Annie Knits

The New Interweave or Point, Counterpoint

About half the posts I've read on Ravelry have panned the new Interweave magazine.  The other half sing its praises.  Half call for Eunny Jang's head on a knitted platter, the other half like the magazine's new look and themed layouts. 

I was inclined to post in several groups who were panning the magazine, especially the LimenViolet group (where where after Eunny came and asked people to be specific about their concerns, the tone got a lot nicer)  but I decided to wait and actually peruse the magazine rather than going off half cocked.   Because, generally, I like reading my Interweave knits.  And I almost always find something in it I'd add to my queue.

Here's what I think after digesting the issue for several days and comparing it to some of the old issues I have edited by Pam Allen.

I kind of really like it.   I enjoyed Franklin Habit's article about School House Press.  There wasn't a lot in the article that I wasn't at least vaguely aware of, but it is nicely written and makes me want to go to knitting camp.

While the wrap on the left isn't super innovative, I like the colors and the pattern and the idea of doing color work that doesn't have to fit someone.  And the piece on the right is a great layering piece.  I love the square neck.  I have a biggish head and a lot of hair and a square neck balances that for me.  Also, it's good on us biggish girls. 

These patterns are written for two yarns I've been wanting to try -- Blue Sky dyed cotton and Mission Falls cotton.  I'm not much of a summer yarn knitter, but these two may get my nod.  And as to the color complaints?  I'd love the Delft top (the one on the left) in a pink/green/orange combo, wouldn't you? It would like visually vibrate, man (grin).   And Mission Falls comes in great greens and is pretty reasonable. 

This top is done in Berroco Seduce, another yarn we've gotten in that I'd like to try.  A little spendy, but fun.   What I like about this top is its simplicity -- kind of like summer reading.  And if you don't like it in these pictures on a twig of a model?  Go check out the Interweave galleries.  They show the top on real people (and give their measurements... yikes.)

Love slip stitch patterns, good layering piece again.    It's done in silk, but you could sub Ella Rae Silkience with a little fudging and get a gorgeous piece for a fraction of the price.

I have several summer tops in this silhouette and it's very flattering for my shall we say fluffy body type.  And here, I think I've found an error in the magazine.  The pattern calls for Tilli Thomas Fil de la Mer which is like 16 st. to the inch.   But in looking around on the net, I've found a Tilli Thomas yarn called Voile de la Mer which matches the yarn description in the pattern :  70% silk, 30% sea cell.  We'll go with that.  So fingering weight summer yarn with great drape?  I'll have to think about that and get back to you.  Because at $18 bucks a pop for 12 skeins to make my size?  Ain't gonna happen.  (Maybe Nashua June, or Rowan Glace?)

And I LOVE THIS.  It's Rowan Cash Cotton, and you'd have the pattern memorized in like two repeats.  I think it's a great layering piece.  Not really for summer in St. Louis, I guess, but definitely all of the other seasons.

So, overall?  Thumbs up.  The patterns are classy and interesting and mostly something you'd actually knit. 

Unlike this...

What a difference 6 months makes!  (scroll down)

This is my favorite plant right now -- Variegated Solomon's Seal.  (Don't you love my mulch croc?)  The first view is from above, the second from the front so you can see it's row of bell-shaped flowers under the leaves.  It will lie flatter later in the season, but now it's reaching for the sun.  Cheerful, don't you think?  And variegated.  I like my plants like I like my yarns.

Speaking of yarn.  Just finished plying this.  It's the Totally Tubular in this entry.  Another scroll-down.  It's the one on the right.  This yarn is worsted weight (mostly) so I got about 290 yards out of that tube.  I didn't spin it according to the directions though -- they wanted me to split up each colored bit and spin two roughly similar singles and then ply.  I didn't have a place to put the two pieces to keep them in order so I didn't do that.  But now I have an empty tube, so I'll try their method for the second tube.   

This yarn is  smooshy and wooly.  It will have to wait until the fall.

Score!

I volunteered to work at the used book fair for Dear Daughter's school today.  I donated like a thousand books to this fair and I swore to myself and hubby that I wouldn't come home with any books.  At all. 

What I didn't know at the time of the swearing was that there might be vintage knitting pamphlets and books.  Such conditions, I believe, render said swearing null and void.  I spent $13.00.

See the Barbara Walker book?  And the Mary Thompson's Knitting book?  It's from 1939.  The Knitting for Young America is a self published book with easy first projects dated 1948.  The author was the managing director of The Handknitting Institute (about which I can find nothing on the Web.)  All are from the library of the O'Fallon Motherhouse for the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood.  Many have the name Sr. Catherine Beckerle written in lovely script on their inside covers.  Sr. Catherine also collected booklets. 

These baby booklets are absolutely chock full of  beautiful, timeless patterns.  The blue one in the bottom right corner is dated 1942, the rest are newer.  There are at least 16 different patterns for soakers in these books, and 4 different patterns  for buntings (I love the idea of a handknitted baby bunting.)    The 1942 book has a pattern for two bathing suits -- knitted in all wool yarn though...  Embiggen the picture and see?  It calls for Fleishers Cassimere, a 100% wool fingering weight yarn.  Nice. 

And this little one has no knitting on, but she seriously doesn't need it, does she?

And this hat?  A must knit.  Really.  I just think it's the cutest thing. 

File this one under "Blog contests, write a caption for this picture."  Too easy?  Really, though, this child is way too old to be cute and nakey on a blankey. 

This set, in one of the older booklets, early '50s I think, is absolutely simple and gorgeous.  I can't wait to make it. 

But Sister Catherine didn't just knit for babies.

There are great patterns for grownups here too.  Love these -- they're from the orange book at the upper left.  I mean seriously, I'd knit any of them tomorrow.  I don't even see where there would need to be too much modernizing in the shaping.   See the cable running up the raglan sleeve?  Love it!

And Sr. Catherine knit the first one for someone...

Husband says I can knit this for him only if I include the pipe and some Brylcreem.  Do they still make that stuff?

Edited to add:  No, I don't think an all wool bathing suit is "nice".  That was sarcasm.  Yes I do really love the yellow cap.  That was not sarcasm.  Darned internets, interfering with my nonverbals...  And did you notice that the two knitting books in the bottom right hand corner of the first picture are the exact books noted in the latest Interweave as books Elizabeth Zimmerman says any intrepid knitter should own.  Well, then.  I'm all set...

Baby oh Baby!

One baby sweater down, one to go.

The King Cole Aran baby jacket, pattern 2557, size 2.  It's kind of an old pattern, I think.  The pockets are so cute and the buttons (from Knitorious) are perfect.  I did have a customer tell me that while she likes the sweater just fine, she'd never give anything done in that ugly color to a baby.  To which I smiled and said thanks...  More pics here on Ravelry.

I know it's outside of the norm, but I still think it'll be darling on a 2 yr old boy digging in the rocks at a playground.  So there.

I bought more Dream in Color Classy to do a girly sweater for the next baby.  And I do have to say I'm glad none of these much awaited wonders belongs to me.  Thank goodness!  Not that I don't just love babies 'cause I do.  (Read the Harlot today?)  And I absolutely don't mind all but the most strident baby noises in most places.  I'm usually just glad I'm not the one at whom the baby is fussing.  I always think that baby fussing bothers the parents more than the rest of us, but apparently I'm mistaken on that count.   

What's Blooming in My Garden? or Look, I Got a New Camera!

I'm in love.  Cannon SD750 Elph.  Just enough for little old me.  Here you go.

This is my favorite Daffodil... or Jonquil.  Anyone know the difference off hand?

And dogwood trees.

And more daffodils.  They're a happy plant, don't you think?

And this one I think will be my new Ravatar.

Earthquake! or Dogs Have Awesome Powers Part 2

In case you live under a rock (an iffy place to be around here yesterday morning...) we had quite a shaker yesterday.  It wasn't the big one, but it was certainly disconcerting.  Since everyone else got out of the blocks on this story sooner than I did, I can do some commentary as well as tell my story.

I let the dogs out as usual Thursday night, about 10 or so, and went to bed.  Monte could not settle in.  He had me up at 12, 1, 2 and 3.  He was barking at the windows and doors, whining, and generally making a fat nuisance out of himself.  I was ready to strangle him by 3 a.m. I tell you.  I let him out each time, thinking he may have eaten something bad for him while he was outside earlier in the evening, but to no avail.  He'd sniff around and come right back and jump at the back door.  What was Sophie, the big dog, doing during all this hullabaloo?  She went out the first time, but no more.  She even quit getting out of her chair.  She was not agitated at all -- so I knew there were no bad guys involved.  After the 3 a.m. shuffle, I huffed and puffed at Monte and put in my ear plugs. 

Next thing I know, someone is shaking my bed, waking me up.  Which I did actually do.  Wake up that is.  I can't hear anything though, 'cause I've got in earplugs.  I pull them out, and  daughter is at my bedroom door asking me if I've been in her room shaking her bed.  Huh?  I told her no, I had not been shaking her bed... had she been shaking mine?  It dawned on me then that we were having an earthquake.  But it seemed to be over.  Daughter told me she was going back to sleep, but if we had another earthquake to wake her up... I went back to sleep too (instead of getting up, checking the house, getting my kids the hell out of that death trap!  Um, right... great Mom I am.)

Of course, by 6 a.m. our little quake was all over the news.  The city inspectors were going around checking the safety of roads and bridges.  They, of course, found that my shortcut to Son's school is now unsafe, chunks of concrete having fallen from the underside of the bridge, but that is really the only lasting effect for me.   Oh, and the fact that now, every time Monte whines or cringes (which is like hourly) I've got EARTHQUAKE! in the back of my mind.   It's one of the burdens of owning an Earthquake dog I guess. 

Here's Monte practicing earthquake preparedness -- he's gotten under the heaviest piece of furniture in the room.  Good dog.  Now, go find all of the centipedes in the house.

There is knitting in the house. 

It's Filey from Alice Starmore's Fishermen's Sweaters.  It's out of the Rowan Denim I bought when we were in England.  The pattern repeat is very simple -- memorized after the first few rows -- so it's certainly carry around knitting at this point.  The sticky Starmore Gauge Question?  I'm achieving  her gauge by dropping only two needles sizes down, so it's all good.  I'm doing ribbing on US2s and the body on US3s.  I assume this will be my summer knitting. 

You'll remember that I really don't love knitting with cotton.  And, you'll think, well hoo boy this is cotton.  Twine-ish almost.  And in response, I'll tell you that I carry around a little swatch of this stuff that's been machine washed and dried and boyohboy is it yummy.  All the motivation I need to knit through the pain.

The baby cable jacket is in the seaming process, and will be ready to be gifted soon.  But in another babyish development, I ran into Daughter's beloved basketball coach's newish wife and, well not to be indelicate, but she is as big as a house!  Due in a month.  And sure it's a girl.  So, I'll have to knit some of these, don't you think?

I've seen a lot of bootie patterns in my time, but these are among the cutest.   I've read through them (straight forward directions and lots of pictures)  and I have the yarn.  So.  I'll get right on this.

And for friends and family?  The renovations are all but complete.  Yay, me!

The hallway is the first picture, and yes, that wall is orange.  The rest of that space is beige.  The dining area in the second picture has walls the same color as the fireplace area in the third -- just a bad picture.  The family room adjacent to these rooms is a leaf green that doesn't photograph well today...  Area rugs, drapes, and furniture to come in a few weeks.  Again, yay me.   

Have Soapbox, Will Travel

Good Sunday morning to you all.  I got up early today to enjoy the birds singing, the morning paper, and a cup of coffee.  By myself. 

But the front page of my local paper is what got my blood really coursing.  Or my mouth cursing.  Whatever.   

So, this morning at 7:00 a.m., I drafted and sent the following letter to the assistant managing editor of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  Stupid heads.

Dear Mr. Parker,

I am a 20 plus year subscriber to the Post Dispatch.  I read your paper every morning. 

I've noticed an alarming trend, epitomized by this morning's edition. Three of the six stories on the first three pages of the front section of the Final Metro Edition of the paper are what I'd call sensationalist.  Not necessarily in content, but certainly in tone. 

Above the fold, page one, the story is about the city's policy concerning rewarding long-time employees for not using all available sick days.  Your headline shrieks about "pricey perks" and uses the term "draining the city of millions".  You go on the enumerate several employees, most of which have worked for the city for 20 plus years, and their retirement bonuses for not using sick days.  One gal worked for 43 years and got more than $81,000.  Sounds like a lot until you do math and realize that she actually gets about $1800 for each year -- not a huge bonus but generous and delayed over time.  Frankly it's not whether or not I object to the city policy, but your article is written which such slanted, sensationalist language so as to leave me no question as to whether you all object to it.  Which shouldn't matter -- unless this is an op-ed piece.  At which point, put it on the right page.

Also on page one is a story about looming recession.  Breathlessly reporting that "more people are eating in" and "some" worry about gas and getting to jobs.  Flip to page eight and the story elaborates about a few people eating out less, ostensibly to both save money and stay home with their three year old.  I don't know about you but I've had several three year olds and I stayed at home with them too as they often aren't fit for public consumption ... or consumption in public. And there was a dropped line about certain restaurants noticing a downturn, but no facts, no numbers.  Well, except for the insert which noted what I'd term modestly rising prices on 4 different things from meat to washers.  Which I guess is my point.  There is no dearth of number crunching going on out there about the current down turn, but the Post chose, on the front page no less, to do a fluff piece about this very serious topic.

Finally, on page three, there is another fluffy piece about exhausted bloggers.  The news reporters becoming the news.  Again.  I felt the same way about your fugitive series.  The first bit was well researched, and while I thought it tended toward slamming the police when I think it's really that they don't get the resources from government to do this important job -- Homeland security my ear...  But the follow-up, self congratulatory, "look at the what happens when WE shine the light on this stuff" articles were, well, biased.  As in not "strictly the facts, ma'am."

The Sunday edition would seem to me the time to take on the serious stuff and go in depth.  Folks have all day to consume the paper and more people get the Sunday paper than the daily one.  Really... a missed opportunity I think, and the low road.  Not all of us want sensationalist news.  We want a myriad of sources and we want to weigh what we read and hear and see and make decisions for ourselves.  I've always wanted my print news to give me what radio and tv won't -- depth.  And unflinching, unbiased reporting.  The bias that is creeping into the Post's reporting is what I find disturbing.  Because it sneaks past the casual reader and masquerades as fact.

Sincerely,

Annie
St. Louis

Ok.  I didn't sign it Annie -- but the rest is exactly what I sent this guy.  And I couldn't find a link on their website to the ombudsman either ... you know, the person who's supposed to be the link between the public and the paper?  I guess they don't call it that any more.  Or they think we're too dumb to know what an ombudsman is.   And you probably think I'm nit picking or over the edge or "Really, Annie, it's just the paper, it's not about you".  But this kind of sloppiness or blurry reporting (obviously) really bugs me.

You'll remember the last time I blogged about my local paper.  And the time after that.  It's getting to be a trend.  I'd really like another choice.  'Cause I'm really a morning paper kind of girl, you know?  And I'd prefer that it be my coffee that gets me going in the morning, not the contents of the paper. 

And you know what else?  Hubster would prefer that too as he is often the victim of the first run of any of my opinions.  And bless him.  He is not a morning person, coffee or no.

Mine Were Nancy Drew

It's Spring Break chez Annie, and we didn't go to some warmer clime or some snow-covered mountain.  We pretty much kicked it around the house with friends.  We went to the Zoo on what turned out to be the one nice-outside day of the week.  I had to work for a few hours two of the days.  Each kid had a little bit of homework, but not much.  Really?  Just relaxing.  Both kids seemed to need a little recharging after a hard, dark winter.  So I let them.  Recharge that is. 

Daughter is fixated on the Jonas Brothers.  For the uninitiated, they are one of the current Disney stable boy bands.  She collects magazine pictures of them and tapes them to various surfaces in her bedroom.  She visited various bookstores and magazine outlets this week and added some to her collection.  She also did some housework to earn more money to buy magazines.  We call her Cinderella. 

But it's Dear Son who had a magical week.  I bet you'll remember your first too. 

See, he's smitten. 

With a series of books that is.   The books are the Alex Rider series by Brit Anthony Horowitz.  They are about a 14 year-old kid who's parents have (of course) been killed and somehow he's ended up an unlikely and relatively uncooperative but super capable way smarter than the adults around him  spy for MI6.  One of our cousins sent Son the books for Christmas and he finally had the time to really attack them this week.  He read the first two over the course of a few months as he was pretty busy with school and basketball.  But I believe he's read 4 of them this week.  And is into book 7 -- the current last of the series -- as of last night.  Yesterday?  A kind of cold and dreary day here?  He read an entire 200 and some odd page book. 

I don't know about you, but that makes me very nostalgic.  I remember working my way through all of the Little House books.  And when I found out that a neighbor had all of the Nancy Drew books and that I could borrow any of them?  I read 'em all one summer.  I remember the sheer joy of practically skimming the books, just to see what would happen, knowing I had several more piled up and waiting.  And the bitter sweet almost regret at picking up the last book and savoring it.  Don't you?  I also read all of the Stallion books by Walter Farley, and some series by Victoria Holt but I can't remember it or find it online.  I know there are more, but I can't think of them.   

What were your love series?  Maybe yours will jog my memory? 

And a Good Spring(ish) Morning to You, Too!

This morning, it is a beautiful, clear 44 degrees.  Cold, yes, but the birds are singing and and the jonquils have begun to bloom and it'll warm up enough to open windows today I think. 

We had a lovely Easter.  Kids in Easter togs hunting eggs in a snow squall...  Oh, it was like 35 degrees so nothing stuck, but it snowed to beat the band several times during the day.

We all attended the Easter Vigil at our church this year.  I go every year as I sing, but this year both kiddos served the mass and husband read one of the many readings.  It was an absolutely gorgeous service.  Seven readings, progressing through the Bible, proclaimed in complete darkness.   Dear Son was afraid he'd fall asleep during this part (he'd been told horror stories by his loving sister) but he was chosen by Father John to be the one to bring him the book between each reading -- Father says something after each piece -- so there was little chance of snoozing.  Son did count the other server (not his sister!) picking his nose 4 times.  Lovely.  Glad it was dark. 

The only criticism I have of the service really is a new addition.  We baptized the new members of the church as we always do at this service.   This year, someone got a kind of pool, you know, black plastic like in yard Koi ponds?  And surrounded it with cement bricks and flowers and filled it with water and  had the new members actually get in and Father poured water over them.  All well and good.  But then they had to go change clothes.  Like for 20 minutes.  Which I totally get -- I mean we've been blessing these folks and building this up so much that of course they wanted to look nice for the rest of the evening.  Which takes awhile, what with hair and maybe makeup and all... So we had an intermission.  Lost all momentum for me.  I believe this is kind of a movement in the Catholic Church, though -- the immersion during baptism.  I've been in several newer churches that have large pools with steps built into them for exactly this purpose.  And I guess it's pretty biblical, if you really think about it.    I think I'm just old school.  And it was 11:30 p.m.

There has been some knitting on the baby cardigan.  We have a front and we have a pocket.  So cute.

See how the cable splits for the pocket?  Love these details.

Construction wise, we've got more color on the walls and a new front door.  I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Monte matches the new color scheme.  I guess he can stay.

Flooding wise, thanks for all of your inquiries.  We are far, far away from any trouble.  There's a "Heights" in the name of my neighborhood for a reason -- we are up hill from nearly everything in St. Louis.  The folks who are suffering though?  They are suffering greatly.  Personally?  I wish cities wouldn't allow building in flood plains.  And this spring water has topped most of the 100 year flood plains anyway -- so.   Tough going all over. 

Finally, I do have a rant brewing.  It has to do with the Senator Obama race speech thing from last week.  It's along the lines of a previous rant wherein I wonder why it is that some of us can't be in the same room with folks with which we disagree.  This time, there's consternation over the Senator's continuing association with his  preacher.  Who said some pretty ugly things.  Well.  That's on him.  Gosh, if I had to be held to everything anyone's every said in my earshot... well, I guess I couldn't be President either.  Sheesh, people!  You know?  We can love people and disagree with them.   We can respect people and not take to heart every word they utter.  We can have opinions that don't necessarily jive with every opinion of everyone else in the room.  We can HEAR words and then take positions concerning them drawn from our own experiences, our own faith, and our own consciences!  Dangit!  If we don't do this, I'd put forth that therein lies the wrong doing!  If we surround ourselves with yes men and only those with whom we absolutely and totally agree?  WE END UP IN A WAR STARTED BECAUSE OF FALSEHOOD AND INNUENDO! 

Ahem.  Whew.  Well.  Rant over, I guess.

Progress

Knitting, spinning, and otherwise.

Knitting first. 

The astute among you will remember the Baby Surprise Jacket I was knitting.  For the baby born in January.  Um, right.  Well, I couldn't have given him anything but the flu in February.  And I didn't do much work on it anyway... Early this week, like when I couldn't sleep at night over the construction of our new mantel (pics to follow), I decided something.  With which many of you will likely disagree.  I think the BSJ is kind of knitterly.  As in knitters like it and like the idea of it and like the genius of it.  Knitters like how it shows off yarn.  We like the little decrease lines.  We like folding it and sewing it together.  Non-knitters?  Not so much.  They see a garter stitch jacket without much shaping.   Period.    Plus -- my stitch count is off somehow and I can't figure it out!   So, I'll work on that  and wait for a knitter to have a wee one.

Plan B.  Begun at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

It's the King Cole cabled baby jacket I made for my nephew a year and a half ago.  The yarn is Dream in Color Classy Worsted in the Strange Forest colorway.  Weird color for a baby?  I guess -- but this jacket is a size 2 (which is apparently the next size up from a 2T... whatever).  Perfect color for a little boy digging in the rocks at the playground, I think.  And it's superwash.  Cha ching!   Hopefully he'll be able to get a few season's wear out of it too.  Roll it up when you're one and perfect when you're two.  I'm crossing my fingers.

Spinning?

   

I plied singles spun from roving from Hello Yarn's Roving of the Month club (January, I think) with singles from roving from Sakeena via The Loopy Ewe.  About 4 oz. each I think.   I got heavy worsted yarn that shades through light and dark greens, yellow green,  salmon, and pink.   As you can see, when the yellow green and the salmon get plied together, the yarn reads orange.  Kinda crazy, kinda fun.  I love it.  Of course, the scarf is the ubiquitous Irish Hiking Scarf -- Hello Yarn again.    And it is soft and heavy and warm.  Yum.

Otherwise?

The construction continues.  We are in the home stretch... begun January 14th, supposed to end by the 30th of March.  I'll be surprised if they make that deadline, but we can all hope, can't we?  What kept me up?  The mantle that you see bears only passing resemblance to the carpenter's first try at it...  which I thought looked more like a prop.  Here, you look:

 

Hmm.  Well, here in the pictures there isn't a ton of difference.  In person?  The legs on the first one (on the right) were spindly and it didn't sit far enough off of the wall.  So I had them re build it.  Which was a hard thing for me -- I'm not big on confrontation. 

But I'm much happier now.

My favorite things about this project so far?

The slate in the fireplace and at the front door, the new wood floors, and the fact that we closed up an opening leading to our room (much quieter back there now).
 

The Top Ten Reasons I Haven't been Blogging

10.  I have too much laundryshoppingcleaningknittinghomeworkhelpingworking to do to stop and blog.

9.  Notice that spinning isn't in number ten?  It gets a slot all to itself.  I've ordered roving from the Loopy Ewe, Hello Yarn, Funky Eclectic, and Crown Mountain Farms.  On top of the Dyeabolical rovings I have.  They all CALL me from the other room.  Can't you hear them?  spin me! no me! ply me with that other one!  we all want your attention! 

8.  Construction is ongoing.  And while the men who arrive at my house every morning at 6:30 a.m. are not holding me hostage and away from my computer, their presence messes with my routines and those of the dogs and the kids and the husband. 

7.  My knitting has been minimal -- no progress, in fact reverse progress on the second iteration of the Kauni Cardigan.  I did do an Irish Hiking scarf for me out of my handspun.  I periodically pick up an old sock and work on it.  And Cecily's lace.   But not a whole heckofalot else.

6.  It's Lent.  And while I've been busy with baking and singing for Fish Fry Fridays as in past years,  I've knit nothing for charity.  A few things for others, but nothing for the less fortunate.  I'm a bad person.  Really bad.  That's hanging over my head but... well, watch the rest of the list.

5.  It's Winter.  Like a real winter.  Which we haven't had here in St. Louis for years.  Snow and ice and snow days with kids home and wet outdoor stuff and mud on the breezeway floor.  Five snow days I think since we've started construction in January.  Not only are kids home periodically, but man alive, I'm totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING.  I've never thought of myself as someone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder, but whew!  Since the time changed on Sunday,  I've  reorganized my stash, cleaned our room and closets,  and daughter's room (no small feat -- an season's worth of books, magazines, whatever... and a fine layer of construction dust.) 

4.  I've been working.  Not a lot, just two or three days a week, but when I'm there it's BUSY.  The recession that all of the news outlets have been going on about ad nauseum (ever heard of a self fulfilling prophesy?) has not hit our yarn shop.  Or architecture for that matter (hubby's busier than he's ever been, but don't tell anyone I told you).  I think the banking industry and home builders in this country behaved abominably over the past 10 or so years, raking in record profits and loaning irresponsibly.  The situation in these two industries and the numbers tied to them, coupled with gas prices are leading to alarmist behavior in the media.  I read a piece in the Wall Street Journal saying just that.  That there are many sectors of the economy that are doing really well -- home rehab, nesting stuff, entertainment and technology for instance.  So there.

3.  I was really sick.  Like as sick as I've been in my adult life.  With the flu.  Weak as a kitten.  Still have a little upper respiratory stiff even after 4 weeks.  I did not get a flu shot.  But plenty of folks did and got it none the less.  Dear Son missed 5 days of school.  I missed singing at two Friday Fish Fries and I missed a week's worth of work.  Sick, sick, sick.

2.  I don't have a camera that works.  And I really like to put pictures up on the blog.  I'm a visual person that way.  I've tried to buy one, but one place I went was out of the cameras I wanted and anyway the guy waved me off saying there was going to be some big news/new technology in cameras.  The other place said that people who had gotten tax rebate checks had bought all the cameras I wanted.  Rrright.  Things are crazy all over.  Really.

And the number one reason I haven't been blogging?  Well,  I never bought any Mystical Creations Yarn (The first is a blog with links to some crazy customer service stuff, the second is a Ravelry specific link, sorry)  So I figured no one wanted to read or talk about anything I had to say anyway. 

Seriously, folks.  Is that some crazy stuff or what?  First, I'm really glad I never mis-dyed yarn and tried to sell it to any of you all.  'Cause you people are some crazy internet stalkers when it comes to yarn acquisition scorned.   Second, I love me a good internet car wreck.

So.  Where to now?  To talk to my contractors.  To try and buy a camera.  To choose curtains and furniture as I gave away most of the furniture that was in the front two rooms.  To work.