Miscellany

Just a few blurbs, I guess. I finished reading Little Children by Tom Perotta over a month ago- I really have to stay on that! It was a decent book, more brain candy than anything. After that, I read The Time Traveler's Wife- absolutely wonderful. The story is a fresh new idea, the characters are people you want to love or hate. You feel everything that happens, and although it can be heartbreaking, you don't want to put it down. A really awesome read I would recommend to everyone. After that book, I listened to the audio book of The Thirteenth Tale. The dual stories of the book are so much fun, and it really drew me in. I listened to it while I knit, and I found myself more than once, knitting stagnant in my lap, just listening to the story. There was a mix of everything in the story, comedy and tragedy. It is another book I would highly recommend. I finished the Big Red Wrap, and I love how it turned out. I did my own version of scribble lace, alternating four rows of the thick (Lion Brand Homespun) and two rows of crochet cotton. The thing is gigantic, and warm, and cozy. I'd love to do another one sometime, but probably not for a while- kind of a boring knit in plain garter stitch. Looks awesome, though, see: Not really knowing what I wanted to start next, I picked some orange Microspun out of my stash and decided I needed to use it. I know it wanted to become a scarf or wrap, but it was hard to find something to knit. The stuff knits up like cotton, but since it's acrylic, won't really block. I went through a few patterns and stitches, and settled on feather and fan. I think so far it looks pretty good: I have made no progress on my second sock- I had to rip it all out and start over. I've made a rule, though- no new projects until sock number two is on the needles. I think next time, I'll definitely be doing them both at once. Yep.

New Yarn!

I ordered a bunch of yarn from KnitPicks the other day, and it finally came! (side note: they are actually really good about shipping, and the yarn usually gets here pretty darn fast.) Lots of goodies for me. So, let's not spend any time dicking around and look at some pictures, shall we? Wool of the Andes, in Tidepool Heather- going to become a Clapotis: Wool of the Andes in Chambray: Gossamer Laceweight, in Rose Garden, for the Swiss Cheese Scarf: Palette in Fog and Ash- going to become Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts: More Wool of the Andes in Coal, for Hubbster's Skull Illusion Scarf: Phew! I know, it's a lot of yarn. There are a few more new purchases, and some sock yarn I won over here, but I'll save those pictures for a rainy day. I really love the colors of the Tidepool Heather- I think it's going to be an awesome clap. I am, also, officially on a yarn diet- it is a struggle to close my stash box, so no more until I have room for it. Better start knitting, huh?

A Poll

So, it was recently brought to my attention by a person who's opinion I value that the new blog design is a bit hard to read with the transparency of it. I did make it a little less transparent, but what do you think? What should I do? Make the post section completely white. I hate it like this. I think it looks, fine, leave it. I don't really give a shit what you do with it. free forms Thanks for the help, guys!

Cheezburger?

I've made it a daily indulgence to read I Can Has Cheezburger? to make me giggle at least once a day. Something about fuzzy animals and horrible grammar is just too cute. This one I couldn't pass up sharing: Hope it makes you laugh, too!

Vacation Part Two: Road Trip

After my lovely vacation in Minnesota, my brother and I drove the car ( so graciously given to me my the 'rents) back to New Mexico. Since we were in no hurry, it was a lot of fun to be had along the way. We made lots of stops, ate at every mom n' pop diner we could find for meals, checked out the scenery. Here's some of my favorite pictures: The first two are in the Badlands in South Dakota. We also stopped to see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Good times. The last one, I have no clue where we were, but after the badlands somewhere. The funniest part is the town (if you want to call it that) had one house (duh), but also a church and a bar. Tee hee! Oh, and that's my brother in the picture. We had tons of fun, but it sure was good to be home again!

Four (or Five) Words

*please note: All is fine in my household, my marriage, etc. This is just a rambling of thoughts. No worries.* The worst four words in the English language are "we need to talk". Worse, still, is the added word, "we really need to talk". Coming from a parent, friend, or lover, this mere sentence will almost always strike fear into one's heart, sending a wave of what-if's and what-did-i-do's racing through the brain. Your palms get a bit sweaty, you find it hard to swallow. a tight knot forms in your stomach, and you are filled with dread. You sit down, staring curiously at the speaker of this horrid phrase, or press the phone tight to your ear. You wait. All you can do it wait. Even with a clean conscience, you worry about being accused of some wrong doing, worse still with a guilty conscience. After you've wracked your brain, finding nothing, you start to worry about the speaker's health. The health of those they know, that are also dear to you. They sigh, afraid to meet your gaze, or to choke out that first, usually life altering, heart breaking sentence. What will it be? "I think we need to take a break." "I'm sorry, she's gone." "Who is Joe, and why are his clothes in my closet?" "I think I need to go to the hospital." Absolutely nothing good comes from the phrase, "We need to talk." Ever.

Vacation Part One: Minnesota

I had such a great time in Minnesota! Lots of great time spent with family and friends. The Monsterette had a blast, too- lots of firsts for her! Here's her first time playing in the sprinkler on a hot, humid Minnesota day: I also had the awesome experience of meeting Mama Grouch and a few of her friends- we all took our kids to a little play area inside the old Sears building (it was raining that day) and had lunch. It was a ton of fun, and so awesome to have my first blogger friend meetup! After playing and lunch, we stopped by her LYS and I picked up some dishcloth cotton in a color I haven't seen (plus, it totally matched what Monsterette was wearing that day), and some Trekking XXL, in these great blues: This picture doesn't do the colors justice. The blues are so rich and deep and beautiful! The socks I plan to knit with this yarn will totally remind me of Minnesota and all the lakes. Speaking of lakes, I picked the perfect time to visit! The weekend before we left was the beginning of a summer tradition with my family- a week up north with some more family and friends. The lake was gorgeous, and we spent a few days fishing, swimming, and hanging out on the boat. Not to mention just sitting around and chatting into the night! We really had a great time. Keep an eye out for Part Two...

Home Sweet Home

Hi all! Thought I would let you know (albeit a week late) that I made it home safe and sound! I had a blast on vacation, but sure am glad to be home. A better post with details, pictures, and souvenir yarn will follow shortly!