beckyknitstoo

Mitts and Miracles

2012-01-30T19:47:00.003-05:00

Because I'd like to blog every knit a little more responsibly this year, I share with you some rusty red mittens made for the Aunt of Sophanne. They're from Ann Budd's pattern book- cast on 43 stitches with #6 needles and it's the right size when using Berroco Alpaca. The best surprise when making these is that I had the above number/yarn combination as a "note to self" in my Ann Budd book and DID NOT have to make 4 different mittens to get the right size. So be it that all future mittens are in ultra alpaca- there are worse things to knit.

Many of you are no doubt wondering how it is that my work table happens to be clear of postal debris. I got one of these.

It's a bill organizer. I'm 46 years old and I finally figured out that you don't store the paid bills (that create confusion)in there. Instead you just put the ones that NEED to be paid in their little slots to ensure you pay the right amount. Both the cable company and the water company will be glad that I will no longer be paying their bill three months in advance (just to be sure I paid it)

Also often found on this desk (and notably missing) are my meds, my eyeglass/contact supplies, and my makeup. Here's the trick. I practiced keeping them in little containers (still on the workspace) for a week. After I got good at that I moved the containers to a less conspicuous drawer. AND drum roll please... I've managed to maintain that little habit.

Hence- I has desk space. At this rate my knitting corner will be permanently decluttered and organized by the time I'm 92. I can't wait!

You don't need coffee. You need to walk.

2012-01-28T13:35:00.003-05:00

That is the caption of the picture below. She followed me with shoe in mouth until it was clear her message was received. She must have known that it was prime walking time and that the rest of the day would be rainy.

The white reading mitts found a home with lunchtime friend and schoolsecretarySandy. It was her birthday. What's a girl to do. This green pair has been committed to knitnightRuth. They are so easy to make and so delicious in cashmere. I have enough brown to make myself a pair eventually.

The laugh of the week came when I said to Mr. Sophanne "I have a headache. I think it must be menstrual" and he replied, "I hear that's going around.

Mouths of Babes

2012-01-25T20:24:00.004-05:00

These pictures are a part of a slide show I share with kindergarten after we sang a song about trains from South Africa. They are of me in 2002 when I spent 6 weeks of the summer there.

Here is what kids spontaneously said:

"You were beautiful then."

"You were so pretty"

"That must have been a LONG time ago."

Here is what I heard.

"Hey Mrs. Sophanne, you could stand to lose a few!"

"Wow, you got old fast."

They are only 6 years old. Still that did not prevent me from having the desire to shout to all of them "YEAH??? Well, I'm HAPPY now!!!!"

Sage Advice- Sage Socks

2012-01-22T11:51:00.004-05:00

So I took the advice of you wise knitters and have put the scarves aside for a while. Making this a tad more difficult was Mr. Sophanne announcing to the father of the recipients that I've been working on them. Ugh. I ordered a different yarn and am not going to be so beholden to the color requests. Yea, you'll get some purple, yea, you'll get some blue. We'll just see how it goes.

While the scarves were being punished I picked up some cashmere that's been marinating for ages because no project is worthy (or the right size.) Susie Roger's Reading Mitts to the rescue. KnitnightClaire had made a pair and pattern and yarn came together in my head.

I also finished another pair of socks from the STR yarn. Here's what I'll say about that club. I don't need or want sock patterns. All of my socks are the same. Not interested in fancy socks. BUT... when it comes to some durable sock yarn that makes hearty but not too thick socks, I'm all over that Blue Moon Sock yarn.

These have beenon the needles since August so it was good to have them finished. Time to get another pair of socks on the needles.

Snow Day Knitting Confessions

2012-01-20T10:54:00.005-05:00

It is the first snow day of the year. A delay would have done the trick. I'm not complaining.

I have been knitting. I haven't been telling you about it. Two of the granddaughters of Mr. Sophanne saw me knitting over our visit and asked for scarves. I take their color order, go to the LYS in search of color and believe that this will be a quick and easy thing to do.

I should know that when I declare something quick and easy, it will turn into slow and stupid.

Specimen number 1: Purple, Black and White. My thoughts- plain stripes are boring. I'm going to make it a chevron pattern.

Stockinette chevron is good for sweaters- for scarves, not so much. Come to find there's a back side. I knew this and kept on knitting, pretending that the back was as lovely as the front. Until I finished it and realized that when I sent it to Switzerland (where they are currently living) not only would she be outcast for being "foreign" but also for being related to a senseless knitter.

Specimen number 2: Light Blue and Purple. Triangles using short rows. All garter stitch (old dog- new trick- check) I've seen these. I know it's possible. I search for a pattern. I find one and remember how to make garter stitch short row triangles. I toss the pattern aside with an air of "oh yea, this is what I wanted." Really, what could go wrong?

Short row triangles are a viable option if you read the directions. In this case, however, adding a triangle to the right side each time results in a big old square. With an eighth of a piece missing. I realized this on Wednesday as I began the third triangle. I forgot it again on Thursday as I worked several more rows until I realized it again.

When I cook I can make as many mistakes and unfollow directions as much as I'd like to because I have no expectations and never ever ever promise to cook something specifically FOR someone else.

When this happens while knitting-especially while knitting a project that many first time knitters use to learn-, it leaves a scrunched up aggravated swirly mad black cloud just above the base of my neck and behind my right eye, torn between doing it over to do it right or telling myself that they are probably just fine with the scarves they have and the ones I was making them didn't match the hats I made anyway.

Why knit night was so awesome

2012-01-11T18:21:00.002-05:00

So I don't have a proper picture of it. It's much nicer in person, but KnitNightMarc made and gave me a present yesterday.

It's Cat Borhdi's moebius cowl and it's awesome. It wasn't my birthday, Christmas has passed so it was just a present because he said the color made him think of me. I LOVE IT! After the full moon antics of the past couple of days (including throwing away a soprano xylophone and being accused of being a ne'er do well that has no business being around children), it's just what the Karma Doctor ordered!

Other highlights of knit night included no less than 3 knitted torso garments from fellow knitters- must take camera to knit night regularly- and learning about "lustre dust"

Cod weather is coming, I will be warm. The moon is waning. Perhaps the crazy-stupid will tone down. (Has anyone noticed that it seems the last 3 months of full moons have been mighty powerful? OY!)

#8 continues because we don't know when to stop

2012-01-10T21:31:00.002-05:00

So at lunch today I asked ChickenBob if he got his #8 plant. He said "not yet, but I'm going to need more dirt. I noticed that it settles and there's less of it if there's no plant in it."

SecretarySandy said "my grandma always said to put garlic in the dirt to keep it from doing that."

Me: (post spit-take) NO WAY!!! (I was so trying not to laugh at what was transpiring-so instead of going along I had to exaggerate my amazement) Then I asked "did she use fresh or minced?"

SecretarySandy said, "whatever you have around. fresh, minced- I figure grandma just used garlic salt, knowing her."

ChickenBob: I might have to try that.

I seriously hope that he's "getting us" as much as we think we're "getting him" because this is just too funny to be real.

Tonight was a great knit night but you'll have to wait until I grab a PICTURE of a PRESENT made for ME before I can reveal all.

PSA to all music teachers reading this blog

2012-01-09T15:25:00.007-05:00

If the universe aligns and you happen to get a custodian who actually does his or her job, be warned NOT to use the garbage can as a stand for a primary line soprano xylophone set in C pentatonic. The missing bars and critical placement on the garbage can will lead the custodian to believe that it is indeed garbage and throw said instrument away.

This PSA has been provided to you by stupidity and foolishness.

Second graders tried to "make it better" by saying that the xylophone had gone up to that "big music room in the sky."

First FO 2012

2012-01-08T12:30:00.005-05:00

I've got several largish projects on the needles. Every now and then- given all of the instant gratification of 11 hats in 2 weeks- I need something that I can start and finish so that I can call myself a knitter.

The January Hat by Jennifer Adams (free on Rav) came to the rescue. Simple colorwork, cascade 220, easy pattern- except I always struggle with the twisty yet lovely braided thing. The bottom of the hat is a roll-y up mess. I got it working at the top and I'm o.k. with that.

Update on the #8 plant- ChickenBob was overheard talking to a grandma parent volunteer about getting a number 8 plant. She nodded and smiled and said "well yes, they grow quickly." She had a good laugh when I got her aside and let her in on the secret. As this is a woman who is still grieving the loss of a spouse, I'd say the subterfuge paid off- I haven't seen her laugh so hard in a long time!

Crack Me Up- the after school edition

2012-01-05T15:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the office conversation somehow wandered into the topic of "gangs." Where the various gangs came from, where they've settled, how they've grown, etc. Ppal said, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Crips (or the Bloods- one of them) got started in Bluefield, West Virginia. Knowing this to be wrong, I suggested that maybe he was thinking of the Apple Dumpling Gang.

Today at the end of the day, ChickenBob came in stating that he needed a "manly" plant for his house and it had to fit into a "Number 10 pot." Trying not to laugh secretary (who has no idea what he means by number 10 pot) says "what about a cactus." ponder. ponder. "No, I don't like cactuses." I realize it's cacti but he teaches physed- what can you do? So together without prior consultation we instructed him to go shopping for a "Number 8 Philodendron"..."be sure it's a number 8..." I wish I could be a fly on the plant shop wall.

Tomorrow we're going to share the "take a box of frozen corn and lay it in the plant" technique to stimulate plant growth.

The year in knitting... or not.

2012-01-03T19:09:00.004-05:00

I was going to do a year in knitting post but it was a little bit a pain in the a$$. So if you want to see what I knit- go ahead and read the blog. Gardening months are sparse.

Instead I played with photoshop and put together a collage of my favorite knits of 2011 and my hopes for 2012/

It must be that after I finished Queen Anne's Lace and the Doublemasse (stranded hat) that I said "enough is enough." Although there is another Queen Anne's Lace in Lavold Silky Wool that has yet to be blocked or introduced to the world.

Five pairs of socks this year. Go Me. Enough for the week if I wear slippers on the weekend. Oh wait, Slippers? I has them.

I've got two lifetime log cabin blankets going on - one in sock yarn- the other in Cascade. I ~~blame~~thank Yarnhog for her Noro Log Cabin for those.

Stephen West became a new favorite designer- someone who's patterns I'll actually spend time reading because I can and they are gorgeous.

The mailbox cracks me up. I wish I had more patience for those mochimochi knits. Perhaps it will come.

The simplest knits (the family of hats) ended up being the most rewarding and in the lower right corner is a top down v-neck in MadelineTosh ala Elizabeth Zimmerman- another 2012 resolution.

Given the pain in the a$$ of posting about the year, I'm refraining but offering this advice- go back and look at what you've done and be amazed. It feels good.

PSA number Seven (or eight)

2011-12-29T13:29:00.002-05:00

Daughter of Sophanne gave us two great books as gifts- Food Rules- an eater's manual and Little Old Lady Recipes.

Both are funny and informative. They crack me up.

My favorite rule so far has been "Eat all the Junk Food you Want as long as You Cook it Yourself." I told husband about this and he said, "I suppose there will be an ice cream churner in our future." I'm not ready for that but I did splurge on an air pop popcorn maker.

PSA number seven or eight is this- if you have grown accustomed to the convenience and "luxury" of microwave popcorn, do yourself a favor. 1. Go to the box store. 2. Spend $20 on an air popper and $1.73 on a bag of kernels. 3. Melt a teaspoon of butter. 4. Air pop yourself some goodness- salting as desired.

You will then remember (or discover if you're that much younger than I am) what real popcorn tastes like. And compared to the six microwave bags you get for $6- you'll be saving money like crazy. In fact- you might even MAKE money!

Contemplating the travel options

2011-12-27T14:07:00.001-05:00

We leave the west coast at 11:30 pm this evening and arrive on the east coast at 7:30 am tomorrow morning.

You get 2 seconds to guess which illness has invaded my body. Time's up. Why yes, it's holiday strep time again. I'm ignoring the rash at my armpit and pretending that it's not scarlet fever.

This got me to thinking about pictures I've seen in Japanese cities where many wear face masks to prevent the spreading of germs. I wonder if said face mask would do me any good in scoring some priority seating on the plane.

I realized a mask would be pretty obvious so I suggested to mr. Sophanne that we get hazmat suits and see if we couldn't at least get bumped up to first class. Recognizing the discomfort we might endure in those suits for six hours, we're off to but matching t-shirts that say "my leprosy is in remission."

Why we came

2011-12-26T15:38:00.001-05:00

Hats in Action

2011-12-24T23:35:00.001-05:00

Details later (but maybe not because sometimes a picture is all you need.)

Not only did the hats fit-everyone loved them in just the way I was hoping for. What a present for me!

Also there is a flight attendant based in Seattle who is now sporting a chocolate/orange colored Clockwork (Stephen West) because there are some knits that you know will look better on someone else. You never got to see a picture of it but if you find yourself on the flight from San Francisco to Seattle you might see a beautiful mocha colored African American flight attendant wearing it. And redsilvia, I thought of you when I gave it to her!

HATS ON!

2011-12-23T11:39:00.003-05:00

The total count is eleven hats in twelve days. Mr. Sophanne and I will be wearing some sort of hat not necessarily knit for this occasion. Melissa- if you're reading this- surprise! (not so much.)

I suggested to Mr. Sophanne that if the recipients didn't care for them or want to hang on to them, I could find a charity to send them to. He said, "they will wear these hats and like them at least until we leave. Then I don't care." He doesn't really mean it but it was a sort of "I've got your back" statement knowing what it took to get them done.

If it isn't obvious by now, we are traveling to the west coast for a few days in the coming week. Fly in, visit, visit, visit, fly out.

It's a surprise to the grandkids- Mr. Sophanne is beside himself happy about it-there's a new grandbaby he hasn't met yet.

Now I've got to do laundry and prepare for travel. Oy!

better picture

2011-12-20T21:47:00.003-05:00

I had to blog a better picture of Tara's greatness. Click and embiggen- seriously worth it! Also ignore the "must knot hats" of the previous post. Must knit hats... but I'm sure you realized it.

Just for one more moment of overwhelmingness- I have a Christmas cactus that bloomed. In front of it- a stocking ornament made for a friend. Behind it- Mr. Sophanne's zombiemonkey card.

But wait, there's more!

2011-12-20T21:35:00.002-05:00

Justine brought these cookies ala Martha 5tewart last week.

Ruth made this cream cheese/cheese ball snow/igloo/penguin scene for a (non-knitting) gathering last week. Penguins are olives, cream cheese and carrots. I didn't see it live which is probably a good thing as I would have collapsed from cuteness. Some of the penguins are talking to each other. They are posed as it were.

Ruth and Gina wove in the ends to NINE hats! I won't be weaving in ends on the plane! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

What an awesome knit night- I feel unworthy of all the brilliance surrounding me. It's a good thing sometimes I make them laugh.

Tara is crazy awesome.

2011-12-20T18:55:00.001-05:00

At knit night. Stop. Must knot hats. Stop. Tara made these stop. Crazy amazing. Stop.

I miss you.

2011-12-18T21:20:00.001-05:00

Seven and a half hats are finished. Three and a half must finish hats to go. This total doesn't include a new and somewhat matchy matchy hat for the Mr. And I. If systems fail, we'll wear hats that were not made special for this occasion. There are several about.

I've been keeping track of bloggy things to photograph and tell you, so fear not. I shall return 13 (or maybe eleven) hats stronger.

Fool's mission

2011-12-11T20:47:00.001-05:00

13 hats in 12 days. Two (the largest and the smallest) are done. Five of the remaining 11 are smalls. It's just enough of a challenge to keep life interesting. And because it's related to Mr. Sophanne's family, I may be relieved of household chores as I knit my fingers to the bones!

First complaint.

2011-12-07T08:26:00.002-05:00

While this shouldn't surprise me, it still just does.

You may recall- it's all spirituals all the time for the program at school. In fact you may recall the formerly jewish buddhist singing african american song joke from an earlier post.

The complaint was not based on religion in the schools (as one might expect and really- I SHOULD be getting.) Instead someone is upset because we're doing all of those "nigra" songs.

Has anyone noticed it's full moon time again?

Show, Place, Win- the knit night version

2011-12-06T20:55:00.005-05:00

In response to their great kindnesses on my birthday, I've been doing some knitting for the knit night friends.

First, the show- I made a "kerchief cowl" I found on Ravelry- it's marked on my page-sophanne. Sadly the yarn choice made it initially look like a neckbrace (some kind of thick llama something- in my rav stash). Justine was able to look like a cowboy and later, Cinderella. She was a gracious gift receiver. There are just some people you can give awkward knits to, knowing they'll find the humor in them. Justine is one of them.

The "place" was for kktara- it's the Effie Beret- also on my rav- done in stitchjones worsted. It's hard to see the details of the pattern (a k1p1 band and a k1p2 crown) but maroon suits her and she doesn't appear to have sustained dire neck injuries when she puts it on.

Finally- the win- was not done by me. I repeat- I can not take credit for this little piece of cute awesomeness- otherwise known as a gift that starts with the letter "s" and is under $5. Knitknightmarc crocheted this this awesome kleenex box cover- the picture is dark but trust me when I say awesome. I told him it needed a plastic cover like people used to put on their furniture to keep it clean until company comes. Then I could make one and use it at school.

There were lots of blue/green hues on the needles at knit night- something I just notice. Also there were more people there than usual. The warmth of friends made driving in the dark and stormy night worth it!

down the rabbit hole

2011-12-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

So, I'm thinking of rewriting the little description at the top of the blog. Instead of having it say

because not everyone here really cares- OR- Where but in the knitting of an intermediate novice (see side bar)can you find such great hope in the next finished object?

to

relatively rational knitting with confidence and aplomb and delusional cooking with fear and trepidation

Knitting first-

I've accepted the fact that the Tangled Yoke Cardigan (circa 2007) is never going to be completed. I gave the pattern a good look over last night, thinking that surely by now I have the skills to pull off the yoke. Then I frogged the whole thing. I have never felt better about frogging a knitted item in my life. It's been taunting me for almost 5 years. Taunt no more. I still have to frog the sleeves

Barbara Walker- Top Down Knitting- Madeline Tosh- Here's what this is so far.

Imagine my surprise when I read redsilvia's post on her Hello 80's socks. Talk about matchy matchy. The off-white cuts into the whole 80's deal a little bit but clearly the Classic Rock Hits haven't left my psyche yet.

This is going to be a v-neck cardigan. I've just finished the V, am almost done with the front and will be separating for sleeves in about 10 rows. And yes, now that you ask, I will be taking it off the size 4 needles and trying it on before moving ahead (I've done it once already) because I am a relatively rational knitter (I have a big old pile of ill-fitting sweaters to prove it.)

And now the rabbit hole.

One of my favorite iPad apps is the one connected to the site allrecipes.com. While doing some insomnia cruising I found this recipe for Hearty Vegan Slow Cooker Chili.

Mr. Sophanne eats meat with his meat. Sometimes sauce but mostly meat. He's been paying attention to his health a little bit lately so I decided "what better time to throw some vegetables his way."

I'm pretty sure I could write a crack me up blog post about the whole experience but it might take too long to read and I hate it when blog posts are too long. Suffice it to say that I had taken a day off after a really grueling school day and had intended to have a zen-like, mindful cooking experience with plenty of time to relax and cook with ease. Below are the highlights on my way to chili. Any one would have been fine- there's nothing exceptional about them but when cooking delusionaly with fear and trepidation, they are bound to happen to me all at once.

1. Buy ingredients. What, no yellow squash or zucchini? That's o.k. I'll channel the daughter of Mr. Sophanne (and call her to double check my choices) and buy butternut squash and a rutabaga.

2. Prepare the vegetables. Cut the peppers (red, green and yellow) Zen started and ended with these peppers. Instead of standing uncomfortably, I sat at the table and made perfect little squares. I am GOOD at cutting peppers.

3. Cut the onion. Now I know why people stand when they cut onions. I didn't make it to the second one because I felt like a pepper-sprayed Occupy Wall Street victim.

4. Brown the above in olive oil before putting in the crockpot. Oops. Also supposed to brown the chopped garlic. Yea, o.k., no biggie. I'll added it unbrowned. This I know will be fine.

5.Call the daughter in law for guidance on the squash and the rutabaga. "good choices" says she.

6. Prepare the Butternut Squash. (much later in the evening I YouTubed a video to see how the rest of the world does this) Nearly slice two different fingers off using different "techniques" to separate said squash from it's protective covering. I should have practiced peeling rocks first. What took Our Lady of Vegetable 5 minutes to do on You Tube took about 25 minutes at House of Sophanne. I am no longer mindfully cooking but instead, hacking and whacking at vegetables. An episode from Criminal Minds comes to mind.

7.Combine in the crockpot with previous ingredients. Oh *&@**#" I forgot to slice the mushrooms ahead of time. @@*#ing mushrooms. Hack, slice, drop.

8. This &$(@ isn't going to FIT in the crockpot no matter how small you slice it!I still have three G#$ D$#* cans of beans, tomatoes, and liquid to PUT IN!!!! Here I debate running to the store for a bigger crockpot- stupid. Instead I decreased the amount of squash and rutabaga. Upon examining the recipe reviews later, I find that others had the same trouble and found quick and easy solutions.

9. Rinse the beans (white northern and black beans...who needs those #$)%**(# kidney beans anyway-it's not going to fit) RINSE THE BEANS??? It's going to FAIL anyway. I'll run some water over them in the can and call it done.

10. Add 12 oz of tomato paste. Feeling clever, I remembered Mom of sophanne opening both ends of a tomato paste can and pushing the lid through to be sure to get all of the can's contents into the mix.

11. What I failed to remember was the giant lengthwise gash in her thumb from scraping at the edge of the can.

12. Bleed for 20 minutes, wondering if I need stitches, grateful that I wasn't on blood thinners and trying to get the rest of the ingredients in. I can't stop now- I'm on a mission.

13. Open the tomato sauce to be added. The opener, once working with ease, refuses to cooperate. I find another and have a half-a$$ed open can. Just before I stick my hand into the sharp metal I realize that a fork will do the trick just as well.

14. Attempt to open the box of vegetable broth. The pull-tab fails and I stab the opening with a knife. THAT WILL TEACH YOU BOX!!!

15. Mix it all together, naturally spilling much of the contents out of the overflowing crock.

16. Return contents to crock, set on low, cook for 7 hours.

Mr. Sophanne (who sometimes scoffs at my cooking attempts) comes home, compliments the good smells, takes a peek and says, "what meat is in it?

In the end, it tastes good. It's a good recipe. Things failed to remain mindful and zenlike after step two. When I first learned to knit, I knew that by doing so I would have to become more mindful and patient to be successful. If I manage to transfer those skills to cooking, I may be eligible for domestic sainthood.

Couple-a Heys

2011-11-30T23:11:00.003-05:00

from the girl who should have been asleep 2 hours ago given the schedule she's got going on tomorrow.

Hey! Apple Juice, thanks for that extra arsenic. I've been forgetting to give my kids their daily dose.

Hey! Pinky-toe. How is it that you can exist all day unnoticed and then DEMAND attention once I'm warm under the covers.

Hey! iTunes. Guess I WON'T be ordering the Classic Hits of the 70's. I've got better things to do with my insomnia (so far)

Hey! Kindergartener- "Nutcrapper?" Really? Thanks for doing my crack me up job for me.

Hey! Third grader-thanks for spontaneously saying (and meaning) three words that I will remember until I'm dead "You Inspire Us."

Hey! Big Bowl of Frosted Flakes that I just ate- why do I feel I have to DEVOUR this particular brand. I don't devour other cereals. I eat them as one should eat breakfast foods- except at different times. And yet pour a bowl of frosty flakes and I am led to believe that I haven't eaten for weeks and probably won't again.

Hey! Jason Kottke liberal ARTS web site smart guy- Did you really think I'd be able to resist watching all of the Coronet Instructional Videos including the "do's and don'ts of dating" and Dick York in a h0m0er0tic video called "Insomnia" put out by the US Navy in the 1940's? call me paranoid but the biggest hit on my blog to date includes the word M0j0-hence the zeros instead of o's

Hey! blog friends- thanks for being readers- maybe if I can get some of these thoughts out of my head I'll be able to travel off to dreamland. Did this post jump around plenty for you? Try living in this brain ALL the time!

turn that frown...

2011-11-28T18:06:00.004-05:00

upside down.

This is the week that makes me crazy. I introduced the winter program songs before Thanksgiving. Today, after a week long break, I expected all kids to come back singing them to me "glee"fully.

Here's an open thank you to third grader "Jackson" who sang every verse to Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho including the line that starts "then the lamb ram sheep horn began to blow..."

Yes- we are doing all spirituals. No it is not multi-cultural. Yes there is educational value to it. No I couldn't do another year of Rudolph and Jingle Bells without completely losing my mind. I'm a formerly Jewish now Buddhist putting together a ~~Christmas~~ holiday program containing African American Spirituals in a sometimes racist rural West Virginia town. I crack me the hell up.

There will be some Amens and Hallelujahs- because kindergarteners sound so adorable trying to say Hallelujah. (they also sound pretty funny saying "I'm gonna clap when the spirit says clap" because mostly the letter "L" sounds like an "R") The thing that I know the most is that there will be some music that will make the audience happy and that the kids are happy to sing which means a lot to me.

This is all about motivation- mine and theirs. At one point today I said to 3rd graders "if you are halfway good, they will clap. If you are terrible, they will clap. If you put your heart into it, they will clap and mean it like crazy."

But back to the point of this post. One thing that got me through the first day of drive me crazy week was the Keurig coffee maker that now adorns my desk with an on and off timer. Breakfast Blend first thing in the morning, hot chocolate at lunch and something called "Nantucket" that should have been called "this will give your afternoon a kick in the a$$" a little later in the day.

It could also be called "enjoy this energy while it lasts because when you come down from this, you will be useless." Such was the case by the time I got home. I was also starving. And now to the point of this post (or maybe not). Mr. Sophanne has learned about this time of year and pays attention. I said, "I'm hungry." He took charge, went to Hardees and in addition to the tacos he brought from the "Red Burrito" part of Hardees, he brought home a chocolate milkshake.

I was a wiped out zombie and he brought me a chocolate milkshake. He can be a smart ass all he wants. I don't know how lucky I am.

p.s. I am 5 posts away from post number 1000 on this blog. That's just crazy! How should we celebrate?

I don't think she's asking for a bath...

2011-11-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

I love that dog.

score a one liner for me...

2011-11-17T19:17:00.002-05:00

Last night Mr. Sophanne was waiting for a call from his dr. about adjusting his blood pressure medicine. He told me this but when the phone beeped in, I didn't answer it, didn't think about a dr. calling at 6:00 pm, and he missed the call. He was annoyed for a while. After I apologized for the third time he said, "It's o.k., if I die of a heart attack tomorrow you can feel bad."

I said, "It's a good thing being a smartass isn't fatal."

Every now and then the right words come out at the right time.

You've Got Mail

2011-11-13T20:55:00.005-05:00

I went to a conference in Pittsburgh this weekend, found everything and got out without causing any major traffic disruptions. Mountainmama served as navigator. That helped.

All I had time to knit once I got home was this cute little mailbox.

Also to share- some potatoes.

I Proudly present the 2011 potato crop-

Can anyone say Ireland- 1840ish? Glad I don't have to survive on them. I think we harvested too late because several of those pictured were black inside and clearly no longer interested in being sustenance. I'm going to stick them in the crock pot with a roast and some broth and some carrots tomorrow. Hopefully none of them will contaminate an otherwise easy and tasty meal.

Also at the convention center was a thing called the Handmade Arcade -sort of an Etsy live. Here I found some Monkey Zombie Art to let Mr. Sophanne know I missed him while I was gone. Nothing says I love you like Monkey Zombie Art. And for the first time since I can remember, Mr. Sophanne seemed pleased that I thought of him with a goofy souvenir. Go Figure.

Knit Knight- Birthday Edition

2011-11-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

Birthdays are the best with people you like the most. In "day after your birthday knit knight" hoorayness I was ensconced.

KnitnightTara made me a pair of fingerless mitts (that I rudely but kiddingly requested months ago) in my most favorite color ever.

KnitnightalwaysmakemelaughJustine made me a pair of fingerful mitts that will one day have caps to cover them in some yarn that feels delicious on my fingers.

And there was a cupcake. A real one. Clandestinely escorted into Panera's, unbeknownst to them. There was very quiet happy birthday singing that I made sure I wanted to look at everyone because it was the best thing ever. Knitnighttara made the cupcake and there was a candle and it was cinnamon swirl with delicate icing and I tried to blow out one candle but couldn't even do that mostly because I was so happy to have such really great people singing TO ME and they meant it- I could tell.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Warning Warning

2011-11-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

picture from wikimedia commons

Full moon is coming and if today is any indication, it's going to be a doozy.

I was outside tending to bus duty when a parent I had never talked to approached me and said "You took a picture of my daughter and you put all of the tall boys in front of her and I want you to know that I don't appreciate that."

Which would have been a reasonable complaint if I had actually known what she was talking about or if she would have stopped long enough when I said "wait, wait, wait" instead of shaking her head, waving me off, and refusing to speak to me.

FortyDamnSix?

2011-11-07T16:41:00.003-05:00

I wonder how many chins I'll have at 92!

I also wonder how many years they will print this card so that Mr. Sophanne can get it each time to make me laugh.

cuppy-cake

2011-11-04T22:07:00.002-04:00

I bought the tiny mochimochi by Anna Hrachovek and made a tiny cuppy-cake in minutes. Then I bought an electronic copy of her other book and soon I will knit a grouchy couch.

Possessed by things that go Bump in the Night

2011-11-02T17:52:00.006-04:00

or why you should disable your itunes account when you have insomnia.

Have you seen that show "Sing Off?" When the acts are good on these musical reality shows, I have to wonder if and when the musician's union is going to make a fuss. All of these performers, presumably not being paid union wages to entertain anyone who will watch.

On Monday night, the Dartmouth Aires did a killer arrangement of some Queen. I am not easily impressed and I was blown away.

Fast forward to Mr. Sophanne gently snoring in anticipation of his 4:37 a.m. alarm clock and me lying awake in bed with everything but sleep dancing in my head.

hmm... that Queen arrangement made me think of the music of Queen. I think I'll look up and see what other Queen songs I've forgotten on iTunes.

*click click click search*

oh look- Bohemian Rhapsody is considered "Classic Rock." I wonder what other Classic Rock songs I've loved and forgotten. Oh look iTunes Essential has conveniently made a buyable list of Classic Rock songs

*click click click scroll*

An hour later I have purchased the entire collection of Classic Rock songs from iTunes Essential Classic Rock. Did I discern between ones that I actually like and ones that are just there. No I did not. Because I wanted to have a classic rock radio stream on my ipad.

Mind you, I am a cultivated music consumer. I listen for real. There's never been anything close to "background music" in my life. I'm either listening or I'm doing something else. Classic Rock from the 70's and 80's was NEVER a mainstay in my listening repertoire. And yet I can now dial up Don't Fear the Reaper, Cold as Ice, Nights in White Satin, Stairway to Heaven and 75 other songs that have always been "there" but never been important. I was possessed by a Classic Rock demon and have been listening to them on the mindless drive to and from work.

I wouldn't be so worried but while Mr. Sophanne was driving home from knit night, I found myself in the passenger seat trying to see if I remembered how to french braid my hair. I'm going to blame the whole episode on the vast amount of hairspray applied to my head when I got a haircut on Monday.

If you are under 30 or over 55, this post may not make any sense to you. If this is case, please enjoy some knitting.

It's Clockwork by Stephen West done in some Stitchjones and Socks that rock.

Bed and Breakfast?

2011-10-26T09:19:00.004-04:00

No- dinner and knitting. That's my big green bag under the lamp in the last picture. That chair is where I spent much of knit night last night.

KnitnightRuth gets to LIVE in these rooms! This is her house!! I was enchanted. When I wasn't sitting on my arse knitting, I was in the (not pictured- duh) dining room eating homemade vegetable, tortelini and cheesy vegetable soups. Dear Panera, you suck. Ruth rocks. The End.

KnitnightTara made cuppycakes. The hands creeping out of the chocolate ones on top were an homage to my love/hate relationship to zombies. I think she also made them special for me because I'm not so much a coconut fan. That Tara- she's always doing something for somebody. Always.

KnitnightGina-daughter of Ruth and also known for always doing something nice for somebody- made eyeball bon bons. I was trying to think of some joke about wine and bloodshot eyes but I couldn't think of a way to say it without sounding like I was talking about her ACTUAL eyes so insert your own clever banter here.

You know I've heard tell of knitting groups that branch out and do things other than sit in the corner of coffee shops and knit. Apparently now I belong to one. And while this shouldn't really surprise me I couldn't help but feel like I was a kid being invited to the "most popular kid's house" for a party.Giddy was the word of the day. Sometimes I am so simple.

Post the Two (of Three)

2011-10-26T08:53:00.007-04:00

KnitnightRuth invited knit night to her house (see Post Three.) On the Saturday before the event, I ventured out of the 'burg and towards the City because I wanted to be able to find her house with ease.

Oh how surprised she was to have me show up 4 days early for knit night.

Not to waste a good adventure, I traveled up the pike to a yarn store. My stash of madelinetosh sock yarn has increased. My new favorite thing to knit are Stephen West patterns of which I have completed one unphotographed Clockwork and am working on Chadwick which is a design as clever as EZ's Baby surprise jacket.

Feeling confident about my ability to adventure I traveled to the Washington County Fair Grounds for the Annual Arts and Crafts Festival

Not willing to admit defeat and the end of my adventure, I ignored the signs of "this isn't for you, friend."

I stood in this line to pay my $6 entry fee in blissful denial of what was ahead, thinking only of the handcrafted jewelry I was hoping to find. I'm a sucker for the sparkly. (fashionalbe sparkly- not trashy- in case you're shopping for my birthday)

Once I paid my $6, I would have skipped ahead but the man carrying the 4 ft wooden Christmas Tree kitsch and the woman with a bag of about 5 cabbage patch looking dolls were in my way. I joined the slow herd-like shuffle. I passed a baked good cart. I passed a kettle corn cart. I went into the first barn of crafts. There might have been something interesting to see. I can't really tell you as the twilight zone line of shufflers prevented any thoughtful looking. I made it through one exhibit building and high-tailed it back to my car. Having only been away from my car for about 15 minutes, it was easy to find.

The main reason to go to this festival was to notice what people can and choose to do with their hands and brains. I didn't really have any major purchase plans. I consdered my $6 the cost of a lesson learned and came home and cruised Etsy.

Where to begin?`

2011-10-26T08:47:00.003-04:00

This working for a living-while it's a good thing- cuts into blog posting time.

Blog Post The One (of Three)

The Sky.

Sanna (or someone like her) asked blogville what the world looked like around everyone a few weeks ago. I took some pictures. The pink ones are from this morning and in no way capture the absolute spectacularness of this morning's sunrise.

Truthfully, if I weren't working for a living, I wouldn't be up and in my school parking lot (where these were taken from) to see the world. So there's another upside of having a job.

ice cream zombies and further research

2011-10-17T20:44:00.004-04:00

It's not all always fun and games and here we go round the mulberry bush here at House of Sophanne. Sometimes there are lulls.

Not to let that stop me from blogging, Welcome to Sometimes.

THe reason I like living with Mr. Sophanne is
1. Sometimes he buys ice cream.
2. He doesn't always tell me when he does- he keeps it a secret.
3. He keeps it a secret because he knows I will look and see if he did.
4. When I look and see and he's bought some, it's like a surprise birthday party for me.

Zombies-

1. Mr. Sophanne LOVES those shows.
2. Me not so much.
3. They give us both nightmares.
4. He likes to think of it as a double feature.

Further research on Young Frankenstein

As mentioned before, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman's character can be found in The Lady and the Monster.

Harvey Korman's character (mechanical arm, clicking heels and all) can be found in the Son of Frankenstein with Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, and Bela Lugosi. As can the source for the line "I think it's time we had a riot."

Bela Lugosi's Igor (Son of Frankenstein)is also reminiscent to me of Gene Hackman's role as the blindman.

Another Netflix-streaming find and another mad scientist movie I can't recommend enough- sets, costume, design, absolutely everything you could ever hope for and I keep falling asleep before I can finish it. (which I'm kind of glad about- it will last longer.)

I'm sure there are students of film that can break down every scene and reference every source. These geeks like me probably have thorough on line documentation. I refrain from the googleresearch because finding these tidbits is just like finding ice cream in the freezer.

PSA number not so important

2011-10-12T07:00:00.003-04:00

I am a big fan of "Young Frankenstein." It makes me crazy happy laughing every time.

I had, of course, always noticed the similarity between the scenes in it and the original Frankenstein movie.

What I did not realize was that there is a movie called "The Lady and The Monster" from 1944 based on H.P. Lovecraft's story "Donovan's Brain" that explains where the Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman characters come from. Dead. Ringers.

Young Frankenstein just got funnier to me if that is at all possible.

Knowing that, I'm going to guess that there is a movie out there that explains the rest of the scenes that don't connect to either of those movies and my mission is to find it. (without cheating on Google or Wikipedia)

I realize that my partial attraction to these 1940's horror flicks is that I just skip the Mel Brooks/MSTK3000 step and they make me laugh because I realize how funny they would be if someone WERE parodying them.

If you are a "Young Frankenstein" fan and have not seen "The Lady and the Monster," I strongly encourage you to do so.

you meme you

2011-10-10T17:37:00.003-04:00

Kmkat by way of Soxanne tagged me in a pet peeve and what makes you happy meme. The only rule is that there has to be more happy than grumpy.

Pet Peeves- as a rule, I try not to have pet peeves because they'll really only drive you crazy if you buy into them. That being said I will share with you the things that have taken much greater effort to "put on a shelf and leave alone"

1. The custodian at my school does not clean my room. There are 350+ kids in and out of my room all week long and she neither empties the garbage on a daily basis nor sweeps the area rug where the littler ones sit. The tipping point this year was when I went to the custodians corner to get the vacuum cleaner she lifted her head from her mystery novel and said good morning. More aggravating is that she's a nice person and I don't really want to carry resentments toward her. To lessen the sting of this situation I've taken to vacuuming in the afternoon when she's not there. I did let her know the bag needed changed this morning.

2. Impatience in trivial matters. It makes me crazy when others, believing that the universe revolves around them (in line- in traffic- in a faculty meeting- wherever) complain about the "injustice of it all" and in turn assume that I am equally indignant with them.

3. The kid who rides his motorbike in circles right outside our window when I get home from school.

4. The New Jersey landlord who charged us $15 for leaving and frozen unopened package of kosher hot dogs for the next renter. Man, that guy got under my skin- 3 days without air conditioning in 100+ degree temperatures and HE CHARGES US???? I really can't think about that one too much. It's along the same lines- self-absorbed and uncompassionate- not to mention seedy and greedy.

Things that make me happy-

1. Rickie Lee Jones' songwriting skills

2. When my dog brings me my shoe and when she gives me extra cuddles when she knows my feet are cold.

3. The sandwich my husband makes for me every morning because he doesn't want to imagine me eating salad and fake crab out of a bag.

4. Knit night.

5. Blog friends.

6. Shoes that don't make my feet hurt. (yet to be achieved but not for lack of trying.)

7. When a kid leaves my classroom saying "that was fun."

If you've got time, I'm tagging Yarnhog, Sanna, Jellidonut, Becky at Flossy and Kate and Haley at Labor of Love- but it won't hurt my feelings if you don't do it- I know that being tagged in a meme can also be an unspoken pet peeve!

This is a knitting blog.

2011-10-09T11:37:00.004-04:00

And it might be nice if pictures of knitting occasionally made an appearance.

This is an extra sock yarn log cabin. I'm doing my best to destash and get rid of bits and pieces while simultaneously buying the occasional skein of sock yarn to eventually add to it. I see it being a usable size in 2021, assuming that the world hasn't ended.

This is the "make it up" cardigan from Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool. The colors are a little less blue than pictured. It's in time out because I'm a little nervous about what's going to happen when I get to the armpits. As I am fearing that there will be no gratification and that it will not be instant, it's living it's life as potential right now.

This log cabin of cascade started on a whim to get rid of unruly leftovers of cascade and I'm starting to like it's randomness a bit. I actually purchased more cascade to expand the color palette and hopefully tone down some of the colors I don't love the best.

This is a stash-busting distraction. It's going to be arroyo (rav link) The original pattern calls for worsted weight on size 8's. This is sock weight on size 5's. What I'm really looking for is a long thin scarf/shawl/wrap pattern (probably with short rows) that will become one of those cool "around your neck numbers.)-also feel free to let me know of any patterns like that that you know of.

I'm pretty confident about finishing it because I want to use the new madeline tosh yarn to make clockwork - another one that I am hoping becomes the fashionable neck thing.

There are always socks on the needles. I've moved from size 2 to size 1 in my standard socking so things are taking a little longer but I'm hoping for a little more durability.

So yeah, I knit. It's just that lately it's not been as funny as when I bake.

Saturday.

2011-10-08T12:48:00.006-04:00

a day in which I recover from a knit night field trip and go to a soccer game. (and try to write that first sentence as if I were A.A. Milne)

Last night knitnight met for Chinese food and travelled to Natural Stitches. Other than the location- me being from the country side of the city, I can't get from here to there alone- this is one of the best knit shoppes I've been to. Plenty of floor space. Never any yarn falling down on your head when you try to look at a skein. A wall of needles and a wall of Cascade. I was on such a field trip "high"-but as overwhelming and overwhelmed as I was when I got there, everyone treated me like I was a normal person.

After I touched some malabrigo worsted (it's been a while) I had 8 skeins in my hands. I realized I'd have to knit a sweater and I'd blow up my stash and put them back. I picked up 4 with mittens and a hat plan- but I really can't plan and then buy yarn. I do better if I buy yarn and then plan.

4 skeins of MadelineTosh sock yarn and 2 setts of additurbo lace (even on sale) nearly broke the budget but I did manage to pick up some random cascade to add different colors to the neverending log cabin afghan I'm working on.

All of this is pretty meaningless without pictures. When I read blogs I get bored looking at skeins and reading plans so I'll just leave it at- hey- I got some yarn and I hope to knit it. When I do I'll tell you about it.

One of the best parts of the night was getting to meet a devoted blog follower- Lisa! I know she wasn't expecting it but I had to hug her when we met. She once told knitnight Gina that she thought I was funnier than the YarnHarlot and should write my own book. You can't BUY friends like that!

THEN this morning my sister phoned to let me know that my nephew's Green Team would be playing soccer RIGHT HERE IN THE BURG. Speaking to him was prohibited but I did grab a shot of the winning team coming across the field. I also waited like a groupie near the bus to give a quick point "hello" and a thumbs up "good game." Very discretely of course. He's one of 2 9th graders playing varsity and I didn't want to be responsible for humiliating him.

Sister, niece and other nephew had to head to another game to be cheerleader, cheerleading coach, and spectator respectively immediately after the soccer game but I did manage to snap a picture or two of the green family.

GO LIONS!

PSA

2011-10-04T12:39:00.004-04:00

If you live near where I live and you let them squeeze the girls with a giant machine, you get a prize package in the month of October. Go get those girls squeezed. I dare you. I double dog dare you!

ETA I can't believe it took me all afternoon to realize that it was the booby prize!

The truth is...

2011-10-03T17:06:00.007-04:00

my Black Forest Cake did not turn out as I had imagined. I could tell you where the recipe came from but I'd likely be sued for libel.

At first it appeared to have great potential.

But after things cooled off, they didn't quite want to stay together.

Vowing not to trash the whole thing, (it really tastes good) I tried to paste it together a little.

The artistes among you will quickly recognize the cherries on top as a distraction to the disaster below.

Finally I realized that I had forgotten a key ingredient-

the shaved chocolate on top.

When Mr. Sophanne saw the final product, he doubled over and choked on his own spit. I don't give that much credence though because he guffawed when I bought a 9x12 baking dish last week.

It now occurs to me why they have cake baking contests at county fairs.

Don't you wish it was summer and I could adventure every day?

SEVEN! (If you count the littler one)

2011-09-24T17:07:00.005-04:00

That's how many friends I had all at once at the same time. In case anyone is worried that I don't have any friends, here is some internet proof. We got to eat at the "big table."

This is the zombie alpaca on the farm.

Here are the other alpacas not afraid of the zombie alpaca since alpacas are herbivores- I guess the zombie alpaca eats dead grass (there's your answer KnitNight Marc!) The littlest one was born on Monday and was sheared while we were there.

Harvest Time

2011-09-23T21:13:00.003-04:00

Behold the proud farmer and his ear of corn.

This corn was so rubbery, even the critters wouldn't eat it.

This is the sum total of the corn crop.

I boiled some for dinner but sadly it was inedible.

This is the total (to date) of the potato crop.

There are probably more underground. I quit looking after I found one.

While I haven't spoken this fact out loud, I'm fairly sure that the lovely corner where the garden was started is a little too shady to ever be bountiful. There are scads of green tomatoes dreaming of what they might have been and showing no signs of turning color. When picked to ripen off the vine they quickly mold and wrinkle. And so it goes.

Tomorrow the knit night crew is coming to the 'burg for an Alpaca Open House at Lippincott Alpacas. Our trip there will be preceded by a visit to Lavern's- which is the restaurant where they filmed the first episode of the West Wing- when they were stranded in a snow storm. Lavern's is best known for their apple dumplings- we are going only for dessert. I think I'll skip lunch entirely.

The final word on the video- I don't really feel like I can post it anywhere. When we were filming, I promised everyone that it would not be "youtube" material. It did what it was supposed to do for our girl. It took her out of the hospital room and back to her reality for a little while. Her mom made a special stop to see me on the way to the hospital the next day to thank me for making her daughter laugh (and cry in a good way) for the first time in a long time. She's shown it to every hospital employee that has passed through her room. It feels good. And gives me hope for the next project that I try flying into the frying pan.

fall

2011-09-19T16:39:00.002-04:00

I know that fall "begins" on Friday, but...

Somewhere around 12:20 pm today I felt my own internal equinox. Those green tomatoes in the garden don't have much longer to turn red, the corn stalks that made only rubbery sort of corn (not unlike the clay they were mostly growing in) are really only autumn decor, the September rain that is falling isn't that cold sort yet but reminds you of what it will feel like, and the felted clogs feel more comforting than constricting.

Things I would have preferred not to have heard today

2011-09-12T18:04:00.003-04:00

The Neil Diamond song "I'm a Believer" rewritten to a song about eating vegetables in the mobile ag-science lab at school.

The fifth grade teacher saying "That outfit is really slimming." Hello! Why don't you just say Hey FatA$$- you wear black well.

The insurance company saying "We have no record of your check for $926.53." and also discovering that they took your husbands car off of the insurance instead of the one you traded in.

We did this last week.

It's a full moon.

I'm sure there were more that I've blocked out but those were the best and really set the tone for the day.

On the other side- the video is progressing nicely. It's mostly turning out the way I imagined. There are just a few more teachers I have to get clips from. The plan for my portion is to have people videotape me at various locations and in various situations saying "just a minute- I have one more clip to add" and possibly me snoozing on the laptop. The secretary at school had a dream that I sang "Goodnight Sweetheart" at the end of it and I may have to do it to make dreams come true.

The sweater is also coming along and if nothing else provides some meditation time for me to regroup and start over tomorrow.

Jumping in without a net, Flying in deep water...

2011-09-08T16:44:00.002-04:00

That's when I'm happiest- case in point (and why I will curtail this blogpost)

That sweater of Silky Wool? No pattern. Not one. Measurements, washed swatch, Sweater Design in Plain English, EZ's percentage plan. I've got the math worked out (with some gracious help from kmkat- who does math for fun?) up until I add the sleeves (it's a bottom up cardigan) then I'll have to start thinking again. It's the first project that has piqued my interest in some time- and mostly because I don't really know how it will end or what will happen next.

Nother case in point. I mentioned in an earlier post that we've got a teacher who is serious bad sick. Won't be back this year. She's not very old- 30ish- cancer is revisiting-it makes a friend feel helpless. It makes a faculty feel helpless. She's got a great support system so kids and household are well managed so there's even less for us to try and do.

Since her visitors are limited, I'm making her a video. I'm going to each person on the staff and asking them to do something ridiculous for the sake of cheering her up. They all mostly (well all except one) agree- at first reluctantly and then are stars once the camera is on. I've got the principal singing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes." I've got two burly custodians singing and marching to "Hi Ho, Hi Ho." You get the picture. Little snippets of laughable and lovable moments for her to have at her side when a little bit lonely.

I did make sure that the recordings would transfer to my editing program before starting. As the week has gone on, clever little clips are coming to me at random moments (All the 1st grade and k-ers in the cafeteria raised their hands at the same time and when called on said "Will you open my ranch PLEEEAASSEE????") I am slowly accumulating clips that are cracking me the heck up. I got a bus driver to sing a verse of the Wheels on the Bus singing- "The drivers on the bus say LET ME OFF!"

Driving home today I had a vision as to how I want to connect these clips using Final Cut Express and Live Type.

Here's where the flying without fish and jumping in a landslide happen. I have NO IDEA how exactly to work those programs. I am not an experienced movie editor. I have Zero Skills other than reading the directions and trying stuff once or twice a few years ago. And yet, today while driving home from work, I was sure I wouldn't need a nap after school because I'm so excited to get started on figuring it out. I may not figure everything out the way it is in my mind but I can't wait to try.

For being such a rule following anxiety ridden person in most parts of life, it makes me happy to realize that there are times when I can just say to myself "here's an idea, let's see what can happen!" Which is where I'm going now- just to see what I can figure out.

Scheming...

2011-09-03T20:44:00.004-04:00

The Swatch

Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool size 3 needles

garter, stockinette, moss stitch, double moss

I hate it when I decide to take photos in the dark of night.

The Stash

Elsbeth Lavold- a maroon and a blue jean sort of blue.

Thanks for that sale, WEBS.

The Plan

Based on a sweater that I wore endlessly.

Everything dark will be the maroon in stockinette

Everything not dark will be the blue in a single moss stitch.

The Math

Anyone who wants to figure out how to reduce 30 stitches evenly over 80 rows, email me in a few hours. I'm sure I'll get it by then. There's a great calculator on knitty but it wanted me to adjust for hips, waist and bust and it didn't accept the fact that my waist and bust are nearly identical. Hopefully Maggie Righetti's Sweater Design in Plain English will be kinder to me.

The Cake

Didn't happen yet- it's too hot to bake a cake.

The Neighborhood Racetrack

I bravely put on my teacher face and asked that junior no longer ride roughshod through our driveway gravel and into the mud puddle (caused by a spring) at the bottom of our front yard. So far so good but I'm not holding my breath.

The Family

Lil' Liza went for her first ride in Gilda. While she seems to approve, she looked a little overwhelmed by the amount of space in the hatchback. Mr. Sophanne is experiencing some unpleasant dental pains. I miss him when he is sleeping pain away to the background sounds of college football.

hi blog.

2011-09-01T17:49:00.002-04:00

School started. Do you miss me?

All is well.

Bullet points of note with a real blog post this weekend.

- I have a snow car now. My $ubaru 4ester will eat the snow that covers my road. Her name is Gilda.

-the Sophanne's have new neighbors. They ride midget motor bikes and four wheelers after school every day. Their backyard is in front of our house. Soon we will make a call regarding our township's noise ordinance. But first...

-we have to find out where the easement on the property is in case we have to use some of their yard for when we get City Water (as opposed to well water)

-I've taken to doing my own vacuuming at school. And still the custodian (who I like but am always discouraged by) comes in and complains about her job and the people she doesn't like. Another custodian had to change the vacuum bag on her vacuum cleaner so that I could vacuum my floor. There's so much wrong with that.

-knit night makes me happy. We may have a knit night field trip on September 17 to the local alpaca farm. I hope we do.

-there is a kid at my school with the name Nimrod but we call him something else. I'm glad for him and me.

-tonight's plan was to make a Black Forest cake for a cake walk this weekend. The walk was cancelled so I might be making it this weekend just to see if I can.

The most Favorite part of the Day

2011-08-17T20:06:00.001-04:00

This evening I told the paint joke to Aunt of Sophanne (who had not yet read the previous blog post)

Me: What's red and smells like blue paint?

AofS: Red paint.

Holy crack me up. She didn't think it was one bit funny.

Then I told her the green with wheels one and she laughed her a$$ off and said "now that's funny."

The Great Escape

2011-08-16T21:05:00.003-04:00

...that's what I'm calling knit night tonight. There's been a little whackadoodle in my life. No badness just some absurdity.

When faced with the crazy, it's best just to laugh. It's time for a mini-crack-me-up post.

Random crack me up number the one.

Imagine you are on a date (chickenchicken). It's not really a blind date. (chickenchicken) You've met the guy. (chickenchicken) But once you're out in the world you notice that instead of saying "yeah" (chickenchicken) or uh huh (chicken chicken) or "my meal is fine, thank you for asking" (chickenchicken) at appropriate moments your date says chickenchicken This guy has several redeeming qualities but as it turns out chickenchicken is indeed a deal breaker. Having heard that story from my favorite secretary (it's a true story) I really can't resist indulging in the random chickenchicken in my life.

Random crack me up number the B.

I can count on KnitnightJustine to make me laugh. But that's a lot of pressure so I don't tell her that and I quietly hope it happens.

Tonight she did not fail. She shared some gems from The anti joke page From their website

What are Antijokes? Anti Jokes (or Anti Humor) is a type of comedy in which the uses is set up to expect a typical joke setup however the joke ends with such anticlimax that it becomes funny in its own right. The lack of punchline is the punchline.

Such as (from the website)-

What's red and smells like blue paint? Red paint.

What's green and has wheels? Grass. I lied about the wheels.

And one I wrote myself-

What's blue and smells like red paint? blue paint. I lied about the red.

They make no sense. Some of them are just wrong. Some are hysterical. I got to laugh tonight and that is always a good thing.

VRBO revisited.

2011-08-15T20:03:00.007-04:00

Remember that VRBO from our recent vacation? Remember how we went three days without air conditioning in 90 degree weather? I know there are bigger problems in the world but in my little world on this little blog, when you save for a year for summer vacation and pay $400 a day for a beach rental that doesn't have what it says it's going to, it's plenty annoying.

Mr. Sophanne and I did not hold the big grudge after the airport recovery trip. We had a nice time, didn't mention the earlier difficulties, took care of the property as the guests that we were and left knowing that all that would have to be done for the next tenants would be some very light sweeping, mopping and tub/toilet cleaning.

No damage was incurred and we left everything as we found it.

Mr. Sophanne attempted to contact Bob Lieber, 331 40th St., Avalon, NJ (his real name and address) 5 times in the last week to finalize the contract, determine the status of the security deposit and move on.

After neglecting all phone calls, Mr. Lieber sent an email today that charged us $250 in cleaning costs. Even at a generous $15/hr that means 16 hours of cleaning which is absolutely absurd. In addition we were charged $15 for the "trash disposal" of the frozen unopened hot dogs that we didn't use that we left in the freezer for the next tenants. We were also charged $15 for using a plastic placemat that was in the pantry under the dog's water and food bowl (notably to protect the floor). He said we destroyed pantry shelf lining.

In fact, he let us know that according to him and pending the comcast bill, (to determine whether we ordered any movies in spite of us reassuring him that we didn't) we owe him $29.46.

Men are different than women. If Mr. Sophanne is angry at something like this he's m-f'ing up one wall and down the other at the asshatness of the guy. He says when he does it enough he wears himself out and it's out of his system. For me that only aggravates and stirs up my seething fury that has no real outlet. If vengeance can't be mine then I don't want to think about it. I plan on deleting any future emails (for some reason reading rather than hearing what he wrote makes me angrier) and letting Mr. Sophanne do or not do what he will.

However, I am not above asking my blog friends to aid in the expression of my anger. You are all such wonderful writers (I know-I read your blogs). Let's have an insult-fest in the comments (Bob Lieber is so slimey... or whatever other form suits your style best). Do me a favor and let him have it. I won't have so much mad if you make me laugh.

Lincoln's Blog

2011-08-13T20:18:00.004-04:00

Mr. Sophanne and I don't do the cell phone thing. We both work in rural areas that get spotty service at best. While we are both relatively intelligent people (proof- I remembered Harper Lee's name in a crossword puzzle today), we can't bring ourselves to negotiate the literacy level of cell phone contracts.

When we went on vacation we needed a phone. I'm a big fan of the trac phone- pre-pay, 800 minutes for the next year (some sort of special double your minutes offer) and fuhget about it until the next year. Little did I know at the time of purchase that trac phones now have cameras!

This weekend I found myself in Gettysburg, PA by way of Mountain Mama's house. While packing and getting ready to go it didn't occur to me to add the camera. Once there I realized what an error I had made. Fortunately I did have the cell phone.

We didn't have time (or honestly deep interest) in the actual historical sites of the city. Instead we opted for a quick walk through the touristy trap shops.

The anachronistic nature of this area was not lost on me. "Lincoln's Bus Lines" and the sign that said "This parking reserved for Horse Soldier patrons only" were two of my favorites. Also funny to me was the "word on the street" that Steven Spielberg had just been to the Dobbin House for research on a movie about Lincoln. I walked right past the hotel where Steven Spielberg saw where Abraham Lincoln slept!

Here is Mountain Mama Lincoln

Here I am peeking out of the Chaplain's quarters at a fake encampment.

And although I don't have a great interest in the details of American History (c'mon you know I'm not the only one), I do have a great respect for wise thoughts and wise words in dire times so I will try to class up this post a little bit by ending with the Gettysburg Address (as copied from Wikipedia). Some words indeed are timeless.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Dear Nature

2011-08-10T14:41:00.001-04:00

Thanks for lunch.

The Elusive Apple Annies

2011-08-08T17:09:00.005-04:00

If you google Apple Annies, Pt. Marion, PA, you will find a restaurant that generally gets 4.5 out of 5 starts on all of the food critic pages. You won't find it on a map- it's in an alley right after the VFW and the only way I got there was going with someone I knew. Thus began this today's adventure.

I met up with the art teacher friend (who also has one of the cutest babies I've ever seen- see for yourself)

He's teething, can you tell?

We were a little early for the 11:00 am meeting with others so we stopped at the WVU Dairy Farm- there we saw some cows.

Cow Baby

Cow Mama to be

Cows saying "this is better than Apple Annies!"

Coincidentally, the Dairy Guy was the husband of one of the women we were to meet for lunch. He answered all questions "cow" and even ones we didn't ask. You probably already know this but the amount a cow milks is measured officially in pounds. The "heavy milkers" that you see in the last picture produce 115 pounds of milk a day which translates into 15 gallons!
The milk from the dairy farm goes to cheesemakers in Pittsburgh.

Apple Annie's met all expectations and in honor of the cows I had a three-cheese grilled panini. I also think I'll have some ice cream tonight. Thank you cows.

How many (sung to the tune of Blowin' In the Wind)

2011-08-07T20:00:00.004-04:00

socks must I knit for myself, before I can knit them for others?

The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind.

This is pair number four.

What do you do with your "dead soldier socks?" Or maybe you take good care of them and don't have any. Me? I wear the hell out of them all winter and usually have irreparable holes. I mean- the rest of the sock is good except for the hole part. What to do.

In other knitting news, Mr. Sophanne took his felted (wool) clogs to the beach and wore them regularly. I said "you know, those probably make your feet hotter than they want to be right now." He said "I like them."

That's right- you've heard it here first Mr. Sophanne has been wearing something I knit.

In other knitting news, how great would it be if I would knit a pair of felted clogs for all of the family that we were with these past two weeks (10 pairs). What a Christmas that would be. We know that I have more than enough Cascade to pull it off. Thankfully I was able to refrain from making that offer while anyone was listening. Maybe I'll save that project for my teacher friends. There aren't as many of them.

and then

2011-08-06T19:55:00.004-04:00

We saw the smurf movie and we went back to wildwood and Mr. Sophanne "won" a Papa Smurf if you can call $17 at the "Duck Pond" winning.

And my new favorite boardwalk treat is orange sherbet/vanilla swirl frozen custard from Kohr's Bros.

The end.

Home again and the garden is a jungle.

Marie (Red853 on Ravelry) took good care of plants and animal (cat) while we were away and took the guilt inducing spinning wheel off of my hands. Knitters are good people.

While we were away, my favorite dyer of wool, Stitchjones, decided to have herself a little yarn club-not a gang- called Yarnageddon I don't know how many slots she has but if you're a lemming, you might want to get in on this. I love love her colors. And I like her.

Blog friends are good. When vacationing became overwhelming I had blog posts from my friends to keep me grounded. They would show up in my reeder, I wouldn't have time or energy to comment and I would mark them as "unread" so that they would be there the next time I checked. I didn't read them again. I just liked having them there for moral support. I knew if I got wiggy and needed a "lifeline" and said so in my blog there would be an outpouring of support and ideas. So I just kept them there to carry along in my back pocket when the going got bumpy.

The week ahead is the last week of summer vacation. Teachers go back on the 15th. Kids return on the 18th. One thing I realized over the summer is that the lunchtime space of last year was unacceptable. Either the talker goes (by way of good scheduling) or I do- by way of finding somewhere else to eat. Life is too short to let other people make the days so long.

What a completely non-sequiter blog post. I'll work on organizing thoughts during this week. Then when Mr. Sophanne sees me sitting in the knitting chair watching Netflix and asks me what I'm doing I'll be able to say "Organizing my Thoughts."

Insane.

2011-08-04T10:27:00.009-04:00

Last year at Wildwood, Levi was a little hesitant to get on rides.

This year Uncle Jerry got him to go on the giant swing.

and the fear barrier was broken.

(I'm working on getting this out there)

As can bee seen by this skycoaster video- the "Oh NO" and "Oh God" in the background is Mr. Sophanne which, in my opinion, make the video.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sophanne squeezed himself into a go kart-

The rest of the family took a whirl on some kind of ridiculous "we're stuck in a cage and swinging and going in circles ride"

and the little Lu stuck to what worked for her-

sometimes- in the right light, I think she's a ringer for Drew Barrymore.

I'd like to say I was the photographer but my camera was at home and all of these great shots were taken by the mama. Next time I'll realize that when Mr. Sophanne says "camera" it means he's observing it on the dresser and not picking it up and taking it with him. I did do what I liked best which was watch and cheer for the action.

Vacation Activities Continue

2011-08-03T17:18:00.004-04:00

at Pirate's Cove mini-golf,

looking at family photos with family,

bocci at a local park,

and a trip to the Cape May County Zoo -many thanks for the reminder Becky from Flossy and Kate. We went there last year but were to late to go to the zoo part. It was great- such a beautiful place to walk through- even on a hot day.

There was a trip to Wildwood but I will save that for another post- leave it to say that Levi (bocci-boy) pictured above wow-ed us all by going on the Skycoaster with niece Kate! Video to follow.

Today's Favorite

2011-07-29T22:39:00.003-04:00

My favorite picture of the day is of BrotherJerry stopping "traffic" as TallulahJune makes her way across the street.

No one looked terribly hungry at the end of the evening and I didn't stress out-it felt nice to prepare food- go figure.

HOLY $HIT

2011-07-29T10:11:00.001-04:00

I'm cooking for 12 tonight.

'nuff said.

We're all different

2011-07-28T10:15:00.003-04:00

You might remember a post about the Christmas Program where I point out that one of the ways kids show excitement for the upcoming performance is by asking what songs we are singing. (even after 3 weeks of practice) It reinforces the theory that everyone displays their excitement in different ways.

Examples-

Grandson of Mr. Sophanne said very directly to his mother-"Aren't you excited for tomorrow? We're going to NEW JERSEY!" (somehow I think that's going to be really funny to him someday- New Jersey? Really?)

On the way home from the practice run to the airport, Mr. Sophanne passed the stadium where the Phillies play and practiced for when everyone would be in the car. As in "Look Levi, that's where the Phillies play"

Me, I post on the blog

count 'em Haley-Labor of Love- there are 120! I feel so blessed

A New Business Plan

2011-07-26T20:32:00.003-04:00

I won't go into details because one thing I don't like to do is complain on this blog. Everybody's got troubles. Mine aren't special or at all huge. The following describes the first 3 days at this year's vbro

As of this writing, the situation is vastly improved but suffice it to say that with temperatures in the 90+ degrees since Saturday, things got a little testy.

After taking a practice drive to the Philadelphia Airport-where Mr. Sophanne has to go Thursday morning to get the fam (which also served to cool our tempers and give the repairmen time to work) we returned to the rental hoping desperately rather than seething angrily. Not many can say that a drive to Philly at 4:30 in the afternoon is relaxing but there it is.

We got on our bikes, rode to downtown Avalon and ate at Nemo's. In my opinion it's the cheese that makes or breaks any given pizza place. I ordered the "Pizza Boli" (pizza stromboli) and really got a huge honking slab of italian like bread baked around some seriously awesome mozzarella cheese with a side order of some pizza sauce. Awesome mozzarella can make any day better.

The new business plan? VBRO POLICE FORCE.

T-1 day until the fun fam arrives!

A business plan

2011-07-24T20:36:00.003-04:00

Today was stormy here at the ocean. Lots of thunder rumbling. Lots of shaking dog. It was a good day to snooze, read and relax.

Last night's snack run meant donuts for breakfast, salt and vinegar chips and a Ben and Jerry's ice cream bar for lunch.

Mr. Sophanne went foraging for food later in the day. I don't see what the hurry was. There were still donuts left.

Once the groceries were in-house we went out to eat. It was a place called Maggie's. The food was meh- the "gimmick" of the place were the employee shirts and signs that read "No Whining." I'm guessing we won't be going back there. I like to whine too much. Not really.

We walked onto the beach and it was sparse and lovely. Lot's of open space there. I'll get back to you on the theme music when it's not stormy and it's daytime. We'll likely go tomorrow.

With that in mind I came upon an idea for a new business plan to pitch to Gilette. I believe there is a market for razors aimed at women of Eastern European descent who haven't shaved above the knees since the last vacation. In addition to a sharper more durable razor-possibly along the lines of a utility knife, the combo pak would include liquid plumber.

Any investors? anyone? Beuller?

Avalon

2011-07-23T21:15:00.004-04:00

If you go to iTunes and search Randy Newman and Avalon you will get the soundtrack to a Barry Levinson movie of the same name. If you listen to the first track on that album (the shortest one called Avalon) you will hear a portion of what I think is one of Randy Newman's most beautiful piano pieces. It's less than a minute long but full of lovely dissonances and his amazing ability to make a piano sound like a full orchestra. I wish I could link it, upload it, make it a part of your life, but really it's so short that if you just listen to the sample on iTunes, you'll get the gist. Sadly I was listening to it for inspiration just now in my own iTunes library and the song that followed it was Rick Dees' "Disco Duck" so I sort of lost the mood. Also I have no idea what the movie was about or if it was any good- I'll probably look that up after this post.

Perhaps you are thinking Why Avalon? Why now?

Because I wish Avalon, New Jersey looked and felt the way that piece sounds. If I could go to a place that sounded like that, it would be amazing.

Remember that year we went to the North Carolina shore (emerald isle) for Thanksgiving? Now that place felt like Avalon sounds. I'll have to think about the soundtrack for my current locale. I can tell you that it's fast, the beats are close together and it's probably from the '80's. Or maybe the soundtrack should just BE Disco Duck.

It's all good. I'm not complaining. The rental is very clean and modern (I'm on line without wires) and there is plenty of seating and sleeping space when guests arrive. The air conditioning works, the ocean is 2 blocks (.5 mile) away. The tourist town built around this part of ocean is cute and quaint in a mini Cape May kind of way if that means anything to you. And really, if you were coming from NYC (which many tourists here do), it would feel downright spacious. And there is a giant Pirate putt putt course that we didn't get to go to last year after dinner.

If you were coming from NYC and bringing your dog, said dog might be thrilled to have stone/gravel laden front yards to sniff and consider. For the moment, our 'Lil Liza is wondering how those "city dogs" ever do their business. Given that she's not allowed on the beach and there's no grass to be found, she's probably going to go home thinking her life is a vacation and she has to endure the ride in the car and 2 weeks of gravel-pooping in order earn her lovely vacation home.

And for those long time readers who might be wondering if this annual vacation exchange happened:

Mr. S: which way do I turn? do I turn left here?
S: No, you turn right here.
Mr. S: I think I turn left. The other cars are going that way. I think that looks right.
S: maybe it does but if you want to go back the way we came and get home, you should turn right.
Mr. S (as he is U-turning after a left turn) I guess it was right.

It did. Only this time we had it without the usual accompanying exploding head syndrome. All without any alcohol or medication. There's magic in that 8th year of marriage.

wow. that's it. Just wow.

2011-07-21T19:31:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted my first forays into photoshop Many of you may recall that my initial results were less than stellar.

Jane posted an encouraging comment and when I visited her site I was blown away by her digital portraiture. Her most recent post is of Sammy (a now gone but once beloved pet.) She wrote that she was looking for other images to practice on and I gave her permission to play with any old picture of Liza or Annabelle that struck her fancy from the blog.

Today I received this in the email.

In the original the girl is looking out a window- here she is posing for a portrait. Jane's email also said

...I really appreciate your letting me have my way with your photos. I'm thinking of having a link for purchasing prints and greeting cards with some of the proceeds going to a charity like the Humane Society or Friends of Children. I haven't finalized the details yet, but I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you could mention to your friends/followers that I'm looking for cute canine/feline photos to use for this purpose, I'd appreciate it.

Her work is lovely- she made me love my dog even more (and I didn't think that was possible) and maybe someday my sweet baboo will help sell cards that will help her less fortunate dog friends.

It's just leftover yarn

2011-07-20T09:20:00.006-04:00

but it makes me crazy. Because I KNOW that 1) if I made my socks from the toe up 2) if I bought a yarn scale and divided the sock skeins in two or 3) actually paid a tiny bit of attention to the yardage in a skein of sock yarn, I would not have so much left over.

Sometimes there's enough left over for a third sock (which some people recommend in case of emergency). I can't do that- it defies every inclination for symmetry and balance that I have. There is nothing balanced about a third sock.I think it's a sign of negative "just in case" thinking. And there's probably "not quite" enough for a third one anyway.

If I know it's a hearty yardage, I'll go for broke and make 8" from the top down and then finish the foot. If I'm not sure of the yardage I'll go 6-6.5" from the top down.

It doesn't matter. There's always yarn leftover. I can either throw my money away or make some mitered squares.

These are tiny- 32 stitches done on size 2 needles-2 colors-4 ends to weave in- If this little project doesn't inspire me to find something interesting to knit, nothing will because it's going to be a big load of tedious!

It and a sock will, however, fit all of my vacation knitting needs. Simple, easy to pick up and put down, a small bag of knitting as opposed to bringing my whole stash, and no end in sight. And there is a yarn store in Cape May if I get desperate.

And finally, want to go somewhere that you will feel funny, clever, interesting, and otherwise delightful? Just go to my knit night. I love it. And for blogless, vicarious Lisa SImpson (her real name)- passing along the fact that you think I'm funnier than the Yarn Harlot and should write a book- is a little tidbit I'm going to hang on to for quite some time- I don't care if you're delusional. In fact sometimes I wonder if knitnight Gina just made you up to make me feel great.

p.s. when I came home from knitnight last night, I noticed that Mr. Sophanne was wearing his felted clogs... SCORE!!!

When all else fails,

2011-07-18T15:53:00.003-04:00

knit socks. I don't know what I feel like doing next. Socks in summer always make me feel like a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter. The yarn on the left is from Stitchjones. The other two are Wildefoote (which I like to pretend is pronounced like "wildebeast" ) From whence shall inspiration come? I know not. But until then, sock it to me!

A PhD.

2011-07-16T11:16:00.003-04:00

If ever I wanted to do a PhD in the history of elementary music education in America, I blew my chances and threw all of the sources in a dumpster this week.

MountainMama (mama of da brudders) got a new job at a great school. The teacher that retired from that job was not a minimalist. In fact I believe he threw little away. He had the textbooks that I remember using in elementary music and general music textbooks that went back as far as 1954.

He had cassettes, filmstrips, records and reel-to-reel recordings. For a few brief hours I thought for sure MountainMama would double her yearly budget when I went to sell film strips and projectors on ebay but come to find $10 was about all they were worth. If only he'd kept a reel-to-reel player.

The two dumpsters outside the school were both half full when we arrived on Wednesday. By the time we were finished on Friday afternoon, both were overflowing.

That is where I've been- that's what I've been doing. Next week is figure out what to take, what to cook, think about vacation week. If anyone has any favorite "we're renting a house and we might have to feed 11 people" favorite recipes, feel free to post/link them in the comments.

The coming week is the last of the free- no husband-no obligations- summer vacation days. How quickly this time flies.

I have been remiss in garden posts but things are really starting to look good. Since I didn't have any dumpster pictures, here are a few from the garden.

from the front gate

tomatoes

potatoes

cukes

corn

Pink

2011-07-12T11:37:00.003-04:00

My Feet are Gnarlier than they used to be.

My Fingernails are stubs.

I am Overweight in a Noticeable and Uncomfortable way.

My Feet are unlikely to Ungnarl.

My Fingernails will never grow.

I will never weigh what I did 20 years ago.

All that being said,

I will ROCK these pink toenails,

I will ROCK these stubby fingernails,

And I will ENJOY the ocean in a bathing suit.

And I will call it Aging with Grace.

Felted Clogs

2011-07-11T13:56:00.003-04:00

Felting clogs gives me the same feeling as when a jello mold works. I'll shave them after they dry.

Poetry

2011-07-11T08:43:00.002-04:00

Mr. Sophanne's daughter has a blog and a plan. For the last year and a half she and a compatriot have been trying something "new" for a month and blogging about it. It's been inspirational and I often find myself "playing along" in some small way. I believe that we have a garden now in no small part thanks to the inspiration from reading her blog and watching her go through the various months.

This month's "challenge" is to memorize a poem and recite it in public. She has been blogging about poetry, stage fright and other related thoughts. This morning when I went looking on my shelves for a little something to read I found a copy of "Ten Poems to Change Your Life" and was prompted to have a look.

The very first poem was like a gift to my good friend who is going through some not so good times. Her life is changing for the better but every now and then it doesn't feel that way. I am posting this poem in her honor today.

The Journey by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life that you could save

WHAT???? No daily blog post?

2011-07-09T22:44:00.004-04:00

It's summer, I feel a mission to keep you entertained. And yet knitting a pair of men's size 13 clogs has been pretty time consuming. I told Mr. Sophanne that everyone in the knitting world said they "were the bomb" and maybe he'd want a pair. At first he declined but once I said "o.k. I won't make them for you..." he said, "well if they're the bomb..."

The bonus is that I have some gold cascade that I hate the most the most. I'm mixing it with some dark brown and getting rid of that crap color!

Also I figure that if I have to be disappointed about a felting failure, I'll have more support if he has a stake in it too. Two more soles to knit and attach and it will be felting time.

After reading the pattern for the third time I noticed that the last round before the cuff says k2, k2tog then knit to the end. Sadly on my own pair I read this as k2, k2tog AROUND THE CUFF. The footholes on mine are going to be notably undersized. If you somehow know this won't make a lot of difference and that I can stretch it out, I'd be much obliged for such knowledge. This confirms my inability to follow directions in spite of previous gloating to the contrary.

And finally- the best part of my day today happened at 10:30 a.m. when LizaJane decided I had slept in enough, jumped on the bed, licked my face awake and left and came running to me with my shoes. The second best part of the day was when after noticing a pinkish color in her poop I discovered the two earplugs that I couldn't find 2 nights ago. Lawd-a-mercy I love that dog.

Meanwhile

2011-07-07T17:17:00.002-04:00

while the garden was growing, I knit a giant clog to be felted. I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it this afternoon. It is the fibertrends pattern gifted to me many moons ago by Yarnhog. It's taken about 4 years to get over previous felting traumas and try it again. it didn't hurt that there was a perfect amount (I'm hoping) of wool to make these in the goodneighborMarilyn bag. It's a lot easier to accept failure with yarn your not particularly attached to.

laptop shown below for scale

There was a time in early knit night adventures when a young girl would come in seeking weekly help "in the next step" when making these. That and warnings of difficulty kept me away from trying. That'll teach me. I'm pretty sure though that it was watching knitnightDebbie show a million people what to do next on them made me understand what I was doing better. Whether these actually felt the right way or not, this one looks like it's supposed to and the rest is up to chemistry.

I better get knitting before second-clog syndrome kicks in!

Meanwhile

2011-07-07T17:17:00.000-04:00

while the garden was growing, I knit a giant clog to be felted. I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it this afternoon. It is the fibertrends pattern gifted to me many moons ago by Yarnhog. It's taken about 4 years to get over previous felting traumas and try it again. it didn't hurt that there was a perfect amount (I'm hoping) of wool to make these in the goodneighborMarilyn bag. It's a lot easier to accept failure with yarn your not particularly attached to.

laptop shown below for scale

There was a time in early knit night adventures when a young girl would come in seeking weekly help "in the next step" when making these. That and warnings of difficulty kept me away from trying. That'll teach me. Whether these actually felt the right way or not, this one looks like it's supposed to and the rest is up to chemistry.

I better get knitting before second-clog syndrome kicks in!

3 posts in one day?

2011-07-06T17:21:00.002-04:00

I let it block flat for a while so that the stitches would speak out. Now it's on the glass head.

GoodneighborMarilyn called earlier today and said she had a bag of yarn for me. It was decent yarn that I won't discuss because I always think that's kind of boring. If you're into that sort of thing, I've updated my stash on Ravelry and you can see what I've got to play with.

I mention this because there is a boatload of this stuff pictured below and there was no label. The weight and skein size feels similar to alpaca that I've purchased so I'm going to guess there's at least 800 yards. I'm also going to guess that there is some acrylic/viscosey thin in it but I'm not sure if it's completely synthetic- there's a thin thread of something running through it, I'm guessing to give it stability. Anyone have any guesses? It smelled like moth balls if that's any clue. you wouldn't really need to put acrylic yarn in moth balls.

Maybe I can find someone who is allergic to wool and someone else who is allergic to alpaca and see if they react.

I thought I could wait but I was mistaken

2011-07-06T12:41:00.002-04:00

Once it's dry, I'll show it in action on the glass head.

Why there is always fur on my kitchen floor...

2011-07-06T12:09:00.003-04:00

Can't you hear all the other kitties say "my turn, my turn!"

Doublemassa is finished and soaking for blocking. Soon there will be pictures.

Today I get to visit my yarn and patterns and decide what's next.

Also I ordered a 20"x30" print of my abstract art to hang in my classroom. It will remind me that it can always be summer in my mind and that it's o.k. to play.

abstract art

2011-07-04T15:47:00.002-04:00

Just move along if this isn't your cup of tea...

This afternoon picture the first became picture the second in my continued exploration of PSE9

The exploration of effects enchants me.

more of the same but more

2011-07-02T19:05:00.003-04:00

So I was disentangling cucumber curlicues from tomato plants (note to self- when they say 18" apart, they really mean it) and watering and I found this-

Then I went to photoshop and figured out how to do this with yesterday's tomato picture.

Farewell Sweet Prince

2011-07-01T19:55:00.003-04:00

If Aunt of Sophanne wants to wear him out she need only break out the hose. He's going to try to go home tomorrow- out of a life of servitude and back to the castle.

He was probably doing the "we have 2 tomatoes" happy dance.

Fat Quarters

2011-07-01T14:20:00.005-04:00

It seems to me that while I make a list of "things to do" in the summer, it's just that a list. It's not the law. Photoshop was not on my list but one thing led to another and there it was. Fat quarters are now on my list.

This morning I went to a "knit night" at a sewing shop Sew Much Fun In McMurray, PA. The owner is a knitter and has decided to stock yarn as well. I'll tell the truth about that place- and I'm an expert in this- it's cluttered. I think there is probably a lot of really cool stuff there sewing wise (the yarn wasn't out yet) but it was really difficult to wrap my mind around it- likely because I'm less familiar with the "genre"- someone with more knowledge than I might be able to make sense of the surroundings a little better. I didn't know what to look at.

The visit DID tickle the sewing part of my brain and the ever elusive quilting part- I get the idea of assembling the top but how does that turn into a quilt- that's where I struggle. Oh yes, I have a rotary cutter and some of the plastic measury things you need for such a project, and a "how to" book for beginners. I'm just lacking some skills.

I refrained from indulging.

Then I remembered that the Burg of Wayne actually has a quilt shop (I know- go figure) so I stopped there on my way home. The smaller more focused local shop was a little more manageable to my visual filter and the owner was as nice as could be. She told me about classes that would be offered in the fall and helped me find a little project for some practice sewing to tide me over until I learn stuff. This place is LESS THAN A MILE FROM MY HOME! As long as she offers night classes, I'm good to go with a new hobby and a person to go to for help.

The project I bought there is a little quilters travel case that would also be perfect for dpns. She says "just follow the directions." I tried to refrain from chuckling. But if I get confused, she's right there and she'll want to help me because then I'll buy stuff from her!

I read some directions and was a little intimidated so while at the annoying "W" store I saw that they sold fat quarters. I decided to pick some up to use as practice. Similar colors means no fiddling with the bobbin. There's also the matter of clearing off the work space that I have allowed to become horribly cluttered.

The "real" quarters are on the left, the fake ones are on the right-

Dog of Aunt of Sophanne may try to go home tomorrow and as far as I'm concerned, I've already had a full day, but look out Tuesday (assuming decluttering will take 2 days) because maybe I will make something.

Just in case you come here for knitting,

First up is the "downstairs" sock. So named because I knit it when we are downstairs and I need a break from the complicated. The yarn is from Stitchjones'. oh how I love her stuff. I forget the name of the colorway.

The "upstairs" sock also known as the "knit in bed" sock is Wildefoot with some number as opposed to color- let's call it Sage. Both use my favorite feeling broken rib sock pattern- one row of k1p1 and then a row of k3p3

The downstairs project that I sometimes need a break from is the Doublemassa from Charlene Schurch's Hat's On. If you have someone to knit a hat for and are o.k. with simple color work I can not recommend this book enough. I believe that in 100 years, it will be the book you'll be looking for because it's not in print anymore and it's the best hat book ever. Well, actually maybe you won't be looking for it but someone will. If you need a reason to get it, consider it an investment. It's gold. (totally unsolicited endorsement)

If you're unfamiliar with the construction and don't feel like clicking the link, what you should know is that the all black and about 4 inches of the color work is actually lining and roll it up on itself part at the forehead. This means 4x's the warmth around the forehead and ears. I'm doing this one in (big surprise) Elsbeth Lavold silky wool on size 4 needles. I tried making it once before without putting stitch markers between the larger pattern rounds and that was an error. Things are going much more smoothly now.

Holy too many words blog post batman- if you made it this far AND read the words, you are a better person than I am- thanks!

Drive Thru

2011-06-30T17:20:00.004-04:00

The box by the light used to bloom tulips, daffodils, and mums. In an effort to "declutter" (there were weeds there also) Mr. Sophanne removed everything last summer including the bulbs. We won't go into how disappointed I was when I realized that he never put them back and we didn't have any spring flowers there.

Instead he planted some corn seeds. The deer will think it's a drive thru.

Here's a little weird factoid about me. When I get my gardening gloves from the shed and they are stiff with soil and kind of look inflated, it really creeps me out in a Boris Karloff kind of way. Not for any length of time- just the time it takes from the gloves to go from in the basket to on my hands.

I bought some stuffed animal birds at the toy store today. They are pretty adorable. The toucan is a puppet.

I like to have some kind of nature theme that overrides the whole year in music class. Something that we can focus our attention on, use to create rhythms etc. I was explaining that to the clerk and she said that the thing she likes about birds is that when she sees them walking and flying it reminds her what dinosaurs might have looked like.

If you have time to comment, what do you think when you think about birds?

Things to come

2011-06-29T16:26:00.003-04:00

This is Tallulah June

This is Tallulah June on Photoshop

Photoshop Elements cracks me up. I feel like I am Luke Skywalker only I haven't learned about the Force. I know it's there but I just don't know what to do with it.

Sorry

2011-06-28T22:35:00.003-04:00

about that last post. If you have any sense of real art, you'll realize it was akin to a 5 year old drawing stick figures. One new commenter, Jane, said to hang in there. I visited her blog and saw the possibilities-holy crap it's some cool cool stuff. If you've got extra time, go visit her.

In news about something I actually CAN do, Queen Anne's Lace has found a home. No longer does it hang dolefully on my work lamp.

Instead I gave it to knitnightruth- you may remember her from the early days when she wore a pre-felted hat on her head. Bonus points to the dedicated reader who can find that post since I never put keywords or tags in any of my posts. Anyway- Ruth does things like go to shows and the opera. She will have occasion to wear such a garment. She was also the generous donator of the cool electric monopoly game the summer I took those kids to NYC (again-bonus points if you can find that post but fewer because I actually know what time of year that happened) Long Live the Queen as I named the project on Ravelry couldn't have a better home.

Somebody here

2011-06-28T16:16:00.002-04:00

is figuring out Adobe Photoshop Elements 9...

I call this first tragic composition The Many Faces of Liza

Follow through

2011-06-25T12:04:00.002-04:00

Behold the $3 ipad holder. Actually I paid another $8 for an exacto knife and some extra blades but as I see it I'm still ahead $89. Mr. Sophanne said something about liquid resin for the insides. I don't really know what he's talking about. I'm just impressed that I did something I said I was going to do.

One of the books I found at the library was called"Born to Kvetch by Michael Wex. Yiddish is such a mishmash of puns in multiple languages, secrets and opposite meanings. There are curses and my favorite so far has been "may your teeth all fall out- except for one that you may get a toothache. It would seem that curses were on the same level as the more recent "yo mama is..." genre. I'll read as much as interests me until it's due back at the library.

Speaking of teeth- the repaired chipped tooth is once again in disrepair. yet another trip to the dentist on Monday. I'm starting to wonder if I have some sort of chemical reaction with whatever epoxy they use to hold it in place. Maybe my chemistry breaks down what would normally stick things together. Maybe that is my superpower. Maybe the dentist should look into some liquid resin.

Let's try that video again...

2011-06-24T16:47:00.001-04:00

The Library

2011-06-24T13:57:00.003-04:00

There are many sites in the Burg of Wayne that defy even the most artistic photographer. It tries to pull off lovely and quaint but there is often an undefined layer of grimy gravely cheap cement-like quality to many areas of town.

Not so with the Eva K. Bowlby Library. In my mind it's one of the classiest places in town. And I always forget about it.

The front

Looking forward and left upon entering

Looking backward and left upon entering

Magazine reading room to the right upon entering

The stacks are in a newer addition of the building back and to the right of the entrance. Often there is a small portable rolling shelf that has culled books for sale. These shelves and a need for a strong book prompted my visit.

There is an OSX daily newsletter with all things/tricks/news apple that I receive via email. Today's contribution offered a way to make your own discrete ipad book case" The rolling bookshelf was not on display and I'm guessing I can find a suitable book at the next flea market. The idea did remind me of the library and I picked up some books to read that I may or may not share later.

The thing I've always find interesting about libraries is that you can borrow books about stuff that you would never normally read. The biography of Winston Churchill, a book about raccoons, how to draw Chinese characters, etc.

The activities of the last few weeks have left my back strongly protesting anything that requires moving. I thought maybe I was just building some muscles but after the spasm yesterday I realized that maybe I should pause for a little while. (it also means that there are shelves of books that I didn't look at because they were too low on the stacks) This afternoon's trip to the library will make pausing myself a little more interesting for the next day or two.

The two dogs in my house are experiencing no such aches and pains of summer vacation as can be evidenced by the short video clip below.

Nothing funny

2011-06-22T11:03:00.007-04:00

About a social commentary on domestic violence so if you’re looking for a crack me up post, come back later.

I recently finished this book found on this site

In it the author tells her story of being swept off her feet by “Prince Charming” only to discover that he was physically abusive. She is so enamored by him that she ignores the early warning signs (subconsciously) and finds herself trapped with seemingly no way out.

Once an editor for Seventeen magazine, she quits her job and moves with him to an isolated Vermont town away from friends and family. Through a series of events and after four years she is able to escape but not without severe mental and financial damage.

If I were looking for a reason to be angry and indignant, the abuse is certainly enough. People shouldn’t assault or scare the people they love. The end. That’s been said and is obvious enough.

What surprised and enraged me more was the reaction of some of her “friends” and family as she was finally making efforts to put her life back together.

Her husband (as is typical according to psychiatrists) never fully acknowledged or took responsibility for the abuse or the severity of his actions. He made a point of telling anyone who asked how much he loved and cared for her and how he wanted the marriage to work- that he was willing to do anything to make it so.

Her father (a prominent judge) believing that the husband could do no wrong, paid for the abusers attorney. Her aunt gave him a home to call his own when the protection order prevented him from using their shared address. Her therapist and attorney informed her that the quickest and easiest action that she could take to be rid of this nightmare was to give the abuser (the man who had choked and punched her into unconsciousness) everything he asked for (in the divorce) to be done with him as quickly as possible. This included assuming the debt of massive student loans that he had convinced her to put in her name because his credit wasn’t as good.

Fortunately there were no children involved but I can’t imagine going through that nightmare only to have the people who were supposed to love and support you believe that you somehow had provoked, encouraged, deserved or worse yet imagined the severity of the abuse you faced.

We think we are so wise and advanced as a culture. We let women drive- we are opposed to countries that don’t. But, we also say to the women of our culture “Your husband physically assaults you? You must have done something wrong. Go back and work it out. Do it for the children. I don’t believe you.” and then when we hear of a woman being killed by her abuser we sit back and wonder why she didn't leave him.

End of commentary- crack me up will continue tomorrow assuming I find something to laugh at.

hoe hoe hoe

2011-06-21T12:32:00.004-04:00

Grow Grow Grow

LizaJane added for scale- I think the way to measure is by comparing the brown to green ratio in the pictures. I see progress.

In a related post...

2011-06-20T17:37:00.003-04:00

What did the washer say to the dryer?

You go your way and I'll go mine.

You'll eat your words!

2011-06-20T12:27:00.009-04:00

I don't know which is worse- a blog post with no pictures or a blog post with artless bad pictures. I'm going for the latter today.

Once upon a time I had a friend who was such a house cleaner that I teased her about dusting her vacuum cleaner. Today I washed my washing machine.

It's all in an effort to give myself at least one week of guilt free summer vacation relaxation. If I've taken care of the house, I have permission to relax a little.

As part of this laundering of the laundry room I did a little furniture rearranging. The table you see blocking a door and a toilet we don't use once filled the room vertically. It made everything about doing laundry and emptying the dehumidifier quite cumbersome. I'm hoping that Mr. Sophanne will see it as reduced clutter and ignore the door blocking part.

Probably the shine from the washer and dryer will keep him from even noticing?

In other news- here's what happens when the Scottish Terrier is outside and the furry cat who must be very dangerous is inside.

Yes, a little duct tape fixes everything. Mac may be the younger brother Liza never wanted but she seems to be adjusting well. The cat, on the other hand, is certain that Armageddon has arrived and informs us of the danger every night once Armageddon is in the crate and she can sidle her way into the bedroom. We're just glad she came back after three days.

And finally- just so Aunt of Sophanne knows all is well, here is a picture of her little monkey as he comes to join me while I prepare this blog post.

And here's the little prince sleeping at my feet-dreaming of his mama.

I'm not really famous but

2011-06-16T15:46:00.002-04:00

A cakewreck that I spotted, photographed and sent in to Cakewrecks MADE IT TO TODAY'S POST!

Mine is the last one that says vroom vroom!

One reason

2011-06-16T11:47:00.003-04:00

I love where I live is that when senior boys get their senior pictures taken, sometimes they have it done with their favorite chicken.

This is the grandson of secretarySandy. I also taught him when he was in elementary school.

In other news the silky wool Queen Anne's Lace is ready for blocking. This knit was like reading Crime and Punishment a second time. When I finished I thought to myself "I remember this being much longer the first time."

In yet other news the Brudders Three are coming over for a visit this evening and the rest of the day will be spent in preparation.

Stay tuned.

We're adjusting- especially at lap time.

2011-06-15T22:11:00.001-04:00

It's a little game I've made up called "Spot the Scottie."

Dear Aunt, this picture is for you so that you know all is well- I didn't even have to ask them to pose.

As ye sow...

2011-06-15T13:50:00.002-04:00

so shall ye reap.

...or

Q: what's dumber than a box of rocks?
A: a basket of rocks.

See, I know there's something innately funny about going into the garden (I did some hoeing yesterday- that also makes me laugh) and picking rocks. If I would just wait until later in the day after it's had some time to marinate in my mind I'm pretty sure I'd come up with something better. I'm just too impatient.

Note that the handle of the basket is in disrepair. I put it down (empty) for a brief moment yesterday and Lizajane went running willy nilly with it. It was completely adorable- that dog running with a basket in her mouth- and I may stage it again just for a photo op. Or else maybe I'll try it whilst full of rocks and see what she makes of that.

And in the interest of not complaining about the weather, I'd like to say that the weather we've had for the last 3 days is the best weather I can remember in the last 5 years. It's been perfect. I didn't think we'd ever have days like this again.

It's bunny season

2011-06-13T19:47:00.004-04:00

I've got a nose for bunnies....

I've got a taste for bunnies...

Mr. Sophanne: I've got the bunny

Lil Liza Jane delivered (so far) a total of 5 baby bunnies. She held them gently and dropped them on command (mostly.) We delivered them safely away from her reach (although I fear in direct line of some turkey vultures but what's a bunny saver to do?)

I am back in the Burg of Wayne.

garden pictures added at link on left