Spinning Athena

This space for rent.

2009-03-04T16:29:00.001-06:00

I'm done with this crap. The blog and I have moved. Join us at www.spinningathena.com. (That's right, I ponied up for a place of my own. Who's a big girl now?)

Slowly, but surely.

2009-03-02T15:34:00.001-06:00

28 things to do while I'm 28

1. Finish the wedding quilt.

2. Finish the triangle quilt.

3. Ride bikes with Justin.

4. Sew the grey and pink fleece coat.

5. Design and knit my Weasley sweater.

6. Make Elizabeth Zimmerman's modified yoke/raglan/whatever sweater.

7. ~~Sew another skirt. Maybe two.~~ 2/28/09 - It's super cute AND it fits perfectly.

8. Finish all 3 lingering UFOs (in the sidebar)

9. Knit a sweater for Justin.

10. Knit 20% of my yarn stash, including any new additions.

11. Spin 30% of my fiber stash, including any new additions.

12. Read all of the Anne of Green Gables books.

13. Take a cooking class.

14. Read the Chronicles of Narnia books.

15. Beat Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Gamecube.

16. Train Gracie to be a therapy dog.

17. Repaint the concession wall in the bedroom

18. Spin and knit a sweater.

19. Create a series (at least three pieces) of art quilts.

20. Finish the first draft of my story.

21. Complete the first cross stitch I ever started (8th grade?).

22. Complete and submit the first level of the Master Knitter's program.

23. Get new furniture for the family room.

23a. Do not kill Justin in the process of above.

24. Construct some sort of anti-squirrel contraption in the vegetable garden.

25. Take a long weekend vacation with Justin.

26.

27.

28.

By God, this might just work!

2009-02-27T09:09:00.001-06:00

So I still can't get into Blogger, but I can somehow post from my iGoogle homepage. I don't understand any of this. I'm trying to decide if I want to break free from Blogger and host my blog myself, but I'm pretty lazy and pretty cheap, and from the looks of it, hosting my own blog will take work and money. And that cuts into precious Sims time.

Gracie gets therapy

2009-02-25T11:09:00.002-06:00

Gracie is lonely. I know she is. She wants to play with other dogs, wants to romp and wrestle and tumble about. Our kitty-corner backyard neighbor has two dogs, Jack and Jack's Friend (we don't see the neighbor enough to ask his name, so he's just Jack's Friend). Jack and JF have been tussling in their backyard as of late, and Gracie sits in our yard and watches, pinned against the fence. She so desperately wants to join.

Justin says we can't get her a friend. And as much as I would love another Golden, dogs are expensive. We sometimes go to the dog park, but Gracie is much more interested in the people than the dogs.

A few months ago, I thought maybe getting Gracie into a therapy dog program would be a good idea. I had a hard time finding programs in our area, and I thought the training would be pretty lengthy. It turns out that another neighbor and her dog are part of a program, and they're always accepting new teams. The test seems pretty basic - stay, walk on a leash and be calm when meeting new people. So we're working on all of that. She came with me to work yesterday and she was just so good. She loves going to work, loves seeing everyone, loves all the pets. I once read that dogs were bred to do specific jobs, and now that they're all pretty much pets, they are lonely and unstimulated because they don't have to do anything. And since our vet seems to charge by the pound, Gracie totally needs a job.

Real! Life! Conversations!

2009-02-25T11:06:00.002-06:00

Me: (looking in the mirror) Man, I really have a lot of grey hair.
J: (in the shower) I have way more than you.
Me: Yeah, but my hair is dyed.
J: (after a lengthy pause) Our children are going to be Benjamin Button.

Hey, Blogger. SUCK IT.

2009-02-24T09:41:00.002-06:00

So I can't get into Blogger the normal way, you know, logging in and everything. I can get in through my cache at work, but I cleared my cache at home and now I'm screwed. I don't know what the deal is, but I'm pissed. And I would write them an e-mail, but you have to sign in to do that and I can't sign in. Ugh.

So, anyway, posting is sporadic. Not that I had anything to say. But I did finish three pairs of socks last week and made a 2% dent in the stash. So there's that.

Gracie Lou, Attorney at Law

2009-02-13T10:52:00.000-06:00

In addition to her babies, Gracie has rediscovered her love of Nylabones. She has a big one and a small one, the latter which is referred to as "Baby Bone," for she had it as a wee pup. Baby Bone lived in her crate for quite awhile, and since Gracie hates her crate, it was pretty much a death sentence for Baby Bone. Luckily, Penny LOVES Gracie's crate, Baby Bone was unearthed during Penny's last visit.

So G has been hard at work. There's a lot of bone-chewing going on in the house, and she likes to carry Baby Bone in her mouth like it's a cigar.

Since his daring escape from the crate, Baby Bone has been fashioned into a shiv. You could poke holes in leather with this thing. Gracie clearly has a friend in the pokey and is going to bake a cake with Baby Bone inside. And then they're going to steal a Camero, listen to Biggie and harrass phone company employees. (Gracie hates the phone company van. She's not the most observant gal - she doesn't even know the mail guy exists - so this is kind of a big thing.)

Last week, she was sharpening Baby Bone while she had Chuck the Beaver tucked under her paw. And wouldn't "Beaver, Bone and Shiv" be a great name for a law firm?

The point is in here. Promise.

2009-02-12T10:23:00.004-06:00

Gracie is running a home for disabled toys (or, as we refer to them, "babies"). She has a lot of babies. Dale (chipmunk) has a club foot, Cubbie Bear has an ear hanging on by a thread, and the rest of them are sprawled out on every available floor surface, playing dead. The only one in perfect condition is Chuck, the Ugliest Beaver in the World. Gracie loves Chuck. Chuck has replaced Cubbie Bear as Favorite Toy, and I would normally be worried about Chuck's future, but his scary little beaver face earns him no love from me. (We have reason to believe that Cubbie was responsible for the demise of Hedgie a few months back. Both were left at my parents' house, along with G's backpack, leash and collar. My parents shipped everything back to us, and a day or two later, Hedgie's arm came off. We think Cubbie roughed him up in the backpack. We had a lovely ceremony honoring Hedgie's short life, which culminated in a dignified burial in the kitchen trash can while Justin had Gracie look the other way.)

Gracie loves to leave her babies on the stairs, and we are forever telling her to pick them up. Gracie's a lot smarter than she seems, but she has not yet grasped the concept of picking up toys. So one of us has to pick up the offending baby and shove it in her mouth to make the stairs safe once more. Chuck was on the stairs this morning, and as much as I dislike his ugly beaver face, my last round on the stairs with Gracie ended in me in a cast. So I asked her to pick him up. And she's looking at me, looking at Chuck, walks down the steps right to wear he is and then keeps on going. So I go to him and try to give him to her and she's not having it. Her little face is all, "I hate that beaver! Stay away from me!" So I threw him down the stairs and OF COURSE she retrieves him.

(And here's the whole point of the story!) Justin's in the bathroom, which allows an unobstructed view of the stairs. (The stairs essentially go IN to the bathroom.) He's watched the whole scene and says, "Sometimes when we ask Gracie to do stuff, she looks like she's displaying a "404 Page Not Found" error."

And then I almost fell down the steps.

Stunning.

2009-02-06T16:24:00.001-06:00

You must watch this slideshow. There are two quilts in there that actually made me gasp. (Can you guess which ones? It was one right after the other.)

It's a good thing I have a lot of needles

2009-01-30T06:57:00.002-06:00

I have a wicked case of Startitis, which is a nice change from the wicked migraine I had for the past two days. I think it's gone, but you know it'll come back exactly at 12:01 this afternoon, after the doctor's office has closed.

Anyway, Startitis. Socks. I want to start lots and lots of socks. There isn't much on my WIP list that can be knit while engrossed in a TV show or movie, so I pulled out some Cherry Tree Hill and cast on for No Purl Monkeys last night. It was disappointing to discover that I had forgotten to log that particular skein in my stash inventory - every "forgotten" skein I add is a total blow to my stash self-confidence.

But don't think I gave up on the Fireside Jacket already. Oh no. I swatched this week and now I need to block the swatches and figure out how to make this thing fit me. I think it's going to be easier than I originally though, but the pattern doesn't have a schematic, so I'm not quite sure yet. I may have to draw my own schematic. That will not end well.

Real! Life! Conversations!

2009-01-29T14:24:00.001-06:00

Justin, to Gracie: "Would madame care to start with an appetizer? Perhaps peanut butter and prescription drugs?"

Allow myself to introduce...myself

2009-01-28T16:15:00.004-06:00

I love lists.

25 Things About Me You Probably Don't Want to Know, but I'm Waiting for Rates from a Sales Rep so Give Me a Break
1. I don't believe in dinosaurs. Argue with me all you want, but I don't.
2. But the fake animatronic ones are fine.
3. Justin wanted to name Gracie "Baz Jonkers." I considered calling off the wedding.
4. It's been seven years and saying the words, "I have depression," is still the hardest thing for me to do.
5. But if you say anything bad about people with depression, I will punch you in the face.
6. At home, we call it my "chemical imbalance."
7. I seriously think Gracie saved my life. I was in a bad way when she tottered into our lives. Of course, I cried for an entire week after we got her, but I blame that on newly-diagnosed IBS and getting married in three weeks. 2006 - The Year I Started Dreaming About Cheese! But anyway, back to Gracie. Words cannot describe how I feel about that dog.
8. I am obsessed with yarn, Harry Potter, The Sims, bread and crossword puzzles.
9. Although I classify myself as a Knitter with a capital K, I engage in all sorts of stitchery: crochet, cross-stitch, quilting, sewing, weaving and spinning my own yarn.
10. When the apocalypse comes and we all have to travel by covered wagon and live in "sod houses" dug out of the side of hills, you will be sorry you don't know how to do those things. And you will be naked.
11. Contrary to popular belief, Justin and I didn't "hook-up" while he was in another relationship. God knows I wanted to, but his morals are that strong.
12. I sometimes tell him I know how Mary Magdalene felt, being in love with a martyr and all.
13. I knew I was going to marry Justin the first time we kissed (June 3/4, 2001). It was, by far, the most romantic moment of my life.
14. Our first dance at our wedding was pretty romantic, too.
15. We talked about Gracie the whole time. We had been dancing in the kitchen in the weeks leading up to the wedding and she would play at our feet. We missed her.
16. My favorite memory of Abby is when all us 80s girls were walking along the river and she stepped on a corn cob and screamed, "OHMYGOD IT'S A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRD."
17. I can't eat cake like I used to.
18. I didn't know how to study until I met Julie, my freshman roommate. We would have Economics Story Time. "Once upon a time, I lived in a tree. And then I fell out and died."
19. I was not On The Bus. I didn't even know where the bus stop was. Justin? Totally On The Bus.
20. I don't enjoy history or classic literature because the parts of my brain designated for those subjects have been filled with *NSYNC trivia, lyrics to musicals and Cosby Show plots.
21. I was a National Merit Scholar. Justin was not. This comes up a lot in our marriage.
22. True story: I fell asleep during the PSAT. We had a show the night before (God's Favorite?) and a marching band competition that afternoon. So I would hurry to finish a section and then put my head down on the cafeteria table and sleep until the next section. I pretty much went to college for free because of that test.
23. I was boy-crazy my freshman year of college and I am sorry. I am also sorry I went on a date with a boy who was arrested for littering the following week.
24. I feel more like myself with each passing year.
25. I am terrified of my 10 year high school reunion.

28 Things and worries

2009-01-26T11:35:00.002-06:00

My poor Muffy. Gracie ripped her dewclaw off AGAIN yesterday. It's bad. She's in surgery now, getting it cut back. "Surgery" sounds bad, I know, they're not removing the entire claw - not now, at least - but they have to put her under and that's always scary. I'm antsy and angsty and every time the phone rings I think it's the vet. Also, I have caught Justin's respiratory illness. I'm enjoying the early stages and will hide under the covers sometime later this week.

Here's my list for my 28th year. There several things unfinished last year, but that's okay. The new stuff starts with #16, and as usual, I've left a few spaces so I can make more goals as the year goes on.

28 things to do while I'm 28

1. Finish the wedding quilt.

2. Finish the triangle quilt.

3. Ride bikes with Justin.

4. Sew the grey and pink fleece coat.

5. Design and knit my Weasley sweater.

6. Make Elizabeth Zimmerman's modified yoke/raglan/whatever sweater.

7. Sew another skirt. Maybe two.

8. Finish all 3 lingering UFOs (in the sidebar)

9. Knit a sweater for Justin.

10. Knit 20% of my yarn stash, including any new additions.

11. Spin 30% of my fiber stash, including any new additions.

12. Read all of the Anne of Green Gables books.

13. Take a cooking class.

14. Read the Chronicles of Narnia books.

15. Beat Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Gamecube.

16. Train Gracie to be a therapy dog.

17. Repaint the concession wall in the bedroom

18. Spin and knit a sweater.

19. Create a series (at least three pieces) of art quilts.

20. Finish the first draft of my story.

21. Complete the first cross stitch I ever started (7th grade).

22. Complete and submit the first level of the Master Knitter's program.

23. Get new furniture for the family room.

23a. Do not kill Justin in the process of above.

24. Construct some sort of anti-squirrel contraption in the vegetable garden.

25. Take a long weekend vacation with Justin.

26.

27.

28.

And in the 28th year, she had blue teeth

2009-01-22T16:39:00.004-06:00

It's my birthday! Happy birthday! Today I am 28, and I do indeed have blue teeth from a cookie-cake with blue icing. It is delicious. It's been a wonderful day, one that started out with lots of present opening at 6:30 a.m. and will end with gnocchi, new candles in the fireplace and my two homies, J and G. Justin is very ill - I think he has consumption or tuberculosis, maybe even cholera, so you can bet I'm not taking him anywhere near the Oregon Trail - and Gracie has been waking at 2 a.m. to party. She stares and stares and stares at us and then goes back to sleep by the humidifier. She entertains me to no end.

I haven't quite finished my 28 Things to Do in my 28th Year list, so instead, please enjoy this knitted awesomeness:

These are my Anemoi mittens, designed by the incomparable Eunny Jang. I knit these out of Koigu and they're very warm and lovely. Alas, this journey has yet again reinforced the fact that I think Koigu kind of sucks. I think it's something to do with the yarn sourcing, and maybe the Koigu I've used (which has, ahem, been marinating in the stash for quite a few years) isn't as good what's being put out there now. In any case, they're pretty. And my stash is 350 yards lighter.

See? Gracie loves them, too.

This could be a really bad idea

2009-01-15T14:33:00.003-06:00

In my efforts to knit down the stash, I'm going to try to crank out a few sweaters this year. I'm working forwards - revisiting yarns that were purchased years ago. I'm starting with Peace Fleece, which was one of my very first online yarn purchases. I was originally going to make a cardigan from Knitty, but I now know the unflattering dangers of drop-sleeves, so that idea was nixed.

At the same time, I've been obsessed with the Fireside Sweater for a few months. It's based on the white cabled sweater that Cameron Diaz wore in The Holiday. I generally don't ever endorse Cameron Diaz, but the sweater is pretty amazing. Amber, a fellow Raveler, designed a gorgeous jacket.

(I yoinked the picture from Amber - this is her finished jacket. Isn't it stunning? Do you not just want to wrap yourself in the wooly goodness?)

I had considered purchasing the yarn for this sweater a few months ago, but the size of the stash always stopped me. Luckily, I think the Peace Fleece will work. I washed it as soon as I got it (four years ago...), so it's already bloomed. And if I learned anything from Rogue, working with an already-bloomed yarn at the ball band recommended gauge is painful. I swatched (I know) and I think I'm at the correct four stitches per inch.

The pattern, lovely as it is, does not come in my size. So I'm going to attempt to upsize it. I've never done this with cables. This could be an enormous disaster. But it's worth a shot. I'm going to do my very best to take a lot of pictures and document this debacle for all of you. We can all laugh at my idiocy together.

Newflash: The State of the Stash

2009-01-13T07:35:00.000-06:00

The stash, she has grown.

The whole reorganization over the weekend unearthed some packages of yarn, mostly Silky Wool, which I've been hording for the apocalypse, apparently. I've never even knit with the stuff and I just can't seem to stop collecting it. In any case, I had to make some last-minute additions to the stash tally for the year.

I started 2008 with 91,044 yards. I finished 2008 with...102,729 yards (58 miles). That's a 12% increase in stash.

But before you get all judgey-judgey, realize that my stash has only been in true existence since 2004. So there was A LOT of stashing to get up to this point. Therefore, I feel 2008 has been somewhat of a success. Not exactly reaching my goal of knitting 20% of my yarn but, you know. I would also like to blame the mere existence of lace yarn for some of this increase. It's small, but mighty in yardage.

In other news, I can't bear to even look at the fiber stash. I'm a few days away from being able to spin again (I hope) and after I get a few good weeks in, we'll reassess.

Here's the new room:

(I call this one "Missouri Gothic," starring Bean Bunny and Gracie. Gracie insists on having her picture taken every time I lift the camera to my eye.)

Close-ups of the stash:

(There are sweater quantities-worth of yarn in those drawers. It's best for you not to look.)

In which I am completely horrified

2009-01-10T19:15:00.003-06:00

We're in the midst of reorganizing the craft room. I thought my stash and I were in a good place - I was feeling really good about all my yarn and didn't feel the need to bring anyone else into the relationship.

After moving my storage around (and bringing in some additional cubbies), I am completely horrified by the state of my stash.

I have many different kinds of stash. There's the yarn stash, which is what I primarily think of when I think about my stash. I have everything organized so I can pretty much see all the yarn, so I'm familiar with it, I know what's in it and I have definite ideas of the resulting knits.

The goal of this reorganization was to put my fabric and fiber stashes on display, too. And now I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the times I bought fabric with no idea what I was going to make. I'm sorry for the fat quarters and the scraps I've been saving. I'm sorry for the piece of brown and gold fabric I've been carrying around since college. I'm sorry for being in a stupid cast most of the summer and the past month, unable to spin the mounds of wool neatly cataloged in little plastic bags. I'M SORRY.

But I am so, so very glad for Justin, who has graciously canceled our movie plans for the evening (one he wanted to see) and is instead pushing me to finish. He's done the heavy lifting, the vaccuming, the walking up and down the stairs, the book organization - really, he's the mastermind behind all of this and without him I would still be lying in a pile of yarn and fabric and wool, too overwhelmed to do anything but cry.

Where I went

2009-01-09T21:44:00.001-06:00

Justin and I both had the pleasure of hosting the stomach flu at our home over the holidays. He had it on Christmas Eve and I swear to you, I have never seen him so sick in my life. He sees me sick all the time, because having IBS pretty much means you're sick all the time and it becomes normal and everyone stops caring and then you become the boy who cried wolf, but him being sick was a pretty big deal. Even Gracie was worried about him. He recovered enough to open his presents on Christmas day and even had Christmas dinner, but didn't feel quite right until Sunday.

And that's when I got it. His family was visiting (mine had just left), and I spent a good part of the day lying on the bathroom floor. I stayed home from work on Monday, went to work on Tuesday (I shouldn't have, but I couldn't sleep and what the hell else was I going to do?) and on Wednesday at 1 a.m., I was back in the trenches. BADLY. I think I took three baths that night and read half of Circle of Friends. I staggered up to the bedroom at 7 a.m., crying for my mom, waking up Justin. He had no idea I'd been gone. He got me back into bed in the guest room and I finally fell asleep around 8:00.

So we didn't go out for NYE. And it sucked, because it was the first year in maybe four years that we had actual plans and I was so looking forward to it and I was probably even going to wear nice pants. But I was finally able to sleep and I began my aforementioned love affair with Propel and goldfish crackers, so it wasn't a total loss.

This was the first time we'd both been sick at the same time, like actually sick, not just a cold. And it reminded me of yet another reason why being married is awesome: you can totally talk about gross things, like how you are now peeing out of your butt and everything hurts and everything coming out is bright orange and was yours like that? It's very comforting.

Things I am currently obsessed with

2009-01-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

In no particular order:
1. Trying to get the craft room organized. And by "trying," I mean thinking about it but not taking any action.
2. The Sims 2. My in-laws gave it to me for Christmas and now their son hardly ever sees me. (No, that's not true - he just knows where to find me.) I've already killed one, a young one who had just moved out of his dad's house, because he was both exhausted and very, very hungry. The Grim Reaper came to his bachelor pad, killed him and then used the toilet. No joke.
3. Twilight. I don't want to be obsessed with it, but I am. Sorry, kids.
4. Propel and goldfish crackers.
5. Algerian Patience

Secrets, secrets are so fun

2009-01-07T15:51:00.000-06:00

I am SO BAD at taking pictures of my FOs, but I did manage to snag the biggest FO of the year: Chuck B's sweater. (I don't know what's up with him and pictures. He looks much less...forced in pictures. Sorry, Dad.)

This is Ann Budd's handy raglan pattern knit in Elsbeth Lavold Classic AL. I bought this stuff dirt cheap (seriously, like $2 a skein or something) at The Studio over the summer. I LOVE it. Justin's getting one in gray.

Mmm. It's lovely. I tried it on before I did the neckband and I very nearly kept it for myself. Dear Webs: Please put Classic AL on clearance again so I can make myself something lovely.

27 things to do while I'm 27

1. ~~Finish Nordic Mittens~~
2. Finish the wedding quilt.
3. Finish the triangle quilt.
4. ~~Take Gracie on a hike.~~7/27/08
5. Ride bikes with Justin.
6. Sew the grey and pink fleece coat.
7. ~~Install some sort of non-shanty-type window coverings in the ~~bedroom~~ dining room.~~6/28/08
8. Design and knit my Weasley sweater.
9. Make Elizabeth Zimmerman's modified yoke/raglan/whatever sweater.
10. Sew another skirt. Maybe two.
11. ~~Knit/Spin 10,000 yards of yarn so I can buy Hanne Falkenberg's Mermaid kit.~~
12. ~~Finishing Jennifer's sweater yarn by Yarn School.~~ 4/13/08
13. Finish all 15 UFOs (in the sidebar)
14. ~~Sew a dress.~~ 10/30/08
15. ~~Go to Yarn School.~~ 4/24/08
16. ~~Remodel one of the bathrooms.~~ 8/27/08
17. ~~Plant a vegetable garden.~~ 5/12/08
18. Knit a sweater for Justin.
19. ~~Knit a sweater for my dad.~~
20. Knit 20% of my yarn stash, including any new additions.
21. Spin 30% of my fiber stash, including any new additions.
22. Read all of the Anne of Green Gables books.
23. Take a cooking class.
24. Read the Chronicles of Narnia books.
25. ~~Redo dining room.~~3/30/08
26. Beat Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Gamecube.
27. ~~Learn to weave~~ 5/17/08

My new boyfriend

2008-12-17T11:23:00.001-06:00

I can't help it - I'm completely boy-crazy. It's ridiculous. First there was Jordan Knight, then Justin Timberlake, Johnny Depp, now Robert Pattison (and don't forget the kid who played Spike in Newsies). Meet my latest crush.

The ridiculous things that worry me

2008-11-24T16:38:00.002-06:00

I no longer question they whys and hows of my brain. Serotonin deficiency notwithstanding, my head doesn't work like other peoples' heads. To wit: I don't believe in dinosaurs and I don't eat anything that's (unnaturally) blue. I can make the most ridiculous arguments about pretty much anything. By the looks on the faces of those around me, I generally don't make sense.

So it isn't surprising that I'm panicking about our impending Thanksgiving travels. I am so distracted by the following things that the thought of packing has become somewhat debilitating:

1. The DVR! Full of shows! I need to watch them all NOW (even though it's only 50% full).
2. I think I want to see the Twilight movie again because I'm not sure if I liked it or not the first time.
3. All of these library books at home? Stressing me out.

And the biggest, baddest of them all:
I have NO idea what knitting to bring with me on this trip.

Because it's the worst kind of trip for knitting. A car is involved - a car in the blackest of night (we travel undercover around these parts). So I bought a headlamp. But car knitting can't be something that you need to keep track of with pen and paper and following a written pattern just isn't smart.

Being the holiday season and all, recipients of some of my current knits are also our hosts. So what do you do then? Oh, you like this scarf in the yarn and pattern you picked out? That's nice. It's not for you!

And while I would love to start a new project for myself, I realize that it's more responsible to finish what I've already started (and trying to pick the right project is kind of debilitating).

I will be taking multiple projects. Vote for your favorites:

We leave tomorrow night, so vote soon!

In which I may just torpedo my marriage

2008-11-21T12:07:00.003-06:00

I started a pair of Trekking socks two years ago on the day Justin and I got married.

To date, I'm here:

And this is just the first sock.

Here's the thing. I don't like these socks. I love the yarn, the pattern is nice, but they are so not friends. Normally I would just rip them out and pick something else, but come on, I started them on my wedding day. In my wedding dress.

But then I think, I will never finish these socks. Sure, I'd wear them if they were done, but I can't bring myself to finish them. They are fiddly and I don't like what the pattern is doing to the colors of the yarn. Last year, I wondered aloud if I should just rip them out and I was pretty surprised at the number of people who voted with an emphatic no. It would be a bad omen for my marriage.

But my take on it is that marriage is not easy. It's not simple, and it definitely doesn't always go the way you planned. You have to work at it, which means going back and making changes to the things that aren't right. And this sock ain't right. So I'm going to cut off the offending portion and start anew, just some simple top-down socks with an eye of partridge heel so I can really enjoy the beauty of the yarn. I shouldn't try to make it be something it isn't. Yarn's a lot like husbands that way.

Also, I put the heel on sideways again. What the hell is with me?

I think I can find some yarn around here...somewhere...

2008-11-19T18:51:00.003-06:00

At least when I leave you for long stretches of time I leave you with something nice to look at. Work was moderately insane last week (I found myself standing in the hallway outside my office at 2 p.m. last Friday yelling, "I don't like this!") and my moods have swung from completely, utterly boy crazy (Robert Pattison, I blame you) to morose and questioning my life choices.

I have also been weaving.

This is my loom. He's a Leclerc Bergere (so French!) and I adore him. Justin help me set everything up and after a lot of anger during the initial warping, I whipped out a scarf in a matter of hours.

This is my second scarf:

I was originally making a scarf for Justin, but I ran out of warp yarn (just some leftover Elann Peruvian Wool I had lying about), so it became a scarf for me. The weft is some Noro of unknown origin I got when I worked at The Yarn Shop several years ago. I labeled it in my stash spreadsheet (shut up) as "5." That's not very helpful. But it's a lovely scarf. I just need to wash it and maybe it'll get a photoshoot.

So now Justin is finally (yeah, two weeks later) getting a scarf. I am completely smitten with it, so he better be really nice to me.

The edges are a little wonky on the left side (which is odd, because it was the right side I had trouble with on my other scarves), but I'm still learning. The warp is Cascade Heritage and the weft is Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters. Isn't it just lovely? It's a little darker in real life - the lighting is so bad in the craft room that I have to use the flash all the time. Perhaps the recipient will model for us. I promised him I would have it finished for our Thanksgiving trip next week, and I would still like to make another scarf for myself.

The weaving makes Gracie tired.

(She is surrounded by her baby Kong, Cubbie, the ring, Hedgie and Dale. It's like living at the zoo.)

Pants off dance off

2008-11-13T14:00:00.001-06:00

In this corner, the undisputed champions of hotness and good dancing ("Girlfriend"): Click here (sorry, dudes, I can't find one that I can embed. Automatic deduction for that.)

In this corner, an old-school slow jam that caused me to call Abby and scream, "I can't help it! I love these guys!" ("Single")

You make the call.