M is for Many Mindless Minutes cMus

or Sophanne the Early Years

You can see, I was not always in love with green. Once upon a time, purple had my heart.

In the back is a purple poncho (should have saved it for the letter p). Across the bed is about 6 inches of what I was sure would be the best afghan ever. Both Lionbrand Homespun. Some of it self-purchased, some of it a gift from Mr. Sophanne.

A moonlight madness shawl, a dead muppet shawl, a scarf that has some glitter in it, and a yellow sweater with daisy buttons that was all single crochet. (and oddly enough the only sweater I've ever made that's really come close to fitting well) The Red Heart sweater holds a place in my heart for it was made while camping out in a hospital waiting room and really got the whole enterprise going.

The crocheted afghan (in a tasteful pattern and colors was a cherished gift from an ex-step-mother and should not be included in mindless minutes)

The only defense I have is that I really (I swear) didn't know about wool. Or green.

L is for Looking for Rocks

Where we going?


Looking for rocks.


Building some steps.


Little bit hard.


Babette continues to grow.

K is for Knitnat and Kim made me do it.

My purchases on Saturday were limited- mostly trinkets and such that I couldn't get anywhere else. A cute silver sheep necklace, a sheep t-shirt that read "Oh- Baa-Maa", a leather wallet, and a few fibery goodies. Then I saw the acquisitions of Yvonne and Kim and a little voice said MDSW comes but once a year and all hell broke loose.

Tammy's comment on the last post about being kind to my jealous self made me realize that I was just being lazy about photographing the fiber so I made myself useful and here's the stash-

First up some basic wool no tags but a real deal- planning on being a basic EZ pullover with some fair isle in the yoke.

This next one is mohair- fingering weight.  It's called Bird of Paradise but I've been calling it watermelon in my head.  I am going to try to make the lettuce leaf scarf with it.

I can't tell you how much alpaca spoke to me this past weekend.  Even after the alpaca grinch I just finished.  I loved the natural colors of this and I'm not sure what it's going to be but I've got 1800 yards to play with.

Why didn't I pay closer attention to the basket I pulled this from?  There's no tag on it or the other 3 skeins.  I'm pretty sure I've got about 1500 yards of it.  Might have some linen/flax in it.  It's a little rough but I love the color combo.  I have no plans for it yet.

This is some Rowan plaid.  Buying Rowan at a Fiberfest?  Are you whacked?  Regularly $16.95/ball selling for $5/ball.  Couldn't walk by.  Should have picked up some of the Big Wool when I had the chance.  Yvonne thinks this would make a lovely oversized Clapotis. hmmmm

This was another "Sunday steal".  50% yak- 50% merino. (regularly $20 purchased at $8)  I see a vest with a  cable in the front for this one.

Realize there's that phrase "the best laid plans..." etc but there is the flash stash for MDSW 2008- Thanks to Tammy for pushing me to it!

j is for jealous and juxtapose

Last year as I read the post-MDSW blogs, I was seriously jealous of everyone's great yarn pron. This year some of you noticed that I didn't really give a lot of detail about the recently acquired stash. All will be revealed as new projects appear. I am just trying to be sensitive to my last year's self.

Right now Babette is on the front burner. I feel the color love. The double crochet monotony- not so much. I know for a certainty that if I put this down it will neither be ripped nor finished. It will be endless squares haunting my nightmares. Wanting to spare myself that experience, I move forward with determination.



Pictured below is some Juxtaposition. This mildly dyslexic knitter Can. Not. keep track of rows in lace charts. Determination be damned. It ain't gonna happen.

I so want to knit some lace. I love skinny luscious yarn. I love toothpick needles. Call me crazy. If I only have to look at one row at a time, I'm hoping I will be less distracted and convoluted. The right vs. left slanting symbols are enough all on their own. Who knows, I may have invented a new way to publish patterns.



Jealous be damned- I'm in a photo on the Ravelry Post on MDSW Fourth picture- 4 people on the back banister of the rabbit building then two more on the far right- one with a hat on-sun shining - THAT"S ME!

I is for I was overwhelmed.

I saw the geniuses.

I saw the source.

I saw the action.

I collected 2 bins of new fiber

I had great traveling companions.

There was perfect weather.

It was fun.

H is for Helluva Fiber Geek

Signs for the car window (What a great idea Yvonne!)


Further more, I've packed the ball-winder.

G is for Gander

ETA at bottom
as in, take a gander at this. Come to find I have my own magic marble at home. I bought it after reading about using it for color knitting well before I ever thought I could really knit with colors. The dark in the middle is the shadow of the camera.

Magicky Marbley Babette





not really saying this out loud, but the simplicity of double crochet was a little tedious last night

Edited to Add: "How did you do that?" Go To Knit Picks and get one of these:


I think I got mine at one of the famous 'burg's dollar stores.

Put your camera lens in the eyehole (as opposed to the pie-hole-love that word don't get to use it much) and make yourself late for work as you try to unsuccessfully capture the colors and light that fully represent what's really there.

F is for Football and our Fair Weather Fowl Friends

If nothing else this al-fa-bet-along makes for good titles.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... Last night Mr. Sophanne and I noticed a speedy driver on a rural-ish road. This was the conversation:

mrs- Hey he should slow down. that's dangerous
mr- yea, there are deer out here.
mrs- and turkeys. Now that it's turkey hunting season in WV all of the turkeys have been coming to PA
mr- yea because they don't have a pro football team.

It doesn't really mean anything. It just makes me laugh the stuff that makes for surreal conversation. (my favorite kind)

At knit night last night J's mom talked about a spinner she knew retiring her last sheep. That made me (and really not many others) laugh like crazy. Does the sheep get social security? How about a gold watch? Is it engraved with Baa-aa? I can so entertain myself.

During a discussion on appropriate baby colors when you don't know the sex of the newborn to be, I said, "the yellow I knit for a baby with was pretty girly-" She said, "you have to be careful of yellow, they can make a baby looked jaundiced." I said, "and the greens because then they make them look like aliens."

KNQD had a "magic marble" kaleidoscopey sort of contraption. I've always loved those but if you've never played with one in a yarn store, you are so missing out on the magic. Get thee to a thrift store and then to the LYS and enter the psychedelic world of yarn through a marble.

More colors for Babette. That Mr. Sophanne is starting to catch on. Last night he asked- "Aren't you going to a yarn festival? Why did you buy more yarn now?" I cleverly said, "Oh yeah, oh well."

E is for Everything from the last post in pictures.

Extra Secret Birthday Surprise Doily (should have put something in the picture for scale- it's too big to fit on a 12"x12" cork square. It's maybe 16" in diameter- is that the right word?)



My new best friend- Babette- won't it be fun to watch her grow? These are slightly overexposed and not indicative of the vibrancy of the yarn. The light color is a fluorescent green and not the yellow it appears to be. There will be much more dark purple- that's sort of the main color and it won't be so orangey. Tomorrow at knit night I'll figure out some additional colors. I must say that taking a picture and looking at it makes it easier to see what I "need" colorwise than actually looking at it in real life. That's strange.

D is for Dining out and Desperate Measures

Anyone with Deductive reasoning skills can figure out that Mr. Sophanne inDulgeD in McDonalD's tonight. That is a Desperate measure. While observing the local MickeyD culture he suggested that with prices the way they've been going, soon brides and the bereaved will look to fast food for their catering needs. That cracked me up.

What didn't crack me up so much were the side effects of him having a tooth pulled at the Dentist. With blood thinning Drugs it took forever to clot and we had several hours of cold chills. He's better now but it was really weird. Anyone have a similar experience?

In the fiber front, I believe I've gone over the edge. Why is it that it never occurred to me to crochet with GOOD YARN? There has always been this formula in my head that goes Crochet=RedHeart. Big old "Doh" for me. Granny squaring with good yarn is like crack cocaine to this fiber lover cause I'm a speed demon natural.



I pulled this picture from the Interweave site (hoping they won't mind) but it was this one on Ravelry that made me say Let's Go!




I'm using the colors from:


but I've added a smoky lavender and a darker and dustier blue to the mix. I am in love. Given that the pattern calls for Koigu and I'm using Cascade I may end up with the king-size version. It's the perfect project to compliment some of the harder things I have on the needles. And woe is me, I'll have to pick some more colors on Tuesday.

I didn't complete the whole doily pattern but it looks like a doily. No need to go overboard on something he might not want.

But Sophanne, where are the pictures?

all in good time.

C is for crafty mr. sophanne

This morning as I woke up Mr. Sophanne said, "Hey honey, I got you a present yesterday."

Usually this means that Norfolk Southern (he's a railroad conductor) has given away another trinket to prevent employees from reporting safety concerns. safety incentive. So I was expecting a ball cap, key chain, or travel mug.

Instead he walked down the hall with the gem you see above. I was sure it was worth a fortune but after a quick ebay/amazon search I found that the only bargain he got was paying $3 instead of the $5 asking price. Just another instance of the trash vs. treasure phenomena

The title page says that Alice Carroll was a consultant on the American Red Cross Knitting Manual- it's published in 1947. Under the picture reads

This attractive suit represents the versatility of modern knitting, a far cry from the days when knit garments were intended to keep one warm but not necessarily attractive



What I couldn't capture were the pages of the Three-piece Cape suit. Cape, jacket, and skirt knit on size 1 needles at 8 stitches to the inch. Also missing are the men's swim trunks. All will be revealed in good time (which means when I get to the scanner or figure out how to photograph documents)

B is for Bags at Knit Night

After discovering that I was traveling with no less than 11 projects (3 socks, forest canopy shawl, Christmas stocking, Holiday knits Pillow, crochet doily, and I accidentally forget the rest), I realized that a smaller bag to put in my knitting bag was a must.

For me it's like having food in the house after going to the grocery store. If I don't see it, we don't have it and I forget all about it. I probably have at least 6 months worth of knitting in that one bag, but what a relief. Might be time for a WIP post.

Conversation topics included pondering about the checking of $20 bills with highlighters. Why not check fives and tens-now there's a counterfeit market. Debbie decided she was just going to scribble on any bill anyone hands her. I suggested yellow crayon.

The other laughs came from imagining Debbie in the RV being circled by her husband on his Harley with Riley, the African parrot back seat driving from the passenger seat. An option much better than husband riding next to the driver's side with a bullhorn. This hasn't happened yet but we're expecting it.

Finally an episode in first grade at the end of my day cracked me up. Levi says (at the beginning of class) "Can we play xylophones today?" I say, "sure." Levi (not his real name) proceeds to act like a little squirt for the next 30 minutes. As we proceed to the xylophones, I am placing students where they need to be and turn around to see Levi practicing standing on his head.

As I pointed out at knit night, I'm not opposed to head standing. In fact I voted for it yesterday. But there's a time and a place.

I sent Levi to a little time out area (no xylophones for him)and, being the good teacher that I am, later went to him and suggested that maybe he shouldn't stand on his head in music class. He informed me that he "had one foot on the ground."

So glad for open blog letters

Dear immediate supervisor (for the sake of any potential recriminations, not MY immediate supervisor)

A surprise luncheon was scheduled on this 2 hour early dismissal day for the secretary that has to sit in this office with you all day long.

Ample time was given had you wanted to take the lead on this but as we are not ones to do things at the last minute, we did it ourselves.

That is was to be a surprise was indicated both verbally and in writing.

Is it because you're the boss that you feel you must ruin share this surprise with our administrative assistant 5 damn minutes before it was to take place?

Have you been watching "The Office" for ideas?

Are you related to Michael Scott?

Are you an Ignoranus (thanks Yvonne)- both stupid AND an a$$hole?

Again, not my boss. Or perhaps I should say "not the boss of me."

AND while we're at it...

Dear Mr. Sophanne,

How is it that 95% of the time you have no idea at all what I'm doing with sticks and strings on my end of the couch and yet yesterday you looked over and said, "Are you making doilies now honey? Did you ever get to see the doilies my mother made?"

FYI

I can crochet the snot out of doilies when I feel like it.



Mr. Sophanne's birthday is in 2 weeks. I'm putting together a calendar of pictures and birthdays (at his request.) He was orphaned at age 13 but one thing that he remembers about his childhood were turquoise crocheted doilies.

This isn't really turquoise but I plan a little note that says it combines the turquoise of his mama's doilies with the purple that is me and the dark blue of the man he has become.

He doesn't accept gifts well and if it's not exactly the same as what he remembers, it may mean nothing to him so Claw, if he sniffs his nose at it, this one's yours. This is all assuming that I'll finish it in two weeks.

Off to do laundry and knock out some more dc's. Does it crack anyone else up that I'll be able to work on this while we watch t.v. together and he'll never even once wonder what I'm doing?

You're All Celebrities!

So if I meet any of you at MDSW, please be warned that I will respond to finding out who you are as if I were a star-struck fan.

I met up with Knit'nat (Yvonne) -which was who I was expecting to meet and then Cheryl arrived and I learned she was none other than chezclutter and I was beside myself for a moment or five.

You know it's some good knitting when you start at 11:00 am and then suddenly it's 2:45 p.m. and you wonder where the time went.

I of course am much more fabulous on the blog than I am in real life so there was that hurdle to get over but I must say that I'm looking forward to having Yvonne as a traveling friend to MDSW and meeting Kim once we get there.

Knitters= Good Funny People

Come to find the dog did not eat last year's birthday present. One earring was in the clothes room, one earring was in the bedroom. I have shiny ears again.

CMUS(F) 13 yr old edition

These are the last names of people whose signs I have seen before elections:

Pitlick
Holepit

I am so 13 in my head.

A is for Knit Night

(heh heh- twenty-five more knit night posts where I don't have to think of a title)



This post is humbly dedicated to Lisa and the other lurkers in the blood department at Mercy Hospital. Not because there's anything significantly relevant for you but just because it makes me smile hard when Gina comes to knit night bragging about my blog!

It was a night of knitted toys. Debbie was working on about the cutest knitted bunny I ever did see and Dee was stocking up on yarn for Tucker the Monkey.

When asked what she was knitting, Dee was heard to say "You remember that monkey I did before..." Maybe it's because I'm still a novice regarding my knitting vernacular but it Cracks Me the H-E- Double Hockey Sticks Up to put things I hear at work or play in the context of the real world.

This can be further evidenced by the fact that when Darla told Chris (who was doing some stranded sleeve knitting) that she needed to put her balls in separate baggies I said, (before I could consider the possible inappropriateness) "Yea, well Darla, you need to put your a$$ in a bucket!" I don't really think Darla (or anyone's) a$$ needs to go in a bucket but there it was.

Are there other professions that have the same sort of hystericalness of speech when it's removed from context and thrown into general reality? Is the sense of humor of a 13 year old boy mandatory to make it funny or is it just an added bonus for me?

Gold medal of Patient Teacher to KNQD. There is a knitter working on the "class sock" from a book. Each week she has come seeking guidance and admits herself that she's concerned about driving people crazy with her questions. She is plenty friendly but there is a certain helpless quality in her requests for assistance. I am NO GOOD with that. Can't. Won't. Do it. KNQD, on the other hand, was a paragon of patience. She repeated and rephrased all of her instructions as many times was necessary.

Three Cheers for a teacher that doesn't insist that her students learn as fast as she does.

And while we're at it, Three Cheers for Gina and the blog readers at Mercy for validating this blog for another week.

And why not Three Cheers for Darla for still not knitting a gauge swatch on her most recent knit.

Chris should have Three Cheers for picking up and redoing sleeves that I would have burned with glee as a sacrifice to that wily Knitting Goddess

Three Cheers to Dee for doing another monkey.

And Three Cheers for out of context speech that Cracks Me Up!

and.. lest I forget... Three Cheers to me for finishing a pair of socks.

Monkey See Monkey Do

I am a tactile sort. When I go to knit night, I look at what everyone's doing when it's show and tell but afterwards I secretly imagine what it would feel like to knit/crochet what someone else is doing. If I like the way I think it feels I am the copycat girl. At least that's the reason I'm giving for crocheting a few warshrags this weekend. KNQ Debbie's looked so fabulous and I was jealous of her hands.


Also, does sewing on a button count as a finished object?


Mr. Sophanne was indeed the ho-ho-hoer in yesterday's post. He's such a sport.

Shortly after I finished the post I realized that there needed to be more said about The Claw. (In case you didn't read the comments Claw, there were multiple requests for more. You're a Star!)

Christmas in April

Back in October at a Harvest Festival I bought this box of sleighbells for $20.



I have a talented friend at the music store. I call him The Claw. He renovates toy pianos, plays with wood, and just "does stuff" with wood, metal, bamboo, light fixtures, whatever comes his way. He is also a master tailor and requires no patterns when sewing. Just look and cut. The Christmas in March stocking was a gift to him after he requested one on or about December 21st.

There's a whole lot more to say about The Claw (including the fact that his ENTIRE HOUSE is circa. 1950 with NO modern day aberrations other than a computer) but I must stay focused.

Several years ago, The Claw and I looked at sleigh bells in antiques places, marveling at the magical sounds and exorbitant prices. When I found this box of sorry-a$$ed bells I delivered them directly to him. They sounded great but had seen better days.

Last Thursday on my visit to the music store I received these:



And they sound like this:




Solvents would not clean them and his hands were wounded and chafed from the wire brush needed to make them happen but I think it was well worth it! What a great friend I have.

IWITTWFF (I Wish I Thought This Was Funny Friday)

Welcome to a new feature- "I wish I thought this was funny Friday." I'll wait and see if it catches on.

Yours truly has been the faculty senate president going on about 10 years now. I agree to this each year because I can keep the meetings down to 30 minutes (as opposed to 3 hours) without stepping on too many toes.

I may have failed in that mission today but sometimes toes just need to be stepped on.

Teacher: Why can't we make any copies on these machines? Why don't these other machines work? What are we supposed to do?

This would be a valid concern if not for the fact that we have this same conversation in one form or another at EVERY faculty senate meeting.

Sophanne: Here are the answers to your questions and the things that have been done to in an effort to solve these difficulties. If you have trouble with a specific machine, you really need to talk to Miss Parent Volunteer.

Miss Parent Volunteer is a priceless mainstay at the school. Always Always Always there to do whatever crap work needs to be done so that teachers can teach. You have to be pretty offensive to get her riled up.

Teacher: Some of us are afraid of getting our heads bit off because Miss Parent Volunteer goes into a rage if you ask her.

Sophanne: I'm sure we're all adults here and can find ways to communicate with Miss Parent Volunteer in a respectful way so that we can all get what we need. We're all on the same side.

in my head: HEY A$$hole! If Miss Parent Volunteer loses it on you, it's time to do a little self-check to see what stupida$$ thing YOU did to make it happen. Also given that you are the COLLEGE EDUCATED TEACHER and not one of your first graders and not a volunteer who gets dumped on all of the time, why don't YOU do YOUR OWN conflict resolution. This is not in my hula hoop!

Some of you may see this post for what it really is- a chance to spout the in my head statements so that I don't break anyone's ankle (as opposed to stepping on their toes) What's that one Irish blessing about God breaking the ankles of our "enemies" so we can see them coming?

Really cool Christmas post coming soon! It pays to knit Christmas Stockings in March.

Phenomena of Five

I know some of you have kids this age, some don't. Maybe this happens at home, maybe not.

Picture a large room full of various musical instruments and a giant area carpet. There's a music teacher in there who has about 5 minutes between classes to put away materials from one class and get ready for the next. This music teacher doesn't fall high on the neatly put things away bell curve. In fact she's on the low end.

Also a factor is the fact that the students that filter in and out wear shoes. Shoes that they have worn outside to recess. Sometimes they get to dance on the area carpet.

Now imagine kids that are 5 come into the room. As they sit waiting to see what delights await them, they explore their immediate surroundings. Some of these kids (thanks to good parenting I'm assuming) score off the charts on the neatly put things away bell curve.

These children pick up any random object within the invisible force field that surrounds them, bring it up to said music teacher and announce "I found this."

In my head- You didn't FIND it! It was laying in a disorganized mess in our general area!

They "find" pebbles, erasers, pieces of sticks, earring backs, minute pieces of string. You name it, it's been found. Their finds are either artifacts left from a previous class or a random shaker or drum that I've failed to properly put away.

One time with a particularly clever student teacher, I "planted" things to be "found." They had a 100% success rate and found things that weren't even part of the experiment.

All I'm saying is if you've got kids that complain about not being able to find important things, just tell them to pretend they're in the music room.

Quit Quite (knit night)

A summary report-

Chris didn't bring any knitting. She just showed up for the entertainment.

Debbie crocheted a potholder

Darla worked on Calorimetry.

MaryMac MakeMeLaugh told of getting a thank you note from a shoe store (after purchasing 3 pairs of shoes, a purse and a bracelet) and a free shoe horn from another store. What is the protocol on shoe horns? Are they reusable or disposable. Was she treated to a special treat or do they do that for everyone?

I finished a sock.

I love knit night. Even in it's quieter moments. I've been quieter lately. I wonder if the two are related.

Interesting blog fodder has been elusive this past week. On Monday I was tempted to post a Seinfeld-esque diatribe on pillows. How many do you need to fall asleep? What's with the feather pieces sticking out? Why does the thought of having to put on clean pillow cases (the effort involved) make me think I don't really need to change the sheets- even with dog bone pieces in them? I also considered looking at the rest of the week through Jerry Seinfeld's filter. So far it hasn't happened other than the pillow talk.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are having a "bring your dog to the game" day on August 29. We are SO there. The "static" collar is doing it's job. Liza playfully romps outside and is never too far afield.

that's all I've got.

Removing the Funk

Hey thanks for making me laugh. Puberty=Poverty - too funny.

Things I've done this weekend to avoid being cranky-

1. Read Wicked. Not done yet. Some of you who asked me for a review will like it. Others won't.

2. Found a sock pattern that I like knitting (beaded rib from Sensational Knitted Socks) k2p2 then a K row.

3. Got 75% of a sock done in that pattern in some Koigu KPPMMMM

4. Mailed some yarn to Ruth

5. Started the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl in Cherry Tree Hill. The FairyGodknitter is such an inspiration. Think good post-op thoughts for her.

6. Laughed my a$$ off at Carol's idle musing.

7. Took the dog to Petco so she could get in some retail therapy. Also acquired the euphemistically named "static collar."

That's about it and now it's back to school Hooray that knit night is but 2 days away.

CMUS? Not so much

I've got my crank a crack-a-lackin'.

SOMEBODY MAKE ME LAUGH PLEASE!!!!

snit snight

Bonnie said, "I spin."



This Cracked Sophanne Up.

UsAirMary asked Debbie if she needed any yarn. (scrap yarn to hold stitches).

In spite of knowing this, it also Cracked Me Up-given that we were in a yarn store.

Bonnie's got serious connections to the Waynesburg Sheep and Fiber Festival- as in she's one of the "Sheep to Shawl" contest judges. She's connected. I'm hoping to get made. I hope there's no initiation.

I don't know who those Spinning Kids are- I just "you tubed" them. Crack a lacka me up. (By the way "get crack-a-lackin" is my new favorite thing to say to kids- thank you Yarny Old Kim.)

more opposites

Biking Dog

Sleeping Dog

this concludes the gratuitous cute dog posts.

another Saturday afternoon of opposites

High Dog

Low Dog

Scouting Dog

Still Dog

Good Dog

Bad Dog

Day Five Spring Break

So, anybody that knows me will realize that I must be bored out of my gourd if I spent the afternoon at the mall.

I was able to score some short sleeve shirts in case it ever gets warm and the air conditioning at school doesn't work (a given)


I found something to read after I finish re-reading Atonement.


Just in case anybody tags me for the book meme again- here's page 123 sentence 5 and three more. (that's my only CMUS I've got for today)


And I got the Essential Illustrated History of World Art for only $9.99! I'll likely disassemble this book and brighten up my classroom with it.

Day Four Spring Break

Rain.

This is what I'll play with today.



The only other thought I have to contribute is that as I ate a hard-boiled egg this week I wondered what would happen if a person tried to fry a hard boiled egg. I didn't try it.

Day Three Spring Break

What was I thinking? Running around in the windy cold or staying home watching movies and knitting. I can be so misguided sometimes. This time I came to my senses and the Pittsburgh adventure will wait for warmer weather and the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

I found a new project last night at knit night (much to the relief of everyone there who no doubt grew weary of me complaining about how boring the socks were.) I've now cast on for Regal Frost Cushions (ravelry link) from Handknit Holidays.

The bonus is that I'm using a book from my stash and I found a reason to use Elsebeth Lavold's silky tweed (another ravelry link.) It's a deep royal maroon for the background and a dark gold for the stranded pattern. Pictures once I charge the batteries on the camera.

The pattern has it knit in two pieces which means stranded purling and sewing the pieces together. Not my favorite thing to do. i'm doing the front and back at the same time and instead of a plain back I'm going to do the pattern on the back as well. Don't even ask me how long it took me to figure out that solution. Suffice it to say that I didn't cast on for it until this morning as my brain finally figured out what to do.

A relaxing knit night was had by all- the words "impacted bowels" came up twice on separate occasions (the second mention hadn't even known about the first) and therefor it seems something to report. I have a feeling that there was some entertainment value in my manic search for a project. I have to believe it was enjoyed particularly by Chris who is a much more plan ahead-er type than I am. If there's such a thing as opposite friends, we're it.

Day Two Spring Break

Yesterday went as described except for I managed to finish this long lingering ufo Cable Shell by Farmhouse Yarns out of a 75% cotton 25% rayon blend called "Allergic to Wool" (which I'm not but I liked the color.) It was a very easy knit and is a pretty good fit. Mr. Sophanne came home and took us for a walk and ice cream at the DQ. There are things you can do with a dog that you would look silly doing without one. Walking on a playground and eating ice cream from the back of the SUV in the cold are two of them.

Today's to do list-

Vet
Park
Grocery Store
Taxes
AAA

One would think the taxes would be something to dread but Mr. Sophanne found an error in the deductions of our local taxes and there's a windfall on the way (we may end up with matching furniture after all if we can find a way to get it from Big Lots to our house!)

Going to AAA is in preparation for an adventure if I don't chicken out. Pittsburgh's public transport train (The T) has a station in South Hills Village (a place I know how to get to.) I've been wanting to be in Pittsburgh (as opposed to just around it) but am not the most confident city driver. However, I do excel at public transportation involving trains. A little bit though I don't really know where to go once I get on said train so if your from Pgh and have some thoughts- put them out there (if you have thoughts on where NOT to go- they would be welcomed as well.) I'll do some research at knit night tonight. The adventure is on Wednesday so if you don't hear from me after that, likely I didn't get any advice on where not to go. I will listen to the news today and stay away from any areas where there have been shootings reported.

ETA I've been tagged twice for the book meme and haven't had a chance to bring the book from the bedside to the computer. Fortunately Paknitwit is reading the same thing!

Day One Spring Break.

What this means for you- more Sophanne posts in your Google/Bloglines Reader

It's 10:20 a.m. and already I have done some laundry, blocked the stocking, run an errand, walked the dog in the park and read all of the new blogposts. I'm thinking other than another load or two of laundry, I'll call it a day.

Thought for this morning- why can't the rest of the world operate on a school schedule, summer's off and all-or at least a month or two off. It's not like we really get paid for the summer, they just take some money from the months I work and pay it to me later.

Come to think of it, wouldn't that improve employment statistics? Companies could hire more people to cover the months that others have off. You might have to take a slight pay cut but I think you should have that option.

PSA

Please consider this a CMUS public service announcement-

When you are working in the round of a long forgotten ufo and have a stitch marker before the first stitch, this also indicates where the last stitch is.

In the words of the Yarn Harlot, "ask me how I know."

Further Sophanne elaboration, "don't ask me how long it took me to figure that out." 4 days on and off

CMUS for those embracing irony

Ironic is all I can say about it being the first week of spring and I've finished the cashmere bird in hand mitts and a Christmas stocking (from a kit-Annie's Woolens-Holtsclaw-this has your name on it-not literally).



Both need blocking and clearly there are some ends to weave in on the mitts.

If you're thinking about this kit. Maybe not so much. The pattern is lovely- weird short-row after thought heel/toe construction that was new to me but I figured out. The wool in this kit felt like twine. Get a nice pattern, pick your own fiber. That's my plan next time.

If you're thinking about stranded knitting- this brain loved loved loved it. I have a little celebration in my head when the pattern comes out even on the needles every row. (there were 110 little celebrations on the stocking)

Sort of in the project lull. Kind of a nice place to be. I'm going to try to knit only socks until I get to the MDSW in May.

If you're looking for a way to add some sunshine to the world, visit Ruth and then send her some yarn for a fundraiser. Then click on over to Janet's and leave your favorite way to make/eat mac and cheese and make us laugh at all of the possibilities. Maybe I'll try some of those recipes already listed as something to keep me entertained during spring break!

Cheesy crack me up contest

Hey Gang- Uber started it- it's totally her fault!

She bought some smack and cheez orange acrylic for a baby sweater- check out the post- it will crack you up.

Janet is making it an event! Go to her site and post your favorite mac and cheez recipe she'll send you a gift card if you're the random number and I'll send you some orange acrylic as a souvenir.

Let's make this another knit-blog event because Uber CRACKS ME UP and I do love my knit-blog community action.

khnit nyhte

Note to self- don't eat fast food before going to knit night. Our knitnight friends were their usual delightful selves last night however I felt like I was in some sort of drugged semi-conscious state thanks to the BK BigFish I inhaled before arriving. I thought- gee I'll feel better if I eat a little something. BKBigfish does not equal a LITTLE something- FYI.

It is with regret that I must report that I have no recollection of interesting and engaging things discussed- though I'm sure they were there. One thing I do recall is a conversation on the price of gas and groceries. If knit night is a random sampling of the world out there (albeit not a very diverse one) we might again embrace the mantra "It's the economy, stupid."

One thing that struck me is how the same people are- Claire finished and gifted the baby blanket to her expecting daughter. Chris started her second sock. New sock knitter Connie was getting help from Miss MaryMac make me laugh. In between help, Miss Marymac make me laugh was working on a shawl to wear to the opera. Jennifer was weaving in the ends of an entrelac scarf. Darla was facing the ill effects of not knitting a gauge swatch. I was struggling with a little in-between projects- lost my mojo moment.

Remove the names and insert new ones and it's "Knit Night, Anytown, USA." There is some comfort in that.

And oh yeah- Happy Sophanniversary to Mr. Sophanne and I. We've been married for 4 years today. We wore our matching Carhart carpenter pants and went to Family Court to be married by Judge Culpepper and then honeymooned in Niagra Falls just so I could type that 4 years later.

Your task should you choose to accept it? Practice saying Judge Culpepper in your best Tennessee Williams sort of southern accent- that should crack you up and make up for any missing crack me up knit night moments you've come to expect here.