Oooooh, knitting! Ahhhh!!

Ok, here's what i've been working on...the multi-directional scarf. That's the yarn that i won from Lesa's contest. It's Bernat Sox. And yes, it was the beginnings of a sock a few weeks ago, but has since been sent to the frog pond and brought back to life as this. I'm almost at the end of ball #1 and have a second ball, so it will be a nice sized scarf...that's going to be gifted to someone who has already hinted at liking the colors.

And then i've been working on this! Shhh!!

Happy Knitting! Must run, the meatloaf is done!

Let's Help A Brother Out

...shall we?

So, there's this lovely chap out there, somewhere...do i know him?....heck no, but who cares?

Anywhoooo, he's trying a little experiment thingy to accumulate some data to use for a talk he's going to do at some big-shindiggy-sort-of-a-thing. Said lovely chap, is trying to gather info on how fast a "MeMe" gets around the blogosphere. So, help a fellow out, won't you? Go to this link, yes, that one there and follow the good man's instructions. It's all in the name of science, afterall.

Let the knit blogs be well represented!!

Thanks!!

Knit on!!

~Suz~

Odd, that one.

Have you ever noticed that really small creatures can sometimes make the strangest and loudest noises?

This innocent looking thing just made the strangest sound. It was sort of like three sneezes and a burp all at the same time. My head literally whipped around to see what the noise was. LOL!!

You should hear the horrible noise she makes when she's about to hurl. It's like a painful yowl...that's really the only way to describe it.

We've tried hairball remedy, food for indoor cats with supposed hairball help, gooey stuff i squeeze down her throat....because unlike the package claims, she does NOT 'love' the taste of it and lick it right off of her paw. Instead, she flings it somewhere. Where? We do not know! Flung goo, never to be found again is not a good thing.

Last night, i'm minding my own business, sitting on the bed in my usual spot, watching TV and knitting....and here comes the little beast. She hops right up on my lap, starts nesting around and then goes into her hurling mode...right there on the bed, on the clean quilt that just got put on the bed for winter season!

Now, keep in mind that i'm not quick. And i'm not agile. So i had to shove her off of the bed and onto the floor...it was not a very pretty sight, let me tell you. And in the long run, it didn't matter anyway. Cat hurl...on the bed cover. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

I'm off to knit.

~Suz~

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving

to those near and far.

Today we are thankful for who and what we have.

Today we are grateful for those who have come before us, those who arrived here in boats, those who were born on this soil, and those who were brave enough to live their lives and carry on from day to day.

Today we are thankful for everyone who has ever fought to allow us to live in this country, those who fought away from home and those who fought to keep the homefires burning while our defenders were away.

Take time today, to be thankful and enjoy each other.

Brightest Blessings...

~Suz~

To add further evidence to the conspiracy against me...

Why is it that when i go over to someone else's Blogger blog to comment, i only have to type in say 4 - 6 letters to satisfy the validation code - whereas, when i comment to my own blog i have to type in 10-12 characters? WTF??? It's MY blog dammit, i should be able to comment automatically. Sheesh!!

Ok. Fine. Here's a knitting picture...ya know, so you all at least believe that this is really mostly a knitting blog and not just a bitching blog. :::innocent look:::

Here is the latest version of 'Fetching'. It's the modified pair. I added one extra cable repeat at the bottom to make the cuff longer. I also added two more rows to the top and thumb sections, also to add length.




This second photo is both pairs of 'Fetching. The ones on top actually do look wider when just laying about. I didn't add any stitches or anything, so either i knit tighter on the second pair or that yarn knits up tighter...either way, they fit nicely too.


And, just for fun...here's a picture of all four hand warming sets i've made in the last month. How festive!! It's been lots of fun knitting these items.

Anywhoooo...

Happy Knitting, Everyone!

Well, now we know.

Well, i heard back from someone at Blogger. Thank you, Blogger! :)

Supposedly the problem may be that my Blogger account is a part of the new Blogger Beta blogs and it's possible that if the team blogs i am trying to join are not of the Beta Blog variety, i will not be able to join them. Hrmph! thanks for nothing, Blogger. That's so unfair!!! So this then, would be a case of - 'being the first kid on the block to have a new thing' - NOT being a good thing. :(

However, in the interest of full disclosure, i will tell you that i'm having trouble joining a WordPress Team Blog also. So, maybe i'm just a moron?!!

In knitting news: Finished Second Pair of Fetching tonight with slight modification. First, i actually remembered to C4F this time instead of doing the C4B again. Second, i added one additional Cable repeat section to the cuff to make it a bit longer. Third, i knit the cable row and 6 rows (instead of only 4) after the thumb row. And finally i knit 6 rows after the thumb pickup row instead of only 4. I like this version much, much better.

Photo tomorrow...if you're lucky!!

Knit on!

~Suz~

Blogger Bites me!

I'm so fucking frustrated.

I've joined two different knitting Blog teams. Recieved the email invites. But when i click on the link in the email to accept the invitation to join the team, i am then taken to a sign-in window where i sign in with my original Blogger log-in info. Then i am taken to a page where it says my account has been merged with a Goggle something somthing and i then have to login with my yahoo email address. Ok. No problem. I do as i'm directed. I am taken to the next log-in screen where i put in my scattered_gemini AT yahoo DOT com email address and the password for that one. I click on sign- in. Then i am taken to my dashboard. And there i find...nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nil. No new blogs added for me to post to.

WTF, Blogger??

I have gone to the help sections and read all of the info. None of what i can find pertains to my specific issue. I have cleaned my cache. Deleted my cookies. Closed and restarted my browser. Log-off and rebooted my PC. Still. Nothing.

So, the people who run the teams i'm supposedly a part of, probably think i'm lame.

Sorry to "Who Wouldn't Love a Handknitted Gift" and "Hockey Knitter's KnitAlong". I'll be over to introduce myself and post what i've been working on just as soon as Blogger helps me to sort out my technical issues.

~Suz~

Oh, how Fetching

Yes. Ok. I succumbed to the peer pressure.



Fetching from knitty.com


Versions of "Fetching" have been poping up here, here, here and everywhere. Fingerless gloves are all the rage over at Warm Hands. I couldn't take it any longer. I think i cast on for glove #1 on Wednesday night and tonight viola, i have a pair! I even think i'm going to cast on for another pair right after i finish online. Yes. I'm sure of it.


In other knitting news, i offer you this photo...





Awww. See the cute little kitty all snuggled up? When i am knitting, this is Luna's usual spot. She's laying on my leg and facing my gimondo belly. She'll fall asleep there and then start twitching in her sleep. It's really sweet and funny. She loves her Mama.

See the partial sock that Luna is, uhhh..."holding" for me? Yeah. That went to the frog pond. I was trying to follow a pattern out of "Knit Socks!" and it was really big, big enough that i thought it would fit up on my lymphedema legs and it did, but then i couldn't get it decreased enough to not be too huge for my foot - without looking really goofy. Needless to say, i'm just going to have to stick to socklettes for me. That's ok. I may have other plans for that yarn. We'll see.

Happy knitting!!

~Suz~

First UU

When Deb and i got together more than six years ago, at some point, our spirituality or lack thereof, came up in conversation. We were both "recovering Catholics" (i know some of you out there hate that term, but this is my blog...), and i'd had a horrible experience with what i call, "a very strict, bible-based, cult-like church". My experience was so horrible (to me, at that time), that i literally planned my "escape" and then had people show up on my Dad's doorstep, where i had escaped to. My experience was so horrible that i no longer prayed, no longer believed in a higher power, no longer even cared to step foot into a church. However, i knew there was something missing, and so did Deb.

In the course of our conversation, i mentioned to Deb that a former boss of mine in Massachusetts, had mentioned at some point, that her parents belonged to a Unitarian Church and that she thought i might like it. At that time, the pain of my time in the cult was still too fresh and i just couldn't even stand to think about going to any church. As the years passed and time healed some of my pain, i brought it up to Deb and we looked into it.

When we started to consider attending a Unitarian Universalist Church, we were living in NW Indiana. Luckily, we found one. The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Hobart, IN.

On our very first visit we nearly fell out of the pews. The Minister, Rev. Roger Brewin, during the course of his sermon, mentioned that he was an atheist. Huh? Yup. You read that right! Our jaws dropped as we looked at each other. (And after the service Deb asked what i had gotten her into?) A bit further into the sermon, Roger mentioned that he was a Humanist...and that was explained, which was good, because i had never heard the term before. At any rate, even after that first Sunday, we decided to continue attending and eventually made First UU our spiritual home. We decided that although we were not sure where our spiritual paths would lead us, we were sure that this was the place to figure it out. I'd like to be able to say that we've found our paths, but that would be just plain silly. I really do feel that a person's spiritual path grows and changes until our physical bodies part from this earth.

When Deb and i moved away from Indiana one year ago, the hardest part for both of us (i think), was leaving behind the friends we had made at First UU. This small congregation of about 100 people, had really become a family to us. They taught us, befriended us, supported our relationship, were there for our Commitment Ceremony, learned with us, and we - in turn - shared our lives with them. When we moved a few of our friends put together a lovely going away party, a party we lovingly refer to as NOT a "goodbye" party but rather a "buzz off" party. Because, afterall, it was not really goodbye...it was buzz-off, until we see ya for campout in July. LOL!!

A year later and i'm still stinkin' crying as i type because i miss everyone so much. And also, because i miss the fellowship and community of like minded people. That's not to say that there are no like minded people where we live in Maryland but, we just haven't found "our home". We've visited two different UU Churches here and we're just not sure about either one. The closest of the two, the atmosphere is very homey and i really like the people but, the minister is very soft spoken and monotone and he puts Deb to sleep every time. The second church is a lot farther for us to drive to, so even though we think we might like it better, we just could not afford to get ourselves there on Sunday's...not to mention to any other events that might meet during the week as a greater extension of their UU community, especially when gas prices were $1 more earlier this year .

I have to admit, i'm very sad...and a bit lonely, even. I'd like to have a church home, build some relationships and get involved. I really don't like being mobility challenged, unemployed and so isolated. Honest, i don't. Thank the Goddess that i have my wool and needles to keep me company, eh?

At any rate, this post has taken on a turn that i really had not intended when i sat down to type. Odd that. I had really sat down to write a brief little thing about our church back home as a way of inviting you to check out , uuMomma, a friend's new blog and to check out her latest post; a "punishment" of sorts in where the TV and PC have become very limited to the children of the house...and good things are happening. ;)

I think i'm going to go get some coffee. It seems needed. And also a hug from my wife. And then i'm going back to Fetching #1 and then on to #2. Those baby's will be done by day's end!

~Suz~

Not Much

...going on over here in the knitting world. No. Seriously. I'm getting the itch to cast on for something new. I can feel it.

I'm getting to the end of elf project #1 and then it will need to be blocked and shipped off to where it's going.

Elf project #2 is on a complete halt due to circumstances beyond my control. Deb quit her job at the pizza place the other day. So, she's been around here constantly. Not a good thing for elf work, let me tell ya.

Cobwebs is haunting me from my big project bag in the corner. And there's several hanks of laceweight calling to me from the yarn basket dying to become "Adamas" and "Icarus". No, i don't like Miriam's designs at all. Not me. Now if only i can conquer a chart, i'd be in business. Oh how i wish i had real life knitting friends. Sigh.

The wildly colored hugemongo sock for me will be traveling with me today when i go with Deb and her Mom to lunch and take Helen to the foot dr. I don't think i like the way it's turning out, so it may still see the frog pond yet! It's on the gusset decreasing...as is elf project #2 (1 of 2).

Ok, Deb's Mom is home and she usually calls her friend right away so i'm gonna scoot.

Happy Knitting!!!

~Suz~

Virus Warning

So, yesterday i'm browsing around some new-to-me knitting blogs, and i notice a button for "Mid-Atlantic Knitters". Hey, that's me! And i don't belong to that knitting ring, yet.

I clicked on the button to go to the page where one should be able to join that web-ring...and all of a sudden weird things started happening. My computer froze up. I got a beige pop-up window that took up about 1/2 of my monitor screen and it was covered from top to bottom in question marks. And i was asked to install a java plug-in. I couldn't click on a damn thing. I was stuck. I hit ctrl + alt + delete and closed down my Mozilla browser entirely. Hmmm.Then i decided i'd load that whole page again, ya know...just to make good and sure that i wasn't imagining things. Sure enough, i wasn't. The whole scene played out again.

I gave up on blogs and knitting info and i moved on to downloading a few things for SIMS2. Then i logged off of the internet, installed my SIMS2 stuff, shut down all unnecessary programs and loaded up SIMS2. My SIMS2 that had been running like "buttah" ever since i replaced the video card...was running choppy and slow. WTF?!!!

I decided to run the virus scan and go knit a while. Sure enough. My virus detection found a virus.

Whenever i find a virus on my PC, i'm always a but leary as to whether or not the virus protection i own/use does a complete job of removing bad things. Because i'm skeptical of all virus protection, i often use mine and then come online and find another "Free" scan or download an additional program to run..."just in case".

Mind you. I'm on dial-up. It took hours, upon hours to get through updating and running Trend Micro's - housecall, last night. When it finally finished running and got to the point where it was going to clean the three items it found...it crashed. SHITE!!! WTF??? GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

It was after 2am. I gave up for the night. I left the PC on so as not to "spread" the virus by rebooting, and went to bed.

I was rudely awakened at 6am...as i am most weekends; by the big, huge, bright bedroom light from across the hall and Deb's nephew clomping up and down the hallway in some work boots. At least he wasn't wearing his safety-goggles...that's enough to scare you when you're not quite awake yet. Since i was awake, i decided to hop online and then spent the next 2-3 hours downloading AVG and running it. It found two bad things and nicely quarentined them.

I'm hoping that i got everything. Sigh.

It really sux that i'm not going to be a Mid-Atlantic Knitter. Be careful out there. Even knitting content can be contaminated!!!

~Suz~

***Warning: Political Posting Below***

If the title didn't give you a hint, then i'm telling you right now...

If you came here for knitting content today, hit that little ole "back" button right now. Hurry up!!

I'm just feeling giddy and BLUE today. I'm feeling so BLUE, i'm feeling a bit Smurfy!

I feel great about going and doing my civic duty yesterday and helping to get a Democratic Governor voted in here in Maryland and also in getting a former Democratic Congressman voted in as the newly elected Democratic Senator.

I am also pleased as punch about three districts in my former State of Indiana turning BLUE.

Deb and i live in a household where her Mom is very non-political and her Dad is a loud, obnoxious, Republican who thinks he knows it all but, basically listen to half information and then talks out of his ass. He only listens to minimal sources and does no research on what he hears. Even i admit that with the research, reading and listening that i do...i hardly know much. I'm not so arrogant to think that i know it all, especially on the local level. Needless to say, living here, with Deb's Dad, for the past year - has been a political nightmare. He once got so mad that we disagreed with him, he stood up - and like a deranged wildman, violently threw a plate onto the dining room floor with shards of broken plate flying up into the back of his grand-daughter's head. It was a wild scene.

Today. Today, the deranged wildman has been skulking about the house very quietly. HA! His beloved Governor. Gone. His choice for Senator. Gone.

Oh. It's so delicious!!

I'm sorry. I know i'm gloating. And it's ugly. Hideously ugly. But it's so much freakin' fun!!!

When i noticed the announcement of Rumsfeld "stepping - down", i called Deb's cell phone very quickly to let her know...she's at work. And then, i thought of my Dad. So i called him. We were giddy together. It was a great bonding moment. I have no clue how my youngest brother leans, politically. My Dad's middle kid, he's one of those "know-it-all" Republicans...although, i do admit he's better informed than Deb's Dad. So, it was wonderful to at least be the one of my Dad's kids who could share in his same political delight. I even asked my Dad how it felt to be surrounded by more BLUE over there in Indiana? He's thrilled! I'm thrilled!

Now. Let's see what happens next. C'mon BLUE. Do us proud!!

~Suz~

Go, Rock the Vote!

So, i'm sitting there, trying to get that picture taken, and here's Miss NoseyPants (Luna) up on my leg trying to see what i'm doing...

There's still time. If you've not gone out to vote. Please do so. It's your right.

Edit: I have to admit, i'm a bit mystified after my first time voting in Maryland. I was NEVER asked for my Voter's Registration Card NOR my Driver's License. NO form of I.D. whatsoever. How are they sure it was me? Hmmm. Quite fishy!!

~Suz~

While Deb's Away...

...the wife will play.

Elf. Elf, that is! Get your minds outta the gutter. Sheesh!

Yes, that's right. The WIPs are stacking up as i've started working on some "elf duty" items. One item in particular has to be worked on while Deb is at work. Another elf item is actually more of a RAOK, but i'm calling it "elf work" anyway. Then i have the last socks posted about - those are on needles. And of course the shawl. Poor Cobwebs, neglected, shoved into the large, hardly carried - knitting bag.

Nothing else too exciting this weekend. Ran to Joann's in Frederick today and picked up some size 1 dpn's - two sets, a cable needle set, pack of row counters....OH! and this!!! Because, eventually i want to knit "Icarus". Deb spotted some Holiday cards that we both liked and we picked up two boxes of those that were 40% off and two rolls of Holiday wrapping paper at 40% off. After Joann's we hurried home so Deb could get in a small nap before she headed off to work at 4pm...i've been knitting since then.

What's everyone else up to? It's been awfully quiet out there!

~Suz~