Random Stories and Thoughts

When I was first learning to drive the Drivers Ed teachers would take us to this one stretch of road that had a round-about so we could learn how to handle that type of intersection. I don't know how, but it got nicknamed "Suicide Circle" amongst all the students. After my one time encounter with SC I basically avoided that stretch of road. The next time I would drive it would be almost a decade later. As I made my way around SC I laughed because I recalled the silliness associated with the whole experience back in high school. However, regardless of how comfortable I feel with SC now I still think about the days of yesteryear.

Last night was the perfect example. Bostonian is in town and I agreed to travel to the old hood since B had come out to me the past two times we hung out. I happened to take the path that included encountering the dreaded circle. As I approached, the memories came flooding back as they always do. This time I wasn't stressing out about how to handle the round-about. All I cared about was that I choose the right street to turn on to as the signs aren't the most clear around that area. Thankfully, I had no problems. Now if I had just had as easy of a time finding our intended meeting place.

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Though it's only been more than a month since Summer officially started so much has happened, including the return to the hood of an old friend and their family and Bostonian's upcoming return. Though I know I won't see either of these friends on a regular basis, it's nice to know they are just a car ride away - no planes involved! For awhile it seemed like all my friends were moving out-of-state and now it seems like that is all changing. It seems like people are migrating back all of the sudden. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Actually it's kind of ironic as I've been seriously considering a relocation of my own. Nothing is written in stone, but it's being taken into serious consideration. So much so that I've told my mom about the possibility. She's never been super keen on the idea of me moving away, again, but she has been very supportive of my recent relocation considerations. I guess I'll just have to see what happens. If I do it, I don't anticipate it being anytime soon. Then again, anything is possible.

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Road Construction Anyone?

In the past three week it has become apparent to me there are very few roads that don't have some sort of road construction taking place. I guess the stimulus funds have filtered through the system and into the pockets of the municipalities. Though I know it's a good thing, it would be nice to have some construction free roads. Interestingly enough, the Fed is apparently looking into how the states are actually spending the funds that were intended for bridge repair. They feel that most states are taking that money and using it for easier project - such as street repairs. Hmmm. . .

What boggles my mind the most is that the one stretch of road in my area that needs repair most isn't being worked on. I'm talking this is pot-hole city and I find myself avoiding the road at all cost. I'd rather use a bit more gas and take a longer route in an effort to avoid the road than damage my rotors by exposing them to this mess.

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Botaxes

I heard on the radio that the government is looking at taxing plastic surgeries as a revenue source for the President's health care package. I'm not necessarily opposed to this, but I start to wonder if this will cause individuals to seek physicians who will agree to document some of these procedures as medically necessary just so they can avoid such taxes.

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"So Long As Our Love Endures."

Apparently, "So long as our love endures" is becoming more popular in wedding vows than "Until death do us part." When I heard this so many different things come to mind I wouldn't even know where to begin.

It's NOT the End of the World As We Know It

On my 30th birthday I cried for something like 5 seconds (at most).

I actually remember it as if it were yesterday. After I finished, I was asked why I was upset. The only answer I could come up with was "I'm 30." As if my world was coming to an end at that very moment. Obviously, my world didn't come to an end and I have thus far enjoyed my 30's - believe it or not.

I think about that moment periodically. The last time it came up was a few months ago when I was having a conversation with some friends about goals we set out to accomplished by the age of 30, the sacrifices we had to make to achieve those goals and pondered why the hell we were in such a rush. Personally, I had two major goals. And, as I had set out to, I accomplished both by my 30th birthday. Actually, to be exact, I finished the second one three months shy of my birthday. Looking back, I now believe, the reason I cried that night had nothing to do with the fact I was 30 or even that I was a year older. It had to do with the fact that for the first time in four years I had no goals to strive towards. Not even a small goal. It was a truly bizarre feeling.

Now, three and a half years later I have a few long term, major, goals, but I'm not rushing to accomplish them by a certain age. I'll let them sit and develop a bit. I know that when the time is right I will tackle them head-on. In the meantime, I've started working on some short term goals that I'm more than happy to focus on.

The "big" lessons out of all of this:

• Being in your thirties is not the end of the world. Hell! Getting older isn't the end of the world.
• You're only as old as you feel - with more maturity (at least in most cases).
  
• Having goals is a good thing, but give them the time they deserve is important.

And most importantly. . .

• Enjoy the ride while you're working towards accomplishing your goals. The time goes by quicker than you think.
  

Until later . . .

Alternate Universe

• I enjoyed my alternate universe while it lasted.

• Don't compliment someone if it's going to be a half-ass one.

• "Technical Resources" = Bandwidth

• Be careful what you promise.

• There is a plan - I just don't know what it is at this moment.

• I'm more girly than it might appear.

• Cultivating young talent is important.

• I always wanted to be one of the "cool kids." Now, not so much.

• They're kind of like the paparazzi... There are times you need them to accomplish the task at hand, but most of the time you just want them to go away.

• The feature really does work - woohoo!

• Fire. Tooth. Pony.

• I hope they didn't need the table.

• (719): "Put down the boy n walk away."

• Great! Another addiction.

It's Also A Head Cover

Blankie had a great growth spurt than last week. It finally surpassed 40 - woohoo! Amongst the new yarns that grace this project, I was special enough to get two unique colorway made by two special artists. The names of the colorways are "Fire" and "Sam Lost A Tooth." I LOVE both of them. I can't wait to see what other colors are created by these talented individuals.

As I had anticipated, I'm starting to collect stories behind the squares. When I showed my mom the blankie this weekend she started point out which were her socks. I've been trying to keep things in patches if multiple colorways are connected in so way. For instance, mom's socks, yarn used on my socks, yarn given to me by specific friends, etc. I fully anticipate to have 736 squares worth of stories once this project is completed.

With that in mind. . . .

The Official Sock Yarn Blankie Square Count for July 28, 2009:

Squares Needed: 736

Squares Knit and Stitched Together: 44 (5 more square than last week.)

Squares Ready to be Added: 1

Remaining Squares Needed: LOTS! In real numbers 691


I've decided the sock yarn blankie as progressed from a sock yarn laptop cover to a sock yarn head cover. I anticipate it will soon grow to be a sock yarn ottoman cover. It's almost as long as my ottoman and it's half the width. I'm participating in my first swap so in the next couple of weeks it will for sure grow greatly!

Until later . . .

Possibility

Possibility.

This word greatly defines my world these days. There are so many things that are up in the air right now. Being the impatient person I am I want the answers to all these unknowns - and I want them NOW.

With all these things in flux, there is a part of me that is excited to see the outcome and a part of me that is scared. I like to believe that the good will override the bad; however, I know if the bad should come to pass I will be able to handle it and make do. I think if anything this is a test of my patience and faith. Not that my patience and faith haven't been tested before. This time is different because of the place I'm in.

I've always believed in the idea that things work out as they are suppose too, but to that same accord there has always been a side to me that tried to control the uncontrollable aspects of life. Over the past 6 months I've learned to accept I can't necessarily control everything and have stopped worrying about the uncontrollable factors. Instead, I've worked on those things I can control.

So here I am, waiting with very little knowledge. The knowledge I do have will be very important to my future. This includes the fact that I know I eventually won't be following the career path I have been on over the past 7 years. No, the change won't be tomorrow or a few months from now, but there is a change lingering in the distance. I can even see it taking place right now with the projects I'm currently working on. They are starting to take focus in a different area outside what would traditionally be the expertise of someone in my field. Honestly, I'm glad the powers that be recognize that my interests reside in a different area and are beginning to take me down that new path. A path I know I have talked about for some time, but not taken myself down purposely.

So, I guess at the end of the day I just need to take a chill pill, relax and enjoy the ride ahead of me. As I look back over the last year, I recognize there are things I've done that I wouldn't have ever imagined so I know that anything is possible.

There is however one thing I would like to know . . . has anyone found that decoder ring yet? It would be nice to at least get a little bit of a glimpse!

Until later . . .

Because I'm A PRI/NPR Nerd

If you're as big of a fan of This American Life (and Stephen Colbert) as I am you'll love this. Yes, it's back from April, but still funny as hell!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Ira Glass
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Mark Sanford

Hiding

I call it "hiding."

A friend of mine calls it "going into the closet." Whether it's hiding or the closest it's the same thing. It's a time when you feel so bad about yourself and what's going on in your life that you want little or no contact with the world around you.

My hiding place is my home. That is where I retreat to for salvation and where I spent a good majority of time in the early months of 2008 as my world came crumbling down around me.

Aside from home, there were only three other places I went on a regular basis. Work, the grocery store and to my brother and sil's house. From time-to-time I ventured out with friends, but I really didn't have the energy or the drive to be social. Aside from my family and attorney I limited my one-on-one interaction with the outside world greatly. Work was the toughest place to avoid people. I tried to figure out a way to not talk or have to interaction with others there, but had no such luck. This mainly stemmed from the fear of the three words I knew would be set forth upon me once my coworkers saw the despair on my face and the 20+ pounds that had left my body overnight - "Are you ok?"

“UGH! Do I look ok!?” I would immediately think to myself.

Since I didn't want to lie and just tell them I was fine I would often avoid answering this question by changing the subject as quickly as possible. I got really good at this. (Go me!)

During this period of hiding I was also struggling with a horrible case of insomnia. I slept in three hour intervals sometimes spaced out as long as 10 hours apart. This made my tendency to hide even greater than it had already been. After work, all I did after was go home, eat, sleep and then get up 3 hours later only to try to find a way to get back to sleep as quickly as possible. It was a vicious cycle.

As fate would have it, during a trip to Boston I would be provided the catalyst to the beginning of the end of my "hiding" tendencies. The fateful event would play out in the wee-early hours of the morning as Bostonian and I made our way back from a night of beer, pizza and playing dominoes with B's friends. A story that was just meant to explain how B had met the folks we had just hung out with would have even a greater impact than expected. I still think about this moment periodically. As cheesy as it sounds, it was my “ah ha” moment. That story struck a nerve so deep in my soul that in a flash I began to turn the corner I so desperately needed (wanted) to turn. From that moment forward, all signs in the tunnel I was in read "This way to the land of the living." I happily followed the signs and ran ahead as fast as I could.

That’s when I joined my first knitting group. I wasn't 100% sure I was ready to rejoin the world, but I dove right in anyhow. This time, the questions I dreaded didn't have to do with how I was. The questions I feared most dealt with my life story. I knew my verbal filter was still broken from the ordeal I was going through (that's another reason I hid) and I feared my ramblings about everything that had been going on might be a potential turnoff. Actually, it did turnoff some people, but on that same token it also connected me with new friendships as well. The best part of all this was after I was finished with my ramblings these nice new people would start talking to me about knitting and I'd forget about all the other stuff - at least for an hour or two - which was a welcomed relief. Not too long after that I stopped hiding; or at least I stopped hiding as often as I had been.

These days I still retreat to my hiding place from time-to-time, but nowhere close to as often as "back then" and not because I feel horrible about myself or my life. These days it’s sometimes necessary for me to disconnect from the world in an effort to center myself again – even if it’s just a little bit.

Last weekend at Fiber Festival I overheard someone say, "Knitting saved me and helped me through the toughest times in my life." I immediately turned my head and said, "You too!?" This didn't come as a shock that someone felt the same way and I'm sure we have somewhat similar stories, but very few actually verbalize it. It's a scary thing to admit. At least I think it is. No one wants to admit the bad stuff - especially publicly.

At the end of the day it is my hope that those currently seeking salvation in their own hiding places will soon emerge to discover that the world does miss them and wants them back.

Until later . . .

Get Your Groove On!

I just think this was an awesome idea! Kudos to this couple!!!

A Recap

It's amazing the difference a week, and some good sleep, can make. Last week was such a drain on me. I think part of it was all the things that were weighing on my mind. I was waiting for medical test results to come back, there were two mile-marker dates and the hot and cold weather we've been having is still messing with my system. And that was in addition to all the normal day-to-day stuff. When all said and done the medical test results were fine, the mile-markers came and went and this weather is still messed up so I guess it is what it is.

I was fortunate enough to have yarn grace my mailbox on multiple occasions last week, but I have admit it wasn't until Thursday's shipment that I truly got happy about it.

A few more thoughts have crept up in my mind since Wednesday's post:

• I'm always afraid I'm going to hit the mailbox.

• I like my definition of "Fashionably Late."

• Kermit the Frog has a special place where he can observe all.

• I thought I had gotten past the ten o'clock snack phase, but I guess not.

• Part of me wants too and the other part of me doesn't want too. I wish this was just one of those things I could just flip a coin on and be done with it!

• "I don't know. We're not exactly BFF's so I don't feel like I can ping her and ask. :P"

This coming weekend will be busy - and fun! Hopefully I can find some time to knit as I haven't been doing a lot of that this week. I did, however, find time this week to start the July shipment of my sock club. I loved the yarn and the pattern so much I am skipping March and May. I'm sure I'll squeeze some knitting time into the weekend.

Until later. . .

Inside My Head

There are many, many, many thoughts floating around in my head these days . . . Here's a "Knitters Dozen" worth:

• I'm all about being a geek these days.

• "I have administrator rights!? Gee, I didn't realize I was THAT special."

• Extended Spring - I love it!

• Must remember that placing a glass plate directly on a heat source will cause it to crack and break once it's taken off and placed in a cool environment. Good thing it only cost me a $1.50.

• Sleep is a beautiful thing and I would like more of it.

• Procrastination. Procrastination. Procrastination.

• It's truly amazing he walked away alive given that the car flipped over like it did.

• No news is good news.

• Nicknames are fun.

• I appreciate others openly admitting it's an awkward situation.

• I didn't realize that so much happened in just a few days. I guess you truly find out when you recap it all.

• Pot boiling - this time literally and figuratively.

• You know you both want to talk to each other again so why don't you stop playing games and just do it.

• Even though you don't read my blog - Belated birthday wishes to Bostonian! I think Europe is a great place to be to celebrate!

Until later . . .

Gettin' Close To 40

My Sock Yarn Blankie is getting close to 40 squares. Not as big of a growth spurt as I had a week or two ago, but it's still a growth spurt. Right now I consider this project a Sock Yarn Laptop Cover because that is about all it really covers right now.

The Official Sock Yarn Blankie Square Count for July 21, 2009:

Squares Needed: 736

Squares Knit and Stitched Together: 39 (3 more square than last week.)

Squares Ready to be Added: 0

Remaining Squares Needed: LOTS! In real numbers 697

Other projects that I've been working on include my socks for my coworker's daughter's birthday and a scarf for one of my mom's coworkers who helped me out a lot last year.

For the socks, affectionately known as the Sweet Sixteen sock I have used bare yarn which I will be tye dyeing. Currently they are in an undyed state as you can see in the picture below:

One of the challenges I had with this project is the size of the socks. They are size 8 which is about a size and a half larger than my foot size. Before I grafted the toe I wanted to make sure they would fit properly so I turned to my knitting peeps. Let me tell you, I don't know that many people with size 8 feet. However, alas, I did find someone with the right shoe size and who was willing to try them on for me! They fit perfectly! WooHoo! This coming weekend I will be tie dyeing these with the supervision of thistlechick who has dyed yarn before. We will definitely be doing some test tie dyeing prior to touching the socks. I would HATE to mess them up and have to start over. Especially since the birthday is just around the corner.

The scarf I'm making is the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf which I've made for myself and my mom. My scarf is made from the leftover DK yarn I used for my first pair of socks and my mom's from a beautiful lace I bought at Stitches last September. This scarf is being made using the yarn I featured for my blog contest. I was very fortunate to have gotten the extra hank of yarn and I wanted to do something special with it for someone special. One of the suggestions posted to my blog was the Drop Stitch Scarf. That's when it all came together. I had not properly thanked my mom's coworker for two major things she did for me last year and thought this would be the perfect thank you. Also, she's a knitter as well so I'm sure she'll appreciate it even more! Below is a picture of what I have so far:

With those two projects in the works, I'm starting to look ahead at other projects. Of course there are always socks to be made, but I also need to get back to baby blanket making as two of my friends are expecting this coming Fall. I also have a friend who would like for me to make them some scarfs so I have that coming up as well. Then, of course, there is holiday knitting. Lots of fun times ahead!

Last, but never least I want to send belated Happy Birthday wishes to BFF... I'm glad you had a good one!

Until later . . .

You Don't Know Until You Get There

For awhile now I've been trying to make up my mind about something I was fairly sure about. I'm talking I was 99% sure I'd take a certain course of action, but when the time finally came to actually go ahead and do it my decision was completely different. Go figure!

I probably knew subconsciously that I wouldn't attend the hearing as I was planning on doing all this time, but I was so intent on it. When it was finally time to go yesterday I looked in the mirror and I just knew. I knew that everyone else was right - there was no reason for me to be there. Maybe it just took getting to that place in time; when push came to shove to realize that I no longer felt the need to do what I so strongly felt I needed to do all those months ago.

I guess you really don't know how you're really going to act until you get there.

Until later . . .

A Knitters Dozen Worth Of Thoughts

• Everyone was right and I was wrong - at least on this particular matter.

• The yarn g-ds seem to know just the right time for yarn to show up in my mailbox.

• Burrr...

• Who knew popcorn could cause a building evacuation.

• Three seems like such a small number, but these days it seems to make a big difference.

• Five months is a long time to go between hair cuts.

• Take a leap of faith.

• How could my gut go on vacation at a time like this? I still haven't made a decision.

• Figures now that I'm 100% back to my natural hair color I want to change it again.

• The pot boils at the least expected moments.

• Dare to dream AND do something about it!

• "Seriously!? You want me to pay you back with yarn for the take 'n' bake pizza you picked up for me?"

• I didn't know I was lost until I found myself.

• Imitation is the sincerest form for flattery.

Until later . . .

Short and Sweet

Short and Sweet

This post is gonna be a short one. . .

This past week I discovered I was about 20 square off on my final count for the Sock Yarn Blankie. So instead of 716 squares I really need 736 squares to make it as long and wide as Shelly Kang's original blanket. However, I want to large enough to fit my bed which means I'm going to have to make mine bigger than hers which is, per her blog post - 53" X 72.5", or 134 X 184 cm (diamond point to diamond point.) I want mine to be 76" x 80". YIKES! This is why I refuse to measure it right now. I don't want to think about how much more I really have to go. Otherwise it won't be fun anymore. And yes, I now know what my retirement money will be spent on - scrap sock yarn!

With all that in mind, here is my Sock Blankie update . . .


The Official Sock Yarn Blankie Square Count for July 14, 2009:

Squares Needed: 736

Squares Knit and Stitched Together: 36 (8 more square than last week.)

Squares Ready to be Added: 0

Remaining Squares Needed: LOTS! In real numbers 700

I started the sock affectionately now known as the "Sweet Sixteen Socks" Sunday and am 3/4 done with the first one. I guess it helps that they are anklets. I'm really excited to see them turning out so well. It will just be a matter of time before they are completely finished.

Ok, so maybe this post isn't as "short and sweet" as I thought it would. However, that's all I have for now.

Until later . . .

What Were They Thinking?

Today I picked up a friend at Chicago's Midway Airport. It was only my second time at this particular airport as when I fly I usually depart from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. On both occasion, as I approached the airport I have thought to myself, "What were they thinking putting an airport in the middle of a neighborhood?" If you've been there before you know what I'm talking about. If not, literally you're driving along and it looks like a regular neighborhood - you've got homes up and down the side streets, chain fast food restaurants and the local transit system running its regular routes. Then all the sudden out of nowhere - BANG - there are blue informational signs directing you to economy extended parking, the terminal and the terminal parking garage and the departure and arrival unloading/loading zones. It honestly looks like someone looked around the hood and decided it needed an airport so they just dropped one in for kicks.

Up until a few hours ago, I wasn't aware of Midway's history. Apparently it started its operations in 1923 under the name of Chicago Municipal Airport and was officially dedicated in 1927 by then Mayor William H. Thompson. Hmmm. . . my theory that the Daley clan had something to do with its existence was wrong. However, as I read on, it was the City of Chicago's current Mayor Richard M. Daley who did ok the expansion projec,t or "Midway Airport Terminal Development Program" as it is referred to, in 1996. (Phew! And here I thought the Daleys would not have some sort of accountability in this absurdity.)

Getting back to its history . . . Like anything else, over time the airport began to grow and in 1941 it joined the World War II efforts because it could offer lengthy runways. In 1949, the airport was officially renamed "Chicago Midway" in honor of the WW II Battle of Midway - not after Midway Airlines which would later take up residence there.

After reading all about its history, I have to guess it was the neighborhood that grew up around Midway and not the other way around. So, instead of asking why did they put an airport in the middle of a neighborhood I have to ask, why did they let the neighborhood grow so close to the airport?

My newly found reason for the marriage of this airport and its surrounding neighborhood doesn't make the experience of going to Midway any less entertaining. Even though I know the true history it won't make it any less funny in my eyes and I will always get a chuckle or two out of it as well.

Until later . . .

Purple Suede Elephant

I have this annoying habit of being that person who calls attention to the "purple suede elephant" in the middle of a room that no one wants to acknowledge. Personally, I don't find this annoying as I'd prefer better understand the things that don't make sense to me rather than just accept the status quo. Also, when I asked about the PSE I do so in a respectful manner - I don't want to cause any additional friction then there may already be. However, as I just mentioned, these questions can potentially lead to friction and backlash.

It is actually my current boss who has taught me to be direct with people when it comes to the questions I want to ask of others. Instead of trying to get an answer in a round-about manner it makes most sense to just be up front. Funny how that "open communication" approach thing works - isn't it. To this same accord, it's also had an effect on how I answer questions. Rather than avoid an uncomfortable question I face them head on.

That's all I really have to say on this topic. If there is any point to this entry it's just don't be afraid to ask about the things that don't make sense to you - chances are someone else has the same questions but is too afraid to ask themselves.

Until later . . .

It All Started With Fingerless Gloves

I still laugh when I look at my first blog post. I was so proud of the fact that I was using DPNs and I was determined to make those fingerless gloves. Yeah. . . that didn't turnout so well. The DPNs were super foreign to me as I had only used straight needles up to that point. This was understandable given the fact that up to that point all I had ever knit was baby blankets and scarfs. My addiction to socks was several months in the future and I'd crank-out a hat - or two - before tackling the scary world of socks. Back then, this blog was strictly knitting. Straying off topic was just as forbidden as was working on two projects at one time. No cheating allowed!

365 days and 232 posts later that has all changed. DPNs are the only type of needles I seem to use these days, straying off topic is a given and I not only have opened up to the idea of cheating on my knitting, I've even tried to do so at one point. Most importantly, I've enjoyed it all immensely.

This blog has taught me a lot about myself, people and technology. The first year of blogging has given me the opportunity to be creative in a way that I had never done before. It has also opened my eyes of to a million more different things I want to learn more about.

Over this next year it's my hope that I can open up more about things going on in my life and not be as vague. This is something I've struggled with for many reasons and have come to realize that hiding can sometime cause more anguish and grief than necessary.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have had writing it. I look forward to sharing more of my adventures with you over this upcoming year.

Until later . . .

And The Winner Is . . .

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and provided a suggestion on what I should do with my extra yarn. They are all great suggestions and will have to look at every pattern carefully before I make a final decision. As soon as I make up my mind I will post it here on my blog.

In the meantime, a winner for my contest has been choosen by Random.org. The winner is: Needles54!

Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon to get your shipping information.

Again, thanks to everyone who posted a comment!

FAIL

Some mindless entertainment to round out the day. . .

This Happens Once Every Hundred Years. . .

TIME
12:34:56

DATE
7:08:09

Getting Creative

First things first - The Sock Yarn Blankie update . . .


The Official Sock Yarn Blankie Square Count for July 7, 2009:

Squares Needed: 716

Squares Knit and Stitched Together: 28

Squares Ready to be Added: 1

Remaining Squares Needed: 687

Yay! My blankie is making progress.

The one thing I like about this blankie project is that it's something to work on while I'm trying to decide on what project I'm going to work on next. This time it wasn't necessarily a matter of what; more a matter of getting the materials. My cowork Dom has a daughter whose birthday is coming up. As a favor to Dom I'm making a pair of sock. Well, not only the socks. I'm also dyeing the yarn for her. Expect, I'm going to dye the yarn after I make the socks as it's going to be tie dye yarn. My approach - knit the socks first, then dye the yarn. So, the mission was to get bare yarn. Instead of waiting for bare yarn to arrive from an online vendor, I was given a skeing from a friend and then I ordered a replacement skein. In the meantime, I wound the yarn. This required the ever so popular make-shift swift approach.



Usually I put the skein around the back handle of my rocking chair. However, I tried a different approach this time (left) I decided to flip it over and place the skein around the legs. However that didn't give the tension I needed to wind the yarn. So, I then used the table approach (right). That worked A LOT better.

Now, I know from recent experience that using less vibrant colors has a tendency to bore me. So, I'm really nervous about knitting bare yarn and then dyeing it. I guess time will tell how it all goes. The I have sock and dyeing done by the end of the month - should be interesting.

In the meantime, I have started to design two new patterns. One is sock specific. The other can be transferred from socks to blankets to scarfs. I'm really excited about it since it was randomly developed. I am currently using it to make a headband.

That's all for now as I'm tired.

Until later . . .

Economic Stimulus?

I in no way, shape or form want to disrespect the passing of Michael Jackson, but I have to wonder if MJ's passing will help stimulate the US economic stituation.

I was listening to one of the morning shows on the radio this morning and they were talking about the Michael Jackson tribute that will be taking place tomorrow in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. They were commenting on how quickly the event sold out and how tickets were already up on Ebay for $20K+. Oy Vey!

In a search of my own, old concert ticket stubs are going anywhere from $3 to more than $600. Autographed memorabilia will get you even more. Especially if it's from his Thriller days. (Or at least that was my observation.)

Amongst the more costly items I found on Ebay (with actual bids or offers):

• Michael Jackson Original Signed Artwork Sketch

• Michael Jackson Autographed Moonwalk Shoes

• Michael Jackson Autographed Black Fedora Felt Hat

Though I know this is all normal, and in death he will probably generate more earnings than he did over last years of his life, I just have to step back for a moment and shake my head that I even dare to believe that MJ's death will somehow help the US economy rebound from it's economic woos.

Lastly, I have to point out that the radio personalities this morning did suggest the conspiracy theory that MJ is really still alive and this is all a publicity stunt to kick off his long awaited concert. If that is the case. . . well, it makes me ill to even think a promoter would even stoop that low so I won't even go there.

Until later. . .

What A Tease!

On Friday I received a call at work from KP. She said her husband saw a "Going Out of Business" sign at one of our local yarn shops. "WTF!?" I thought. Then I instantly thought, "SALE!" KP told me she was going over there as soon as she had taken care of some things at home. "No fair!" I exclaimed, "I want to go play with yarn. Especially yarn that is on sale." Then I got to thinking, I know this store has weird hours, but I had a hard time believing they were going out of business. I suggested before KP waste gas to drive over there one of us calls to find out if we were being provided accurate information. Since I have no problem making such a call I decided it was time for a short break and I rang the store. The owner of the lys was surprised to hear that we had heard they were closing. Yeah, put nicely - KP's hubby was wrong. I can't believe he would do that to us. It was just a big tease!

Until later . . .

I Admit It; I'm A Contest Whore

I am a big fan of knitting related contests - I can't help myself. With my one year Blogiversary happening this Friday I thought it would be a good time to hold a contest of my own.


What I would like from you is help with a dilemma I'm currently having. Recently, I found a problem with the yarn pictured below . . .




So, I e-mailed the manufacture and they let me know that they were aware some skeins of yarn they used earlier in the year having problems. Since I had gotten this yarn within that time period it made sense that I had a problem with it. They told me they were happy to send me out another hank to replace it. When I asked where I should send the yarn I had, they told me to keep it and try to find a project I could use it on. Free yarn? VERY NICE!

Since then, I wound the yarn and have used it for a few Sock Yarn Blankie squares. Now that I've done that I'm stuck. I don't know what I should do with the rest. Especially considering I've gotten the replacement hank.

This is where you come in! To enter the contest I am asking you to leave a comment telling me what you think I should do with the remaining yarn. I'm guessing there is approximately 300 yards (give or take). In your comment please leave me information on how I can contact you - Rav user name, e-mail address, etc.

The contest is open from Monday, July 6th 12:01AM CST through Thursday, July 9th 11:59PM CST. On Friday, July 10th I will pick a winner using Random.org.

What's the prize you ask?
Two pairs of Addi Turbo Circular Needles.

Good Luck!

Until later . . .

Everything the Fourth of July Should Be!

Despite the crappy rain, the fourth was everything it should be - filled with the five
F's...

Family. . .

Friends. . .

Food. . .

Fun . . .



AND

Fireworks . . .



Until later . . .

Happy Independence Day!

The Tale of The Hit and Run Cake

And the moral of the story is: Nothing good happens after 10PM.

I admit it. I should have made the cake the night before. Or, I shouldn't have gone out that night knowing I had to make the cake. My bad! However, I can't change what I did do.

Before I get started with the actual story, here's the back story. . .

It all started when a group of us at work had decided we'd throw a little belated surprise birthday party during lunch this week for two of our coworkers. We were all going to bring something. I had the bright idea to bake a cake. I hadn't baked in a long time and happened to have a cake mix I had gotten awhile back at home and since I don't bake as much as I use to I figured why not - it would be easy to whip up. Someone would make brownies, another would get fruit, chips and for our "main course" White Castle. My boss had suggested those of us making items not wait until Monday to make the cake.

That was last Thursday.

Let's now fast forward to this past Monday . . .

What did I do? Yep! That's right, I waited until Monday.

Not only did I wait for Monday, I waited until 10PM on Monday evening to start making the cake. Now, I probably would have started sooner on the cake had I not hung out that evening with a friend, but I had been sick last week and felt the need to catch up on social time.

Sign #1:

So, it's Monday night and I got home close to 10PM knowing I still had to make this cake. No problem. I wasn't starting from scratch and I wasn't planning on going to sleep anytime soon. I got out the mix (which was already out of the box), eggs, water and oil. I plugged in my stand mixer and went to grab the mix box just to make sure I had everything I needed. There was no box to be found. I guess I had thrown out the box when I took the mix out of it. Good thing I had picked up an extra mix for the cake I would be making this coming weekend along with the icing before heading home.

Problem solved! I was still optimistic that this cake would turn out fantastic as my cakes do.

Sign #2:

I had all my ingredients together and I was ready to start mixing. First the mix went into the bowl. Then the water. Then the oil. Last would be the eggs. However, as I was cracking the last egg the shell decided it wanted to take a swim along with the yoke. Oy! That I would need to shift through the mixed mess to make sure little pieces of the shell hadn't made its way in.

That was a fun process, but at the end of the day that's what needed to be done.

Sign #3:

I heart my KitchenAid stand mixer so much. It does such a good job at really mixing everything up.

The next step of this cake catastrophe was to mix everything up. No big deal. That's what my stand is for. I turned the mixer on and took care of a few things. Now keep in mind I was not formally keeping track of how long the mixer was actually going or how long I needed it to run and at what power level. It's past 10PM, I may be awake, but I'm starting to slow down for the day.

I turned the mixer off. Unfastened the bowl from the stand and proceeded to pour the batter into the pan. That's when I saw it. Not all the of the mix had gotten mixed in with the other ingredients. Ugh! So I decided to not pour that portion into the pan.


Sign #4:

The oven was preheated and ready to do its magic. Thirty minutes later, my beautiful cake emerged from the oven. Though I wanted to immediately frost this puppy and call it an evening at this point I knew I had to let the cake cool before any frosting could be applied. This is where things totally fell apart. This is the point I should have decided to wake up extra early to finish out the process instead of believing I could do it all right then and there.

I let the cake cool down, or so I thought. I went to apply the yummy chocolate butter cream frosting only to find it was clumping. What? Ugh! The end result? What I now affectionately call "The Hit and Run Cake."

As I said at the beginning, the moral of the story is: Nothing good happens after 10PM - at least when it comes to baking a cake.

Until later . . .

Bullet Points

I seem to have a thing for bullet points lately. So here are some things on my mind that could potentially pop-up in upcoming blog posts . . .

• Boy(s) will be boy(s) and that is the problem.

• Watch out for the hit and run cake.

• If you're damned if you do and damned if you don't - what do you do in the meantime?

• Free is my favorite four letter word, but when it's next to the word yarn that is even better!

• Special Agent Oso, the unique stuffed bear, what will you say next?

• Can we just let him R.I.P.?

• The worst they can say is, "No" and the best they can say is, "Free Yarn!"

• Yarn Storming - I LOVE it!

• I admit it; I'm a contest whore.

• Stop hiding!

• Wow, am I really doing this?!

• It's nice to know my advanced education wasn't a total waste.

• Sometimes you have to look back to see how far forward you've really come.

• Happy Birthday Simba!

Until later . . .