina said it would be. The ladies there were very friendly, inviting me and Mike to see their restroom. :D Apparently, cool restrooms are the hallmark of local yarn shops. This one was papered with some of the most cheesy, awful pattern photos of old knitting projects. The kicker is that they keep little speech bubble sticky notes and pens handy so that folks can add captions to the photos. Hilarious!

And then we headed to the Greek festival, which was really cool. Tons of food, a glimpse into the beautiful cathedral itself and some time hanging out with Kathy, Christina and her sister. Mike and I hung around watching the impromptu dancing before heading back to the office where Jane Grey patiently waited for me.

It feels as though I'm turning a corner of sorts. It's a good feeling.

This Is It

2009-11-01T12:21:00.004-05:00

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson. One of my favorite albums was Off the Wall as it came out during my musically formative years. How many dances did we attend back in the day where everyone got up to dance to a Michael Jackson song...I couldn't even tell.

At Polly Esther's, where one room did disco and the other side did retro-80's stuff, there was a night where we walked in and the dance floor was empty. Devin went to get our drinks and his friends and I were standing around talking. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough came on and I dragged one of the guys out to the floor...and within seconds, the whole place was dancing, too. I still love that song. It reminds me of a lot of happy, joyous moments within an otherwise dark and dismal time.

This Is It was good. They did a great job editing together various rehersal sessions into a cohesive piece. What I loved most of all, though, were the shots of the background dancers on the floor below watching Michael performing. The joy in their faces tells the whole story to me. It would have been an awesome concert experience. Whatever personal issues Michael may have had, this was all about music and movement and I'm glad they have this film to showcase it.

Another cocoon weekend for me, other than going out to the movie. I had pizza delivered last night after I came back from the show...is there anything better than a small, local pizza place that calls you to make sure you really wanted anchovies? :) Fazzini's is my Italian comfort food joint and the fact that they deliver makes it even better. Comfort straight to my home and my belly! Yay!

I'm currently on Cookie A's Monkey Socks bandwagon. It's a wagon that's over 10,000 socks deep on Ravelry. You see, I have this Crazy Zauberball yarn that went looking for a pattern and it picked the Monkey...and I'm glad it did. The pattern is really easy, quick and looks fabulous. I'm already at the heel of the first one and can't wait to finish the pair of them!

Up Late...Again

2009-10-28T23:43:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I can't sleep due to the things that go bump in the night. I try to limit my exposure to stuff that I know will set my brain off, but it's not always possible.

Tonight at knit night, since this is Halloween week, folks were talking about spooky places in the area. I could feel my agitation rising, even though we were sitting in a brightly lit area, a group of happy women knitting on a variety of projects. I tuned out as much as I could, but still heard enough details that my sleep tonight will be restless.

I wish I weren't wired this way. =\

Uploaded a handful of photos I took this past Sunday on my drive out to Kate and Becca's. It's such a beautiful drive, I wish I could take even more pictures...but the most lovely bits are the sharp bends and twists in the road. I'm not sure I want to be crusing around at 40 MPH with my camera in hand on those curves! We're not having a flame-colored, glorious Fall, but at least it's something. :)

That inspired me to bring out my Brooke's Column of Leaves scarf and continue knitting it. Though it photographs with an abundance of blue, in person it's lovely autumny colors. Yum!

Tis the Season

2009-10-24T10:28:00.003-04:00

Finished this hat last night while watching a biography of Jimmy Stewart, which seemed entirely appropriate. Now I want to head up the road to the Blockbuster video shop that's going out of business to see whether they have The Philadephia Story.

I adore black and white movies, especially the ones with lovely costumes and snappy dialog. Sometimes the acting isn't up to our modern (methody) style, but observing a way of life that's completely foreign and yet familiar has a lot of comfort.

My local yarn shop has all its sock yarns at 20% off, so I plan to head out in a bit for some browsing. Tomorrow is another stitch n' bitch at Kate and Becca's and I may need something new.

Er, other than the fact that I already have something like 50 different types of yarn around here, apparently. I believe I am stocking up for a wool shortage! Yeah. That's it.

Recharging

2009-10-17T11:58:00.000-04:00

Some days are just much better than others.

Today, feeling a little mopey, so I'm going to watch some Star Wars, wind yarn into cute little center-pull balls and maybe start a pair of Skyp socks for Kevin. After all, he has a thing for socks and I am his "other" wife. :) It'll be nice to knit something for someone who'll appreciate the effort.

Later on, after scrubbing out that awful bathtub (it needs serious re-enameling and so every bit of scum that can catch on something, does), will take a hopefully relaxing Lush-infused bath.

I'm not angry over the break-up with Dan. It's just so, so disappointing. And it's not even that the reason is, well, unreasonable. All it means is that our paths ran along together so well and now the paths diverge.

I miss him. I'll miss having him in my everyday life because I am, at this moment, still in love with him. He wants things I don't, I want things he doesn't...so there's no future. Meanwhile, I'm allowed to mourn and be occasionally mopey...and so I am.

Home

2009-10-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

I had a pretty good weekend. As with all holidays, the time sped by and suddenly last night I had to head to the airport.

Friday started at 3AM, since I live an hour from the airport and had to get to the off-site parking lot, shuttle to the airport from there, and check in two boxes of Dan's things that accidentally shipped with my household goods. That left me pretty exhausted, but so happy when I finally landed at SeaTac.

Flying to Seattle is always a homecoming for me. I picked up my rental car and headed to Candyce's house, which has been my second home ever since I met her. Driving across the floating bridge, I reflected how the last time I drove across the lake, I was happy and excited. I didn't imagine that my next trip to Seattle would be bittersweet. By the time I knocked on Candyce's door, I was in tears and saying (as I often did when arriving there), "Honey, I'm home!" had quite a different feel. We cried for a bit because we miss each other and because she sensed my unhappiness.

That's what I love about Candyce. I don't have to explain myself, she just knows.

And so, the weekend flew by. Game night was great (as usual). Dim sum was awesome (as usual). And though I had to drop out of shopping with Candyce and Lorien on Sunday, I did spend the day with Phil. Rob met up with us as we were downstairs in Uwajimaya's, giving Phil the scoop on living downtown and how the best Asian grocery store in the Northwest is wasted on him. ;)

Yesterday, Candyce and I spent the day in the hospital as she was getting meds dripped into her to help break up her migraine. I finished a Tidal Wave sock and started on its partner by the time she was finished and feeling a bit better. As you can see in the accompanying photo of Candyce in her Jayne Cobb Hat, she is feeling better today. Yay!

I'm looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. While the move wrenched me away from my friends and family, I love my job. Liking what I do makes up for a lot.

I'd like to thank...

2009-10-02T00:08:00.000-04:00

...Suz. I can't think of anyone else who encouraged me, nurtured me and made me feel as though I really could do anything in games if I put my mind to it.

Thanks, Cosmic Twin. I'm sure it's still your influence that's blessing me in all sorts of ways that I don't deserve.

It's kind of funny to see my name on a list like this. I'm tickled that Melissa's also on the roster! Went to Target tonight on the way home from work, but this one didn't have a copy.

I know that Carolyn was researching and writing the article for a few months. When she first asked for nominations, I nominated Suz. Unfortunately, the article was going to be about women currently working in MMOs, so Suz didn't qualify. But she qualifies for my personal list. Without her, I wouldn't have gotten so far.

There's a certain bittersweet quality to this sort of thing at the moment. I wish I had someone to share the moment with here with me now. Someone who'd hug me and take me out for a celebratory incandescence. Instead, I hugged the cats (who put me in my place with their lack of impressed-ness) and settled in to work on my Owlings.