where craftiness rules supreme...

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

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Slip + Fall = Ouch!!!

2009-06-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'm really wishing that my pride hurt more than my back. Friday night I was trying to give Mabel a much needed Monkey respite. I scooped her up with one hand, and had a plate full of TJ's cat tuna in the other hand and started galloping down the stairs. About half way down I slipped on a plastic bag. My feet went shooting forward and I managed to continue down on the right side of my back. Cat food flew everywhere. In case you were worried, Mabel managed to easily bound to safety.

Now the plastic bag being there was totally my fault. Pure laziness. Basically instead of walking down a potential cat litter bag I carelessly tossed it over the counter and then completely forgot about it.

Ugh. So I don't think anything is broken, but my back STILL HURTS. I'm basically sitting on the couch with an icepack. Haven't slept much the past few nights. Over the counter meds just aren't working.

Fingers crossed that it gets better soon, since we're supposed to go to Six Flags with Griffin's company this weekend. Even though it's cheesy I've wanted to go for years but we just haven't gotten around to it. My back HAS to get better. Must...get...better...by...Saturday!!!

On a positive note, here's a photo of San Francisco's organic farm. Looks pretty sweet with a windmill and greenhouse.

The Three + Hour Tour

2009-05-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by stating a simple fact - I am NOT a fan of boats. Canoes are okay, kayaks will do, but big old boats - especially those with motors have been a nightmare for me since I was a small child. I mean, everyone thinks they know motion sickness and its aftermath, but let me assure you have you have NO IDEA what the aftermath of my extreme super motion sickness looks like. You're not alone, since I haven't been on a boat with a motor for 10 years.

The longest boat ride I have ever taken is the 2-hour ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard. Which was a total disaster. It was raining that day and everyone else on the ferry was comfortably inside staying dry and having cups of hot cocoa while I spent a couple of hours getting uncomfortably damp and heaving over the side of the boat.

I have tried all of the usual tricks. I have the acupressure bands (I had them for the ill-fated MV trip), I have tried pills and really nothing seems to work.

So I am EXTREMELY concerned about tonight's 4 hour dinner cruise. Especially since it is with G's new co-workers. My constant hurling and heaving has the potential to ruin everyone else's enjoyment. Sigh.

My mom was all "Oh, honey. Did you tell him about the time you threw up for hours after riding the world's smoothest 10 minute ferry when you were a kid?"

Um, no. No I didn't. Because it has never really come up. I have successfully managed to avoid boats for years and years. But that changes tonight.

I have several coping strategies. Tonight I will be instituting the following measures:
• chewable motion sickness relief pills
• acupressure bands
• endless ginger chews
• large mostly empty purse filled and lined with lots of plastic bags
• staying outside on the deck of the boat as much as possible

I'm not sure what else I can really do. Sigh. I'd best get myself ready to go and will keep my fingers crossed (unless it interferes with subtly whipping out the big purse for secret and hopefully silent barfing).

Diorama-Rama

2009-05-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

I am totally obsessed with using Tilt-shift to make my photos look like miniatures/scale-models. Look at the model roof kitty! So cute!

What I'm really loving about it is that it makes some rather blah digital landscape photos look really cool.

Before Tilt-shift this was a rather disappointing, flat shot of a Beaver Creek hotel or apartment building. After tilt shift it looks really cool!

Of course, you can use it with photography that's already good as well.

Look at those adorable toy boats!

Warning: this filter is highly addictive and I cannot be held responsible if you decide, much as I did, to search through your entire library of say 20,000 photos obsessively to find the perfect photos to convert into miniatures...

Cat News

2009-04-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

A box arrived the other day - a not so discreet box labeled thusly...

Funny how they just know...

I had a tough time getting Mabel off of the box long enough to put the tree together...she was all over it every step of the way.

Seems like it's a hit.

Seriously, how do they know that this bizarre piece of furniture is for them?

Shenanigan - yep, just one

2009-04-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

More monkey business from one crazy kitty.

Cat News

2009-02-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Monkey has gotten quite a bit larger and wider, and though he has calmed down a lot, he can still be one crazy monster. His claws also get ridiculously sharp. Because he won't let us (and by us I mean Griffin) clip them. If you even try to cut a single claw he makes this horrible howling noise (even though you haven't done anything yet and there is no way he feels any pain) and starts to struggle. And even if I help hold him he loves to swivel his neck around exorcist style and chomp down on any flesh or garments. Oh, and he has no qualms about biting right through the skin. Sigh.

Look at those claws!

Monkey must sniff each and every thing we eat or drink. He never really wants to taste, but can be relentless until you just let him sniff it already!

Herr Crazy Eyes

Mabel has been doing really well. She has a good appetite, and has even managed to play with Monkey's ribbon on occasion. Last night she apparently had a big adventure. When I woke up this morning and came upstairs, the back door was open and it had rained into the porch. There were also wet paw prints both coming and going. But Mabel was sitting there waiting for her breakfast. When I mentioned it to G (who had fallen asleep on the couch) he was all "so that was why she was wet. I just thought she was in the bathtub." In all fairness I must disclose that she does indeed love to hang out in the bathtub and the faucet does have a drip so it isn't that farfetched...

Mabel making the lap rounds.

Playing with Monkey's ribbon. I have tried to get them to play with it at the same time (each with their own end) but neither will play with it unless I'm holding it. Silly cats.

Mabel helps felt her heart toy.

In Mabel & Monkey news, they have started to sleep closer together. This usually involves Monkey sneaking in after she is already asleep.

But on January 17 they made history by touching whilst sleeping.

Their butts and paws are touching! YES! It's still a long way from cuddling together, but I'll take it.

I'm So Embarrassed

2009-02-18T21:20:00.001-08:00

I haven't been much of a procrastinator of late. (High school was a different story. Yes, it was easier for me to get up at 5:30 am to crank out papers and homework. My brain was just more fresh, I swear.)

I can't believe it has been so long since I have updated the blog. I mean, so much has happened that I wanted to blog about. But I just kept putting it off and putting it off...

Not to mention that the FaceBook has been a HUGE TIME SUCK. Suddenly I'm in almost constant contact with folks from grade school, high school, college and everything after...

Anyway, here are the highlights (sans knitting):

December

I flew to Virginia to visit my family for a week. Good times were had despite the fact that my sister and father had both had surgery on their walking appendages which meant mobility for each was an issue. But my dad and I still had time to get out and take some pictures.

January

First, the tree in front of our house decided it was fall. Bee-yoo-ti-ful.

Later in the month, we visited some friends up in Vancouver and had an excellent time seeing the sights, feasting on halibut fish and chips and of course heading up to Whistler for some snow sport fun including cross-country skiing, showshoeing, and downhill skiing. Good times!

February so far

First, our cheery tree was confused when it decided that it was ready for spring and bloomed. Now most of the blossoms have been blown/knocked off of the branches by heavy rain, hail and high winds.

We've been taking some great afternoon hikes through Glen Park which looks like a brown grassland for most of the year. But right now it's really pretty and full of wildflowers.

For VDay I made a square chocolate cake (couldn't find both cake rounds) that was a HUGE disappointment. It was so dry that after just a bite your mouth was sucked dry of any morsel of moisture. Blurg! I'm trying to rectify it right now by turning it into a chocolate bread pudding (made with cake Marie Antoinette style). Fingers crossed it works!

So that's the haps. Lest you worry about the cats they are both doing just fine. I'll plan to post a craft/knitting update and a cat update with pics in the near future.

Missed everyone! Happy knitting! Let's do this again real soon!

Happy Holidaze

2008-12-10T12:14:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Long Time No Blog...

2008-11-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

Poor neglected blog...I'm ever so sorry that I haven't been paying enough attention to you. I promise to do better (fingers crossed). I only have lame excuses like I've been busy working, I've had a lingering cold and my mind has been elsewhere...

On the knitting news front, my house has been taken over by mini-sweaters!

These are going to be super cute holiday ornaments but right now they just make me smile hanging out in the living room.

So far this one is my favorite - it's made with my leftover sock yarn and I swear it has as many stitches as a chunky knit baby sweater. Oh yes it does! It's so darn cute and it just fits over two fingers :-)

I have also been busy finally setting up an etsy store...those of you who've known me for a while know that back in the day a couple of girlfriends and I used to sell handknits at local craft fairs around the holidays.

I figured that I have a huge bagful of knitted items (literally a HUGE bag) and have started slowly and surely putting them on etsy. So far I've got a few items up! Anyway, enough shameless promotion...

I have to get back to work transferring files to the laptop...we are going to be sans power tomorrow from 9am - 2pm so I'll have to work remotely from the coffee shop a few blocks away...hopefully they will have power...fingers crossed!

I miss my knit night buddies. I swear I will be there the Thursday after Thanksgiving, so please try to be there too! Happy knitting!

Hope

2008-11-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is how Mabel and Monkey spent election day - they put their partisanship aside to work together to generate a nice warm pocket on the couch. Smart cookies!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has a Spooktacular halloween! I will be sipping hot tea and popping vitamin C drops. Hmmm...can I give those out as candy?

Carpal Tunnel...

2008-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

...totally sucks. My wrists are a wreck alternating between numbness and sharp pain. As a result, I basically can't use the computer for anything but absolutely necessity (this counts because it's an IIF update). This also means I cannot knit. Sigh.

At least I can watch hilarious videos (I actually saw this on TV - can't even use the mouse to surf the net).

Don't forget to jam the vote!

How Monkey Eats

2008-10-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Fo reals, yo. This is how Monkey chooses to ingest his soft food--I hear taking smaller bites aids in digestion.

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog

2008-10-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Actually a more accurate title would be "the silly orange goofball 'hid' between the laptop screen and the large pumpkin."

Seriously, he thought he was completely invisible. Of course, he couldn't see that his enormous backside was hanging out by, oh, let's say eight inches or so...

Somebunny just loves to help me work! If only I could train him to use Photoshop...

I've been working some long hours lately and just barely taking a few minutes here and there to do a little reading. Not much time for knitting or even *gasp* blogging. Hopefully things will settle down soon!

Cat News: Mabel is officially off of all meds for two weeks. We're going to see how she does...so far she seems okay...keep your fingers crossed!

Also, somebody has himself a new box!

Basically he stopped chewing on the old wine box stumps and has found himself a new equally destructible playhouse.

Sheepy Goodness

2008-10-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in the mail I received a most welcome box which had the following stamp on the outside:

From:

Full of this:

And this:

And accompanied by a lovely sheepy smell. LOVE THIS YARN! Monkey won't stop smelling it and trying to chew it...Mmmmm...tastes sheepy-licious!

Mabel Update

2008-10-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say that Ms. Mabel is officially doing very well. She has managed to gain 1.1 pounds and has a rather hearty appetite. Only three chemo pills to go. Go Mabel!

youTube YOU SUCK

2008-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

So before our last backpacking trip a friend of Griffin's who was going to catsit for us while we were gone for a couple of days was visiting, and saw the box remnants in the kitchen and wanted the backstory.

So I promptly hopped online, pulled up youTube and discovered that MY ACCOUNT HAD BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED. I figured it had to be a mistake, and quickly did some google searches and located a bazillion other folks who had the same issue and provided info on how to contact them.

So almost two weeks ago I contacted them via their online contact form.

I mean, I'm not exactly sure how my OWN PERSONAL videos of MY CATS which are OWNED BY ME (sorry kitties, I don't actually feel that way it's just the law 'o the land) and were FILMED and UPLOADED BY ME were somehow offensive or else someone else magically owned the copyright...

Apparently if someone even fills out a form with a bogus claim that you have copyrighted material youTube just permanently disables your account.

I'm so pissed I don't even know what to do. Clearly I will not EVER be using youtube for anything EVER AGAIN. I'm serious. Don't send me youTube links, I won't watch them.

Anyway, after more than a week with no response from them, my account is still permanently disabled and I'm shopping for an alternative to the evilness that is youTube. Any ideas? Preferences? Heresay?

Socks!

2008-09-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first official pair of knitted socks. I used the Froot Loops pattern from the Summer '08 Knitty and would totally knit them again.

The only real beef I had was with my choice of yarn--the colorway really doesn't really accentuate the pattern. Next time I'll use a more tone on tone yarn (notice I said next time - I'm thinking I'll knit another pair in red).

In cat news, Mabel has decided that she WILL NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES eat her pills even when they are delicately placed inside delicious treats. Sigh. I really don't want to add forcing several pills a day down her gullet to my daily repertoire.

Ideas, anyone? We've exhausted all flavors of Greenie pill pockets including beef for dogs (which worked for exactly two pillings).

Cat News

2008-09-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, there really isn't any particular news, but I really need to find the time to update the blog, so cat news it is :-)

Mabel is hanging in there. She has seven more doses of chemo to go (one every 5 days) and her appetite isn't very good right now. But, she is still occasionally showing bursts of energy and as always loves petting and brushing.

Monkey is still hard at work devouring his box. He flipped it over like this all on his own. This morning there were just four tall nibs of sides. I think he's going to eventually destroy it ALL - EVERY BITE!

I Like Cake

2008-09-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

I can't get this video out of my head. Thank you Cake Wrecks (and thank you KB for introducing me to it).

Summer in the city

2008-08-30T16:56:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this video was taken last week at the top of Twin Peaks, but I'm betting that it's the same up there right now.

What happened to all of that real summer weather? Come back!!!

Somebody pinch me

2008-08-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Do you see what I see?

Just yesterday they were both sleeping on the couch facing each other with their front paws about two inches apart and I felt my heart grow at least a size, but today somebody's getting spooned.

Single Sockitis?

2008-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finished one froot loop sock, and am casting on for the second sock right now before a severe case of single sockitis sets in. It's so tempting to cast on for something else...must...cast...on...for...sock...

Gold

2008-08-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Mabel and Monkey are tied for the gold medal in Olympic cat proximity napping. Keep your fingers crossed that they can share a medal - I'd hate to have to read up on the tiebreaker rules...

We Made It

2008-08-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that we all made it back from our backpacking trip injury free (aside from a few blisters).

Here's a quick trip breakdown:

Day 1 - Travel Day
We drove from SF to Mammoth via Yosemite, stopped in Lee Vining to pick up additional bear canisters and our wilderness permit, and then had dinner in Mammoth. We were planning to camp at one of the campgrounds, but when we got to the park the rangers had no idea whatsoever if there were any campsites available (there are over 100 campsites in the park). Great system, eh? We ended up wasting a ton of time having to drive to and through each campground all the while losing light only to discover that there were zero campsites. As light was fading we had to park in a parking lot, grab our gear (still in our street clothes) and hike 1/4 mile into the park and set up camp in the dark. It was rather stressful, but we managed. I was so afraid of bears that I didn't sleep AT ALL.

Day 2
We ate breakfast at Red's Meadow Resort where they picked our pockets with gotcha by the balls prices. It didn't really matter though because the cornmeal pancakes were delicious. Plus our waitress told us this crazy bear story about how she was in charge of guarding the food overnight for a mule train, and how this bear just wouldn't leave her or the food alone. She hit the bear in the face with a rake repeatedly and it just wouldn't leave. Finally, she just snapped and charged the bear and started choking it around the neck. It ran off. She said that while she was doing it she was thinking that she must be crazy...

But I digress. This was our first official day of backpacking. We parked at the trail head, strapped on our packs and started our ascent of 1400 feet and 8 miles for the day on the Sierra High Trail. The views were amazing, and the trails were super dusty. Ah-choo!

We ended up taking the high trail until we ended up at Summit Lake, and then went past there to camp for the night at Clark Lakes. Unfortunately I didn't manage to snap any pics of the first campsite, but we were protected by the wind by a U-shaped nook of rocks which was full of the cutest chipmunks you have ever seen. SO CUTE!!! But too quick for the digital camera.

Griffin's brother and I had some time to relax in the sun by the lake while Griff and his father fished.

While Griff and I were trying to get some sleep, we heard a shriek from the tent adjacent. Apparently a large beetle was crawling on Griffin's brother's arm. It went something like this:

girlish shriek
Dad: Put the knife down!
Brother: Get it!
Dad: Hold on!
Brother: Get it!
Dad: No, not the jacket!
crunch

Apparently Griff's bro used his dad's jacket to crush the bug inside the tent. (Note: The stain on the sleeve of the jacket was huge and did not come out with washing.)

Day 3
Today we decided to split into two groups. Griffin and his brother did this 10 mile loop with lots of elevation, while his dad and I took a shorter 3 mile loop to Thousand Island lake with only 300 feet of elevation.

G's dad and I got to the lake in 2 hours (around noon), and had tons of time to set up camp and take naps in the sun. We both started to get worried around 4 when we hadn't seen the boys yet. By 5 we were concerned. By that point I had walked the lake end to end to make sure they weren't looking for us (HUGE LAKE) and had also gone back to the trailhead.

By 6 we were getting worried. When I got back from my walk to the trailhead Griffin's dad took a turn and luckily when he got there he saw them coming. Whew. Turns out it was a much tougher hike than they thought it would be. Plus, they had heard that there were 5 bears living at the lake where we just set up camp. They tried to call my cell but no reception. Oh well, camp with the bears we must.

Actually this was my best night's sleep. We camped in a gorgeous meadow as close to the lake as was allowed.

While we were having dinner right by the lake (you have to cook and keep food away from your campsite) a ranger came by to check permits and found that some folks near us didn't have the required bear canisters. They had zip-loc bags. Oh, I'm serious. He made them have their kids climb up 100 feet with those bags so that they didn't endanger everyone.

Anyway, we didn't have any issues, and managed to break camp early and be on the trail by 8am.

Day 4
Griff and his brother were sore from the previous day, so we adjusted our route a bit but still managed to hike by some gorgeous alpine lakes. It was a long day of hiking with lots of ups and downs.

The second half of the day was all downhill mostly over these medium sized rocks. Quite the recipe for ankle twisting.

We spent a couple of hours at Shadow Lake (amazing) and had a great time relaxing on the warm rocks - seriously it was like a free hot rock massage!

We ended up hiking down to 3,000 feet near the river trail and camping for the night. Ick. This was no alpine camping. It was overly buggy with both biting flies and mosquitoes. The ground was soggy and hard at the same time. It was pretty awful. I ended up using my mosquito neeting, and then post dinner spent the rest of the evening in the tent.

Day 5
We had hiked so much the day before that we only had 3 miles to go before we reached the parking lot. Whew. Basically we broke camp by 7 and were at the car at 8am to head out to get some Mickey D's.

Then we started the long, scenic drive home.

It was truly an adventure, and I am happy to have shared it with Griff, his brother, and his father.

I'm not really sure yet if I'd do it again. This was our first trip, and we WAY OVERPACKED. All of our backpacks were at least 10 pounds heavier than we had planned which made the first day tough.

Oh, also, all of the boys lost weight. Each one of them. Me? Somehow I gained a few pounds. Let's hope it was all muscle because seriously I have never worked so hard for so many days and eaten so little in my life. No es justo!

It's On

2008-08-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

We're busy busy busy packing up our backpacks and making sure we've got everything we could possibly need in the wilderness. Including our Sven Saw (the steel blade is Swedish and the rest 'o the saw is made in Minnesota). Could Sven be any cuter? We could have gotten a much more utilitarian solution (like bringing the christmas tree hacksaw we already own) but 'lil Sven just won me over. That and the design of the saw protects the inside of your pack from the sharp blade.

I wonder if we'll even need to use this saw...

I'll be taking loads of pics (secretly bringing two digital cameras - what if the battery runs out on one) and will be posting a smattering upon my return next week!

And I am bringing some knitting. Perhaps whilst the boys are fishing I can work on my socks.

In cat news, Mabel is doing very well, and we have an amazing cat sitter coming by every day to pill her and play with the both of them.

Okay, back to packing. See you next week!

Feeling a Bit Better

2008-07-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that Mabel is feeling quite a bit better. She still sleeps most of the day (like every other cat in the world), but she has also been more active than she has been for quite some time. Rumor has it that she has occasionally shown signs of outright playfulness and has even had a couple of bouts of the nighttime crazies.

Not much else to report - next Thursday we head to Yosemite for our backpacking trip. Yikes. I still have a couple of loose ends to tie up there like actually putting together the first aid kit (I have a list--I just have to actually find everything and put it together) and figuring out some potential campfire games that won't be heavy.

I also need to come up with some camping knitting--I'm thinking the Froot Loop socks...they'll be light and mostly easy to work on...

Any other ideas for good backpacking knitting?

Learning to Share

2008-07-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Even though only about a third of him fits at a time, Monkey has adopted Mabel's cat basket as his own. He LOVES it so much that I'm going to have to make one for him too.

I'm not even sure that I have enough cascade left in the stash to make him the double-sized basket that his enormous girth requires. I guess we'll see!

Hmmm...I guess I'll be taking cascade remnant donations :-)

This just in - Mabel LOVES her felted cat basket

2008-07-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Post shower this morning, I was amazed to find that Ms. Mabel had located her felted cat basket (which I had placed on the coffee table) all on her own and was comfortably nestled inside.

Apparently the sides provide excellent chin support.

Pattern is Chaton Minet Felted Cat Basket by Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer and is available for free via Ravelry.

Kitty Chemo

2008-07-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

Mabel started kitty chemo on Thursday. It sounds so crazy, but it really just involves me giving her a pill every three days. Of course, it's a rather toxic pill which means I have to wear gloves and have to make sure not to let it come into contact with my skin or anything around the house, but once I slip it into a cat treat she just chomps it down.

Normally, kitties go to the vet for their chemo, but Mabel is a special needs kitty and cannot be subjected to constant vet visits.

I'm happy to report that so far she is tolerating it quite well. She has a decent energy level and I even spotted her washing this morning.

I'm working away on her cat basket and will hopefully be ready to felt it this weekend.

Once I'm done with that I think I'd like to work with the purple/pink Superwash DK I dyed (and used for her kitty legwarmers). But, I'm just not sure which pattern to use. Any ideas/suggestions? I've got 485ish yards. Hmmm...something for an adult would be nice...

Kitty Cancer

2008-07-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. Mabel has been diagnosed with lymphoma. We're still waiting for her biopsies to provide more info about the stage she's in so we can treat it effectively. For now, we're doing lots of snuggling and giving her privacy (from Monkey) so that she can rest as best she can.

On Sunday is was chilly in our 'hood in the city, and she was having to sleep super-awkwardly because her shaved paws were getting cold. So I made her kitty legwarmers. Because that's just the kind of crazy I am. She seemed to like them and was able to sleep in positions more natural to her.

And yes, I used my hand-dyed superwash merino DK because she's totally worth it!

XOXO Mabel XOXO

2008-07-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a real stresser. Literally. Mabel hadn't been feeling well, and on Tuesday looked to be in bad shape. (I knew she wasn't feeling well when she didn't get up to eat.)

We promptly rushed her to the emergency vet hospital where they did a bunch of bloodwork (she had to be sedated for this - she hates the vet more than anything and generally turns into this growling paws of fury monster when there), and then ended up keeping her a few more hours to do a kitty ultrasound.

The good news was that her kidneys look good. The bad news was that her spleen was enlarged, and her liver bile duct didn't look so good and she had some internal bleeding.

They gave her some fluids, sent some spleen samples off to the lab and sent her home with us. On Wednesday we really thought she could be on her last legs. She was breathing hard, not eating or drinking much, and was barely moving. I basically sat with her the entire day petting her gently and talking to her.

By Thursday afternoon she felt a smidge better and looked more like herself. She ate a little bit and started drinking water. Whew (we didn't want to have to give her subcutaneous fluids ourselves). She also managed to nap in the sun (photo evidence above).

She's back at the vet's office today for a kitty endoscopy. Let's hope that they can find out what is causing her bleeding, and that there is something we/they can do about it.

I have to say that I'm just not prepared to lose her. She's been my furry, faithful companion for 11+ years and I'm not ready to let her go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it isn't anything too terrible (and that they figure it out today because I swear it shortens her life just taking her to the vet's office - it stresses her out just that much).

Love you, Mabel. Feel better now! XOXO

D'oh

2008-06-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

I had a most excellent time this weekend visiting a sheep farm, learning to dye yarn using a one-pot method, snorgling baby goats, and touring a wool mill. Whew. Lots of stuff to see. Now I can fully appreciate how much effort goes into making a single ball of yarn!

Album of pics available for your viewing pleasure here.

Now, once you soak it, dye it and cook the yarn, it takes a LONG TIME to dry. When I got home Saturday evening my yarn was still in fairly soggy hanks. I hung it up in the bathroom over the showerhead and left it alone. But this afternoon I had too much time on my hands and decided to help speed it along.

So I took two of the four hanks and put them in the dryer. Now, lest you panic, please know that it was superwash wool. So that part was fine. I only put them in for 10 minutes.

However, one of the hanks managed to untie itself and became a 454 yard of giant knottedness. Seriously. One ginormously huge knot. Ugh.

I spent the next three hours untangling said knot, supervised by Monkey of course.

The good news is that I am liking this yarn more in a ball than I did in the hank. I can't wait to see how it knits up. Look for a swatch in the near future!

Summer in the City

2008-06-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

After almost a week straight of hot weather it seemed like we were actually going to have "summer" in San Francisco. Alas, today when we walked to our local library I required a wool scarf and winter coat. Brrr. Now that's the SF summer I know.

In other news:
• I did find one more flea on Mabel but I haven't yet forcibly bathed her
• I'm working on multiple knitting projects - I keep casting on new WIPs
• I'm working on some swatches for Marin Fiber Arts
• I'm studying Spanish - not crafty but a fact nonetheless - and have decided that seeking out Spanish yarn sites equates to studying. Well, doesn't it? I have to translate them...

Callng all C.S.I.s

2008-06-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Enquiring minds (namely me) would like to know which cat made these kitty prints on the bathroom mirror. They appear to be litter based with thin strands of hair trapped between the litter particles. Seriously, are there any CSI students out there who would like to come and test the prints for particulates and kitty DNA? And just how accurate are paw print comparison tests anyway?

In other cat news, yesterday I saw a flea on Mabel and so we had to pull out the big guns.

Last night I was able to extract two fleas from her furry little self. She actually loves being combed (see evidence below).

Afterward she slept and purred for hours, and so far I haven't seen her scratch her head. (Note: if she scratches again she's getting a bath.)

Monkey is a different story. For no particular reason he is deathly afraid of the flea comb and the potential torture it could inflict upon him. So he yowls, howls, hisses and then he hides. I guess we'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he doesn't have any fleas...

The best part about a city hike is...

2008-06-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

...no poison oak.

(Please note: this does not include Golden Gate Park. I'm guessing that the wildly overgrown areas are chock full of it, although I'm not going to actually rummage around in there to find out. Any volunteers?)

Happy Day After World Wide Knit in Public Day

2008-06-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune of being able to go and knit yesterday at Marin Fiber Arts in San Rafael. The weather was beautiful, the falafel was delicious, and amazing knitting projects were in abundance! Yay.

I've been browsing photos on Flickr and there are some really great WWKIP Day photos from around the world! Go knitting!

Cat News

2008-06-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is how the first two sides of the box now look. Yep, they're almost completely gone.

We couldn't figure out why he would only chewing those two sides. Even last week he was still trying to chew the tiniest nubs of the sideless area...and then we turned the box around, and he got right to work.

I wonder how long this box will last...

Finally Able to Knit Again

2008-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that I'm finally able to knit again, and thus will be venturing forth to knit night tonight. Yay! Hope to see everyone there.

Yarn Giveaway

2008-06-01T15:26:00.001-07:00

I'm slowly healing (SO SLOWLY). The worst is mostly over, although I'm currently facing a poison oak relapse. Ugh.

This just in: my favorite Fiber CSA, Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm's owner is giving away some Malabrigo yarn. There's a great story to go along with it, and it's not just for shareholders, so enter away. Info here.

I love love love this farm and its blog. So cute to see pics of the baby sheep and goats as they are born. The abundance of cuteness takes my mind off of itching...just for a minute...

Once Upon A Time...

2008-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Griffin doesn't know it yet, but within 2 days his face and business will be swollen more than 2x their normal size

...there was a couple who woke up obscenely early in order to get in line for an REI sale. They were up SO EARLY that their favorite local coffee shop wasn't even open yet (i.e. way too early)...

We waited in line sitting on the cold, hard cement until 7:30 when we were rewarded with tickets to be the first group in to the Berkeley sale at 10am. With 2.5 hours to kill, we decided first to get coffee (took FOREVER and had grounds in it - hate you Tully's) and then decided to go on a quick morning hike in Tilden park.

We got to Tilden and hiked in for about an hour, and then decided to turn around and head back to the car.

For some reason, and I can't remember how the discussion came up, we were talking about PE classes in elementary school and then I brought up Field Day. Where I grew up, Field Day was a glorious day near the end of the year where you competed in events some more like picnic games (3-legged race, some sort of egg on a spoon relay) and some real events like the 50-yard dash and who can kick a kickball the farthest. It was a lot of fun and pretty much every kid ended up with a pile of ribbons. All good fun.

Griff said they didn't have Field Day in Minnesota, but they did have a shoe-kicking contest. Wha? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Because I sure hadn't. He was all yeah, we did it in PE.

Before I realized what was going on and could stop him, he had taken his shoe, loosened it on his foot and proceeded to give me a demonstration of said shoe-kicking.

Unfortunately his aim was less than true, and apparently he didn't know his own strength, because his shoe went flying WAY up into the air and also WAY OFF THE TRAIL. Into the solidly overgrown brush.

I vaguely remember saying that perhaps it wasn't a good idea to go into the brush after the shoe. But it was too late, Griffin was already in there with one sock searching for his shoe.

I wish I had stayed on the trail. But no, I decided to help. I scrambled up the brushy hillside after him and even loaned him one of my shoes so he could CLIMB THE POISON OAK. I spent about 2 minutes in the brush, he spent 20 minutes. And still couldn't find the shoe.

In hindsight, it isn't surprising that the shoe couldn't be found. It was a tan colored hiking shoe and as it hasn't rained in ages all of the scrubby ground was golden brown.

So, we ended up wasting 20 minutes we didn't have looking for a shoe we couldn't find. And then Griffin had to hike back to the car barefoot. Not a single person said something to him. I mean, wouldn't you ask someone about it if you passed them on the trail and they were holding some socks and one shoe? I like to think I would. But nobody did.

We made it back to the car and realized that we were going to be late to the REI sale, if we could even make it before our 20 minute time slot was over. Of course, he'd need some shoes to enter the store...

Luckily, this was the only time I had brought extra shoes - some white flip flops with teal ribbon straps with white tennis rackets printed on them. What can I say, at 5:50am it was just too early to bother putting on shoes.

We made it to the sale 10 minutes late, but we made it. We managed to snag a couple of good deals.

Unfortunately, in hindsight, it SO WASN'T WORTH IT.

On the plus side, once they make shoe-kicking an Olympic event I'm sure Griffin will make the team and even win the gold medal. Then it will all have been worth it.

P.S. If there's anybody out there with a TIME MACHINE, could you PLEASE CONTACT ME?

Chez Grumpus Maximus

2008-05-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

We've got a lot to be grumpy about these days, especially since Griffin and I both managed to contract poison oak this weekend. His is REALLY BAD (covering over 50% of his body)!!!

Mine isn't too bad (a little on each arm, a little on left leg, a little on my face). Before last night I thought I had managed to get off scott free, but last night I started itching like crazy.

The good news is that after day 4 (tomorrow) we shouldn't see new breakouts/patches of oozing itchiness. The bad news is that I/we can't sleep with this business. Literally. No sleep. Even with Benadryl. Argh.

OMG, such extreme cuteness should be outlawed!

2008-05-09T11:49:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by talbot_family

A friend of mine is fostering some kittens. They are SO UNBEARABLY CUTE that I just want to cry. Must...snuggle...them...now...

Cat News

2008-05-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Monkey is continuing to make total box annihilation progress whilst attacking two sides of the Charles Shaw box. He has deemed these two particular sides to be an eminent threat and cannot continue on his path of destruction until those two sides have been completely destroyed.

In other news, in my quest to continue with some stash knitting and reclaiming, I have "reclaimed" two yarns from UFOs (unfinished objects - this is knitting slang). I wound them, soaked them and hung them and am getting ready to once again try to knit a pair of socks.

I started the Brother Amos socks a while ago, but didn't like how the fit was coming out (I have a rather narrow ankle and the socks were just blousing around it). So, here's the question. What is a good and easy toe-up all purpose sock pattern?

Yesterday I tried the knitty toe-up but didn't like how the toe came out (totally pointy and weird). Any suggestions?

Secondly, any good ideas for unexpected mother's day gifts out there? The fallback ideas are chocolate, flowers, or fabric, but I'd love to mix things up. Has anyone heard of a good fabric of the month club?

New Hair

2008-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I adventurously went to a new to me hair salon within a few blocks of my house. They were highly reviewed on Yelp, and rightly so. They were just wonderful and were able to turn my mangy mop into a sleek summer do! (Side note: cannot help but make wry face when on this side of the camera...)

Another Finished Object

2008-04-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the placed cable aran sweater from Fall's Interweave Knits magazine. Woo-hoo!

I adjusted the pattern to knit the body of the sweater in the round with a 3-needle bind off for the shoulders. The sleeves were knit in the round, bound off and sewn to the body of the sweater.

I ended up knitting the small size, as I wanted a more snug fit than appears in the magazine.

Now, I just have to block the sweater! Yay!

Monkey the Destructicat

2008-04-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

F.O.

2008-04-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

When my sister called me up last week and asked if I just happened to have any finished baby girl items on hand, I was happy to dig up this little unfinished gem.

I had started making it a few years ago after one of nieces was born. Unfortunately, by the time I was getting close to finishing she had already outgrown the sweater. So I was happy to dig it up and sew it together and knit the button bands.

I hope my sister's friend likes it! And hey, at least I finished something.

Jury Duty

2008-04-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

(Yes, I know this photo is a smidge blurry, but it really captures how much Mabel really loves the upstairs bathtub. She used to just sit in there to be petted and hang out, but now she mostly hides from Monkey in it.)

So my jury "Group" out of 15 available this week was picked to arrive bright and early this morning (no later than 8:30 am). Within an hour, my name was called for the first group sent for jury selection, and wouldn't you know it...once we settled in in the courtroom my name was the first called.

The bad news--I'm making a whopping $15 per day (thanks so much, CA). The good news is that the trial should be concluded this week.

Oh yeah, and next week it's Griffin's turn for jury duty. One of these days we are going to sync up and unleash some super justice on SF...or at least get to hang out sipping coffee while we chat and wait and make fun of the jury service video...

Overnight Backpacking Trip

2008-03-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well we made it back in one piece. The hiking part wasn't so bad, but the SLEEPING part was what I just couldn't get the hang of. It was pretty much impossible to get comfortable enough to get even a little shut eye. Ideas, anyone? Perhaps some Tylenol PM? In theory I'll have to be able to hike and camp for four days by August, and I figure I will ABSOLUTELY need sleep in order to get by.

Lake Kelly

The endlessly amazing rolling hills of Henry Coe park

Camping...me...really?

2008-03-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

You read that right. We are going on an overnight backpacking trip tomorrow with G's dad and brother, sort of a mini test run before we hit Yosemite this summer.

This won't be entirely an accurate test as we won't really be at altitude, and it will be a bit colder tomorrow night and sunday morning (lows in the 30s) than summer in Yosemite. But, it will be a better gauge of our readiness than our typical weekend treks as I'll actually have a full pack on for the duration of the trip.

Now, if only I could safely knit and hike at the same time...hmmm...what if I had a pack llama...can you get yarn from a llama?

Getting Things Done

2008-03-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, I've been tackling a small number of rather insignificant things lately, which means that I really haven't had too much to blog about.

BUT, I did finally manage yesterday to get google blog reader set up so that I can finally track ALL of the blogs I read occasionally as they are updated all in ONE PLACE.

This is seriously amazing. No, really. Now it is ever so much more likely that I will read and comment on your blog in a timely fashion -- not just once a week or every other week when I start to wonder what you IIFs are up to.

I'm lovin' the Internets!

Monkey's Big Adventure

2008-03-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, some time late in the afternoon per usual, one Ms. Mabel was begging for some soft food. So, I bopped on into the kitchen and cracked open a fresh can of kitty chow. I made the usual can and clank noises as I dished up two bowls.

It took me a minute to realize that something was horribly wrong. Monkey was mysteriously absent, and that purrbox LOVES him some soft food.

I called and called, and cooed and made his special Monkey noises, and he still didn't show. I started searching the house. No Monkey upstairs...

When I made it downstairs at first glance all appeared normal. But as I stepped into the back bedroom I noticed that the screen was mysteriously absent from the window. I looked out and the screen was laying all janky on the ground. AND NO MONKEY IN SIGHT!

I called and called and nothing.

I climbed up on the deck and Griffin climbed up onto the roof to call and call and look for him.

I went completely around the block calling for him, talking to the neighbors, and searching for ways he could have gotten out of the almost escape-proof backyards on our block. Still nothing.

I tried the backyard and walked around the block again. Still nothing.

I logged on to the SF Animal Control website and registered Monkey's details (so that they would email me if a cat matching his description was picked up). They also recommended waiting until the neighborhood was quiet and then searching again.

So, we broke out the camping headlamps and searched some more. Still nothing. Pretty much at 9:30pm I was starting to FREAK OUT. I left the house shortly thereafter proclaiming that I was not returning until I found the cat. My bladder had other ideas.

Sometime just after 11 (and tromping through brush in some of the hillsides near our house where I had seen tons of cats, just not mine) I ended up coming home for a potty break.

I decided to go in the back yard one last time to call him -- I still couldn't believe he'd go very far. I called his name and made a kitty coo noise and FINALLY I heard the WORLD'S TINIEST MEOW.

I found Monkey. He had hidden under the 3 x 3' wooden walkway in our backyard. He wouldn't come out until I broke out some food, and then he basically ran into the house, ate some food, used the litterbox, and proceeded to snuggle and purr.

I can't believe how lucky we were, and can't believe we almost lost our MONKEY!

Knitting 101

2008-03-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I started a sweater from the sold out Fall 2007 Interweave knits - the placed cable Aran. I brought it to knit night last week, and really thought I was making huge inroads. However, it was WAY TOO HUGE (Patricia, you were correctamundo).

I seem to always have this problem - the sweaters I make end up super duper huge. On Saturday, I ended up transferring what I had so far to waste yarn and trying it on. It was ridiculously huge. Back to the drawing board.

So I measured, ripped, and started again.

Imagine my surprise this evening when I realize my ridiculous rookie mistake - now, though the sweater is indeed the correct girth, there is a nice TWIST that I didn't catch until I was two balls of yarn in. Sigh.

Perhaps this sweater just wasn't meant to be.

I think I'm going to rip it and cast on ONE LAST TIME.

Quilting

2008-02-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

I had a great time visiting my family back east, and going to a quilt show with my mom and sister. There were most definitely quilts of all kinds from modern art and activist style quilts to unicorn/medieval and religious quilts. (I have pics and will share an album so you can see the wide variety for yourselves.)

I am not much of a seamstress, but even I was inspired to sew a cute little purse (is there any other kind) from some vintage fabric. This is something that I would not normally try on my own, but with my mom's expertise at hand it didn't seem so impossible.

Of course what really sealed the deal was the super cute Japanese purse handle - love it! Hopefully it will be enough to inspire me to use the stacks of fat quarters I came home with...

What's that you say? No more scooping?

2008-02-19T20:18:00.001-08:00

I NEVER EVER click on random internet ads, but today I happened upon an ad for the CatGenie and I must say that their site (not necessarily this YouTube video) got my attention. I HATE scooping cat litter, and hate having to throw it out...

Love the accessories and installation videos. I wonder if it really works...

On another note, I'll be visiting my fam back east for the next few days, so posting and pics will most probably be on the spotty side. Enjoy stitches!!!

Silver Linings

2008-02-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry for so little posting over the past few days. I think it has this long just to get used to the idea of no longer being gainfully employed. It's just so much more difficult to swallow when it's not on your own terms.

That said, I have still managed to muster up a few silver linings:
1. I finally had time to inventory my yarn stash on ravelry
2. While visiting my family next week on the East Coast I don't have to check email or work even one little bit
3. I finally have a good excuse to update my resume/portfolio
4. I have more time to enjoy the sunshine/natural light and relax with the kitties

File Under: BS

2008-02-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

I just got f!$%!&* laid off.

Ripped From the Headlines

2008-02-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

This article from the Onion is a real slice of life -- I swear, Monkey and Mabel are locked in a battle for each and every little thing they can find.

Obviously Monkey is a Johnsonian and Mabel is a Boswellian.

Cherry Blossoms

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Spring must be here, because the cherry tree in front of our house exploded with bountiful pink blossoms this weekend. I swear I blinked and the magic happened.

Unfortunately the yellow jackets love it too, which means there isn't much time for photos without the risk of a sting.

Happy Friday

2008-02-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is how Monkey spends almost every Friday these days -- wresting with a stuffed cat.

Warning: you may want to mute the audio - I was rocking it out with Lisa Loeb while recording this...

There's hope...

2008-02-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

...for the cats, anyway. I swear they are going to be snuggling up soon enough. This is a big step for Mabel to even be sleeping in the same room as Monkey sans moi.

In other news, today was my first day commuting to the peninsula, and if was everything I dreaded and then some. It took me 40 minutes to go 22 miles. Sigh. In stop and go traffic.

Also, for the first time in my experience, GoogleMaps failed me and mapped the new digs in the wrong location. Now down there in the boonies there are just tons and tons of office parks with tall towers. Lots of cement, and for some reason all of the numbers on the side of buildings appear to have disapparated.

So, while I was on a wild goose chase this morning, thanks google, and managed to negotiate my way to the office park next to my office park some fellow backed right in to my car. Of course he was on his cell and backed up full throttle right into my car. I had time to stop and lay on the horn, but he wasn't deterred and backed bravely up at a high speed - I guess that's how you do it when you drive a really expensive luxury convertible and are in the middle of a mid-life crisis.

Luckily, my car was ok except for a bent license plate. My nerves were totally shot and I was another 20+ minutes late to work, but other than that I made it. Let's just hope when i go back next week things go a little more smoothly...

Fresh Out o' Yarn

2008-01-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's not so much that I'm completely out of yarn or anything. Believe me, that isn't even a remote possibility. Unfortunately, with a mere 3 inches to go on my Clapotis, I'm out of yarn. Sigh.

Do I rip it back, or do I try to procure another ball of yarn?

I'm thinking rip...

Clapotis

2008-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Still working on my Clapotis. I'm finally on the decreases so I should be done this week! It couldn't come at a better time what with the cold, rainy weather!

Side note: our tiny pumpkins are still going strong and make perfect knitting weights :-)

Some recent online finds

2008-01-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so into knitted ornaments this year, and got some fabulous ones from Emily, aka Ms. Vegan Knitting pictured below.

I really enjoyed having these on my tree this year, and want to make some more for next year's tree.

Lo and behold, my mom sends me a link to this fabulous blog "Little Cotton Rabbits" which has a free pattern for some adorable knitted stocking ornaments seen here.

I can't wait to make them! And I'm hoping I can procure the pattern for the knitted monkey pictured on the left!

Don't miss the super cute easter egg ornaments.

Clapotis Deux

2008-01-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that I have finally managed to get back to knitting, and am currently working on my second Clapotis (the first was a gift for my mom).

I'm using the lovely Lorna's Laces DK Swirl in Valentine. Love it!

Two balls down, two to go!

Finally Home

2008-01-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

After almost a week in Vail, CO we're back home. Whew. I actually managed the snow and cold much better than I ever thought I could. Of course I attribute that entirely to my newly acquired down ski parka in bright red with fake fur trim around the hood.

It's hard to be cold when you look so fabulous.

The Monkey Tree

2008-01-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

I'll be out of town for the next several days for work (so no knit night for me this week, but next week foh sheezy). Have a great week all!

***Update*** I am swapping out the video with a higher quality one so it may still be "processing" on youTube. Thanks for your patience. I assure you that the better quality will be worth it. Really :-)

It's a Holiday Miracle

2008-01-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

This really happened the other day--it didn't last long...maybe an hour at most. Still, it gives me hope that one day when monkey settles down and stops trying to bite mabel on the buttocks they might kinda sorta enjoy each other.

Look what I got!!!!!!!!

2007-12-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

Having a lovely birthday

2007-12-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

Even though I have to work on my birthday, at least I am working from bed in Palm Springs. Now, if I could just get my birthday coffee and muffin in bed I'd be all set ;-)

Holidazzle

2007-12-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well, we managed to get our tree all set up with some lights (both white lights and some giant colorful bulbs as well). Monkey has been rather underwhelmed with the entire decorating experience, although he has seen fit to remove a couple of stray plastic ornaments that didn't suit his aesthetic.

But, he LOVES taking a nap on the extra strand of lights...they are just warm enough to make a nice cozy electric cat nest. As long as he doesn't try to eat the lights we'll be good.

FYI, I'll be out of town (and away from blogging) for the next couple of days for a business trip. Wish me luck - it'll be COLD - far colder than my wardrobe will reasonably permit. Brrr.

Newsflash: Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

2007-12-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for 7+ days (couldn't even get up for several days in a row). First it was the flu, and now bronchitis and if I'm extremely unlucky it'll turn into pneumonia. Currently I'm on karma's bad side--last weekend someone hit my car while it was parked in front of my house. Clearly the work of a drunk driver. Sigh. On to happier topics.

I had a really fantastic time in London with KB in London. I did lots of touristy stuff, both on my own and with KB including:

Kensington Palace - including Princess Diana memorial dandelion sculptures
Victoria & Albert Museum
Natural History Museum
Hampton Court Palace - including gardens and hedge maze (lifelong dream realized)
A couple of fun Rick Steves walking tours
seeing the latest Shepard Fairey exhibit
London Bridge & the Tower of London
high tea at the Orangery - highly recommended

Best of all, we got the chance to attend the first Stitch 'n Bitch London event, where we knit scarves for charity

We also got to meet Debbie Stoller who headlined the event, and a photo of us knitting even made it into the IKL (I Knit London) html newstetter! We're like, so famous ;-)

KB with Debbie

They gave us the most adorable knitting needles with cat heads as a charity knitting thank you - so freaking cute!

There was also a poetry reading where an older chap in an intricately handknit vest read a hilarious and touching poem he had written about his daughter's knitting.

KB, thanks for being such a wonderful host. London, thanks for just being so fabulous!

Happy Belated Turkey Day!

2007-11-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance for being so behind in blogging. I still need to update on London, the London Stitch 'n Bitch day, not to mention knitting related projects and activities.

For now, sit back, enjoy some delicious homemade cranberry sauce and knit up a storm. Or, if you're like me, you could finally get around to crafting a holiday knitting plan...

Fetching

2007-11-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

I'm back from the UK and am busy downloading, uploading, and sorting through almost 1,000 photos from my trip.

Since it gets dark rather early these days in London, I was able to have plenty of time to balance sightseeing and knitting.

I was able to start and complete Fetching.

Love it! However, the gloves seemed really lonely without a matching hat. So, on the plane ride home I improvised and came up with this:

(For more info on yarn, needles, etc please details on ravelry.)

If I were starting over, I'd probably cast on 95 sts versus 90 (I have a big head, what can I say) so that the hat wouldn't have to stretch quite so much. But, I love it, too. I think I'll be making more fetching sets in the near future.

Upcoming posts will have details about the fabulous London Stitch and Bitch including some nummy yarns acquired across the pond!

Temporarily on hiatus

2007-11-06T21:46:00.001-08:00

I'll be traveling to London for the next week and will have minimal access to photos/internet, but will actually have the joy of spending some time knitting with one ms. knitsybitsy.

We are planning to attend the first official UK Stitch 'n Bitch day on Saturday! This should be one crafty vacay. I'm taking three projects and I'm guessing that I won't finish even one...well ok, maybe I'll finish one on the plane or something.

Happy knitting!

Koolhaas Hat

2007-11-04T11:37:00.001-08:00

I finished my Koolhaas hat. Yay!

It knit up beautifully, and I love, love, love the Ming. I can't wait to get started on my matching Ming scarf.

Here's the question. Should I adapt the Koolhaas pattern to make a matchy matchy scarf, or should I knit a scarf in a different pattern and let the colors do the matching?

Happy Belated Halloween

2007-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last night...

And this morning...

These teeth are going to look gnarly in a couple of days!

Still working on the Koolhaas hat and will hopefully have it done today!

Artfibers 4-1-1

2007-10-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, free from the bonds of employ, found me downtown running some errands. The kinds of things you can never find time to do when you have a j-o-b. I returned some clothing (I don't really need new clothes for the job anymore), went to the library and checked out some books to read (I haven't done that in such a long time that I had to renew my card), and also made time to stop by Artfibers.

[Side note: Monkey cannot be apart from the camera for two seconds. He loves it just that much.]

Anyway, every other time I have visited, the store has been filled to the brim with shoppers. Several times I had departed sad and yarnless, because I was intimidated by the large quantities of yarn found on the cones.

However, last Friday afternoon, I briefly had the place to myself and was able to chat with the lovely proprietress. I was fretting because there was a gorgeous yarn that I wanted, but couldn't justify a 250 gram purchase.

Now, if you already know this I wish you had told me and shame on you for not doing so sooner, but she graciously informed me that I could wind off as much as I wanted in increments of 50 grams. Wha? A whole world of luxurious yarns were now at my fingertips. I decided to go with Ming, a silk and extrafine merino blend in hues of lovely pinks and purples.

I'm planning to make the Koolhaas hat (from this season's Interweave Gifts issue) and a coordinating scarf from this yumminess.

So, the question of the day, am I the only one who didn't know about this?

Q@L Time

2007-10-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I crafted this character back when I was stuck in a mind-numbingly dull job. The inspiration came from a most excellent KITH (Kids in the Hall) sketch which had a character (Tanya) who proudly proclaimed that she could quit at lunch--because she's a temp. (Hence the line "I can quit at lunch...I'm a temp." Just brilliant.)

Thus Q@L was born. At that particular time, it was only a distant fantasy that helped me (and others) get through the day. I mean, who REALLY does that?

Well, it turns out that thanks to the lovely state of CA, and it's at-will employment laws, anyone can.

As a society, we are definitely conditioned/trained to stick things out and remain dedicated to something even if it makes us 100% miserable. ("Stay the course" anyone?) I say, forget it. Why should anyone commit to a toxic relationship--especially if it involves employment where you end up spending most of your waking hours anyway!

Today, I decided that I had had enough. And though I didn't exactly Q@L, I did manage to QAL (quit after lunch). And I'm not looking back.

Sidenote: I read recently that large amounts of stress affect women more than men, and can lead to premature aging. I don't want any part of that, thank you very much.

So, I'm sorry, new company, that we had to break up. I'd say that it's not me it's you, except that would not be true. It was definitely YOU.

Now, it's time to go knit and listen to Kelly Clarkson.

Scarf Time

2007-10-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to finish at least one sock before I started the new job. Sadly, that didn't happen. Due to some unfortunate knitting mistakes, I am a pattern repeat away from finishing.

Once I started the new job, which has been more stressful and time consuming than I could have ever imagined, I decided that I needed some good mindless knitting to unwind after work.

Enter this scarf, made from Artfibers Valparaiso (50% baby alpaca, 50% merino color #6) using a drop stitch pattern also purchased from Artfibers. In the store, they knit the pattern with a laceweight mohair. I loved the pattern, but wanted to make something a little more substantial.

Current length: 3 feet.
Length to go: as far as I can get with the 284 yards that I have.

Raindrops on Roses...

2007-10-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

And whiskers on kittens. Yada yada yada...

I'm starting a new job this week, and am trying to keep an open mind and stay positive. However, the universe seems to have other plans for me and my happiness/sanity.

First, there are the commuting woes...

Tuesday morning I missed my Caltrain due to bad traffic and had to wait 1/2 hour for the next train.

Wednesday morning I decided to take bart to Milbrae and transfer to Caltrain. Seems like a reasonable idea, right? One would think. However, this is how the rest of the morning commute went.

• made it to station in time to catch bart train
• train went into tunnel and power went out
• we proceeded to sit sans power for 5 minutes. Now, I only had a 9 minute window in which to catch the Caltrain, so I was starting to sweat it a little bit.
• we get to the SFO station and are informed that the train is having technical difficulties. We proceed to hold for another 4+ minutes. Also at the same time the train operator keeps using the train PA to ask "Dave" if he is there. "Dave, if you're there let me know. Dave? You there?"

Basically, you can guess what happened next, but just as we were pulling into the station my train (and everyone else's who was still on that godforsaken train) left.

At this point I had two options. I could either sit there and wait 1/2 hour for the next train (side note: the caltrain does run more than every 1/2 hour, but during commuting hours lots of the trains are express trains and only make certain stops. So, approximately every other train stops near my office.), or I could take the train in 10 minutes to the station before my stop and walk 1.3 miles to my stop.

What would you do?

I chose the latter. On the plus side, it was a good way to break in my new walking shoes which cushioned my feet in slipperlike softness during the walk. However, I was also carrying a bulging laptop bag full of software and laptop etc.(a story for another time) and it was awfully heavy.

Basically, I ended up making it to my normal station just as the train I could have sat on my butt and waited for arrived. So I didn't save ANY time.

On the plus side, I got a little exercise.

On the minus side, even though I had gotten up at 6am and left my house by 7:15 I didn't get to work until after 9am. Which meant I had to stay late.

It was so frustrating that I actually considered driving today to avoid the public transit nightmares. But I didn't. This morning I smoothly made my early express train and it all worked out.

When I was pretty irritated yesterday, Griffin IM'd me the above photo of a box o' kittens. So, Nootsie, this one's for you. It's hard to be miserable and sad when you're looking at a box o' kittens.

I've got nuttin' honey

2007-10-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Just got home from my first day at a new job in a new company performing a new role. It was exhausting. No time to blog :-( and not much sock progress to report.

Monkey waits for his mama to come home from a very long day of work.

I can report that I was able to kick back and do lots of touristy things while my parents were here to visit, including but not limited to:

• union square shopping day
• craft store day (just me 'n mom)
• union square + ghirardelli square + cable car day
• half moon bay hike + barbara's fishtrap + half moon bay downtown day
• tour of jelly belly factory in fairfield, ca
• browsing/milling about san anselmo

Just typing all o' thing stuff is making me sleepy. Time for a nap!

Slow and Not So Steady

2007-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

My parents left this afternoon after a week's visit in SF, which hopefully helps to explain my rather paltry sock progress. We were out and about each and every day, which didn't leave much time or energy for hitting the sticks (I really need some new knitting metaphors--any suggestions welcome).

I tried turning the heel this evening, and just ended up ripping it :-(

Tomorrow's another day...

Toe-foot-sies

2007-09-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well I was finally able to complete the toecap for the socks I'm working on. Note to knit-nighters: I had to frog everything I had done last knit night since it really isn't possible to count and chat at the same time :-( Also, the yarn is a smidge splitty, so it does require occasional attention.

More detail.

The whole enchilada. Now, on to the foot!

Proud Mom

2007-09-09T21:20:00.001-07:00

I'm proud of my fabulous little feline who loves to drape himself in marabou. It's a little flashy for my taste, but he adores it--not that there's anything wrong with that...

Finished Object

2007-09-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Just in the nick of time I finished the adorable butter yellow baby sweater I was working on. Baby Nolan (boy) was born today :-)

Sweater detail

Extreme closeup of the world's cutest bee buttons. They are so adorable that I just want to cry when I look at them. Really.

Now I just need to finish the matching cap!

Happy Labor Day

2007-09-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

In the true spirit of labor day, Monkey decided to take a break from his normal jobs of eating, lounging and sleeping in order to race around the house in a spastic frenzy all day long, showing boundless enthusiasm for such sports as ankle biting, leg scrambling, and counter jumping.

When a closetful of yarn just isn't enough...

2007-08-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

...you improvise. I was staring down a pile of G's old white t-shirts this weekend, trying to figure out what to do with them. Throwing them out just seemed wasteful--you only need so many shoe shine rags. So, I decided to recycle them in a fun way and turned them into yarn.

First, I decided to knit a dishcloth. It was cute, and seemed rather useful. But, I don't really need 20 dishcloths. I mean, I might eventually, but I really wanted to come up with a project that would use more shirts at once and put a dent in the pile.

So I cut six shirts up into 1 inch strips (1 long, seamless strip from hem to armpits per shirt)...

...and started knitting a bathmat. I ended up using my straight size 19s, which I haven't used in years.

It knit up quickly, and was an instant winner with Thelonious Monkey (yes, the new kitty has a name).

And, I even like how it looks. I think I'm going to have to make more. For now, it's back to baby knitting--will it ever end?!?

Bucket

2007-08-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

There's a cat in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza...

Mabel has been seeking refuge from the little monkey in a bucket for several days...it's mostly working...

Ignorance Really IS Bliss

2007-07-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

If Mabel doesn't see IT, IT isn't there. Period.

Thanks!

2007-07-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

A package full of wonderfully crafty goodies recently arrived at my door from the super crafty KB. Look, it's a card from Elwood.

Check out the amazing homemade cupcake pincushion! So..freakin'...cute...

A lovely recycled felt dolphin toy for Ms. Mabel.

Some really nifty Mabel cards made at moo.com. Love them!

Stickers!

The toy has passed the Mabel test. She adores it!

Thanks for all of the goodies, KB. We miss you--come home soon.

Kitty Porn

2007-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I brought home a new kitty! He and Griffin instantly fell in love.

He's a boy. No, Mabel isn't very happy about it, but we're hoping eventually she'll come around.

We haven't named him yet, but so far we're thinking of Oliver Picklepuss or Cougar. But, we're waiting to learn a little more about his personality before we choose a name.

His backstory:
He was found my a co-worker's finacee (who is a vet tech) all tiny and skinny in a parking lot. They took him to her work, bathed and flea dipped him, checked him for kitty leukemia and kitty aids (both negative) and took him home. And then they showed him to me Monday afternoon. I couldn't say no :-) I mean, look at that cute little face--who could refuse such a cutie?

This Weekend

2007-07-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

It looks like it's going to be another super fantastic san francsico summer weekend complete with fog, drizzle, and sweltering 50 degree temperatures. If it does turn out to be that cold and dreary, I know where I'll be spending the weekend. Right on the couch cuddled up with a certain furry feline friend and a good book (or a crappy 80s movie). Sky's the limit, people.

Road Trip Redux

2007-07-12T18:02:00.001-07:00

Well, we spent 32 hours straight in the car driving Griffin's Mother's car to Minneapolis, MN.

We stopped approximately 20 times for bathroom breaks, snacks, and gas, and stopped for only one major meal--dinner in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. Here is a quick recap of the trip via photos (I had to amuse myself somehow).

Packing up the car.

Obligatory pre-road trip portrait.

California

Nevada

Utah -- lots of salt flats

Salt Lake City - Jack Mormon Coffee Co.

Nebraska

Minnesota

We've been back all week, and it's been tough getting back into the swing of things, and even harder working up the willpower to drive anywhere ever again...

Cute As a Button

2007-06-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got around to sewing the buttons on the world's cutest baby sweater.

Turns out the buttons are supercute as well.

Thanks, Warren, for having such a fabulous button selection.

Matching booties rule.

Still nonstop baby knitting here. I'm sorry all you knit-nighters, but I won't be able to attend our regular Thursday knit night for the next two weeks. Friday (2 days from now!!!) we'll be driving 30 hours straight to Minnesota, and will be flying back the following Friday. I'll be working remotely next week, and probably won't have too much time to blog. :-(

Miss you! Happy knitting, and see you in 2 weeks!

Paper Fish

2007-06-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

As seen on a walk on 24th Street in Noe Valley. The details were exquisite (The fish is approximately two feet wide). Is there some sort of profession in which one makes supercool displays out of paper? If so, sign me up, or at least get me on the waiting list!

Superdrive my A**

2007-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

The "superdrive" of my imac G5 decided to stop working last night. First, it ate a DVD, and now it won't stop trying to ingest and eject things simultaneously. No, it's not under warranty, and yes I did momentarily consider that a computer sans disk tray could be a risk...it was a risk I was willing to take for something pretty and shiny...

We're hoping Griffin can just disconnect the drive from it's power source so it will shut the hell up! Keep your fingers crossed...cause I just can't work with all of that clackety racket.

Pink Baby Newsboy Cap

2007-06-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

All done. Kyle's cap from "Knit Baby Head & Toes" (yes, the title of the book is a little off-putting--I think perhaps there's a missing preposition)...but the patterns are highly adorable--it's worth the baby newsboy cap alone.

Now I just need to whip up some matching booties.