It's All Coming Along...

...well, more or less. Honestly, I still have very little time, and life is still chaotic. 

But so it goes. (Thanks, Kurt Vonnegut. I needed that line.)

Today, you could truly tell where we were in the lunar cycle. I spent most of the day defusing blow-ups. Apparently, my "counselor" mode was in demand a lot. Let's just say you can tell that Monday is the Full Moon. 

Knitting...

Because of the crummy nature of my week, I haven't picked up the needles much. But the Pumpkin Baby Sweater is coming along. As you can see, the sleeves are under construction and it's progressing nicely. I can knit this and read, so I've caught up with my "Jean's Knitting" blog, and I have yet to figure out where I left off with the Yarn Harlot. That will come. I miss being able to keep up with my favorite bloggers, so I have to get back to that. 

I'm headed out to the "new" Wool & Company with my friend Roberta tomorrow, after I teach my last outdoor yoga class of the year. I may find some different buttons. I have planned some brown giraffe buttons. But my friend who's getting this LOVES elephants. So if I find elephants, that's what I'm getting. Or maybe pumpkins? Who knows? I might also drag some of the wool + acrylic yarn out of stash and do another sweater, if I get the gumption, and stripe the next one. From the twins, I have a brighter "traffic cone" orange plus a yellow. That combo could be cute with either a number of stripes, or one wide one across the shoulder area. Babies are boxy anyway, so doing that, with a 6- or 7-row stripe, could be adorable. 

So I've linked the Wool and Company website above, and while the site says "under construction," I will comment: This is NIGHT and DAY different from the old shop. Not that I didn't love the original, but the new owner has breathed a new spark of life into the place,which it sorely needed. I can't wait to get there! And Roberta's always good for a road trip! There's a pub next door with the best food, too. And frankly: I need the diversion. (Shhhhhhhhhh - I don't really need any yarn, but you never know...)

In fact, I should be knitting, but I wanted to get all of this down on the blog before the weekend got away from me, as the weekends are wont to do lately. 

Hillary...

Hillary is being blamed by some folks for her HUSBAND'S ways. And let's be clear: Bill isn't the one running for president this time. 

That attitude of blaming Hillary for Bill's transgressions is wrong on about a zillion levels. And like I said, I'm no Hillary fan, but I've been thinking about this for a while now. Even before The Drumpf opened his yap. 

My question is this: Why did she stay? 

Seriously. Sit there and think about this for a moment. Why did she stay? It's not 1818. She's an extremely qualified woman. She's certainly well-educated. She's got skills. She's got money. What kept her? 

Did she blame herself for some reason? Did she think she "wasn't enough" because Bill couldn't keep himself out of the way of other women? 

Or...and this totally just occurred to me... Bill is enormously charismatic. People (I'm told) love him. Even a friend of mine who's a tried-and-true cynic said that, having met Bill in person, he does "take up the room" and she also said, "I was about 10 months pregnant and he looked at me and spoke to me as if I was the only person in that room at that moment, and gave me the impression that what I had to say mattered to him." 

THAT, folks? THAT is charisma. And I'm not thinking Hillary has a ton of that. At least that's not how she comes across. 

From the last debate, with the Orange Menace stalking her, I can certainly say that she's enormously focused, and she stayed on her message. Well, heck - she just gave him the rope to hang himself. It was almost too easy. 

But my question still remains. Why does a woman stay, especially given her "Tammy Wynette" comments in Bill's first election campaign. Especially given that she could indeed write her own ticket. 

Why? 

It's a good question. 

Michelle...

And then there's Michelle Obama. I thought: This woman has TWO Ivy-League degrees. She's raising her family -- her GIRLS -- in a fishbowl. 

And for eight years -- EIGHT. YEARS. She has been called everything from a "monkey" to a "man." 

Say what you will. That speech was powerful. She meant it. And I'm sure the comments from The Drumpf hurt. Because even while you're telling people, "Hey, I don't pay attention to that stuff," you're still a human. And on some level, that kind of hate and vituperation has got to sting. Even if you're not actively reading it or hearing it - you know it's out there. 

Would you be able to stomach that level of intense acrimony, day in and day out? Would you be able to function in a room full of people knowing that there are other people who'd love to see you fall? Would cackle in glee if you made a misstep or "had a funny look" on your face? Where your every choice is categorized, surgically dissected, scrutinized and criticized?

I know I wouldn't. 

The Election...

It doesn't matter, in my opinion, what your party affiliation. You have got to understand that we have descended to a new low. We aren't listening to a "truth-teller" in The Drumpf. We're listening to a charlatan. 

And it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. This election is important on more than just a national level. It's even more important than the "down ticket" mentality of "vote for the people in the local elections even if you can't tolerate either of the presidential candidates" we hear from so many people. Yes, those down-ballot elections are vital, but we have more to think about.

It's important to us as human beings. It's important to women. It's important to our kids and our grandkids. 

We need to not screw this one up, people. 

But we can't be a single-issue voter. We can't just listen to those folks who parrot our own "beliefs" and we must - we MUST - not mistake our "beliefs" as "facts." Because facts and beliefs are two entirely different things. 

I believe the Earth is round. Science (a/k/a FACT) proves me right. There's photographic evidence from many sources to prove that we do, indeed, live on a blue marble in the middle of the known universe. 

I believe that I make the best potica in the world. There are no FACTS to back this up. And there are at least a couple thousand others in the world who believe that their potica (even with the abominations of raisins and chocolate) are "the best." But they as well have no FACTS to back them up. Their families - like mine - will cheerfully shout from hill and dale that they're the best, but that doesn't make ANY of us right. 

While those are two wildly odd examples, they are good ones. We as voters have a tremendously important right to exercise this November. 

And it's up to us to educate ourselves thoroughly on the issues AND the candidates. And get this one done correctly. 

Our world depends on it. 

Baseball...

Let's go Cubs!! I'm so excited! I haven't watched any games. This is a family legacy. Just like my Cub fandom - legacy says that if I watch a game, they'll lose. My granny said so. 

It's this way. I have been a Cub fan for my entire life. I have a Ron Santo jersey that I wore to church last week. I was a reader, so everyone saw me coming and going...and even the priest said, "Preach it, Sister!" One of our fellow choir members complimented me on "the Holy Raiment of Our People." 

The only next best thing would be a bona fide Cubs jacket. I've wanted one for ages...

Anyway, back to why I'm a Cub fan. Because of WJOL and my great-grandma. My great-grandma (the keeper of the aforementioned PERFECT potica recipe, by the way...) came to this country as a young woman and had to learn English. She studied for her citizenship test, but also, in order to learn more, she listened to the Cub games on the radio. WJOL was our local station (still is, but I don't listen to it a lot). So I grew up, helping her in the kitchen, learning Croatian songs, learning how to crochet, and how to cook, and listening to the Cub games. 

(OK, so I just noticed the typos in the graphic... Yikes...)

And two of my favorite players were Ron Santo and Greg Maddux. I think that Joe Maddon has hit on the formula; I think Theo Epstein has Maddon in the right place. And I think the team has the right attitude. Dusty Baker wasn't our guy. Not that he's not a good manager. But this combo of owners + manager + talent... along with a stellar work ethic and team that just meshes? It's a keeper. 

I'll be following along in the paper. And when they (I initially typed "if") get to the final game of the World Series, I may risk Granny's Heavenly wrath and watch it. On pins and needles, though...just in case. 

Random Picture...

So yeah. The week sucked. 

And this is what I came home to. Hubby, making Honey Garlic Salmon with boiled parsley-potatoes. 

This and my dogs greeting me with wild enthusiasm made for a lovely end to a stinking day. 

Hopefully, the weekend is calm. Hopefully, you all will also have a great weekend! 

Note to Self...

ALWAYS carry a crochet hook. It almost doesn't matter what size. You never know when you might have to rig one up with a paperclip and while that's very "Girl Scout," it's not always ideal.

Knitting...

I finally got on Ravelry and entered the hats. I got a nice compliment on the Kauri hat. That always feels good!

I feel like all I've been doing is double-stranded knitting. 

Oh wait. I have. Between the Nephew Afghan, the Basic Hat, and my (gasp! FINISHED!) cup cozy, I've done that for -- like -- EVER now. Though Friday I did cast on Teal Sock #2 and I have about 4 rows of the cuff ribbing done. I can't wait to finish that. I am going to try to make a pair of socks every quarter. That's about all I can do.

The Yarn Harlot says she's doing a pair a month, but we all know she rocks and is a super-knitter. I don't think I could commit to that, what with the WIPs I have in my mind to clear out. 

So - yeah - finished something. It's a cup cozy. No, it's not horribly big, but I like this reusable Starbucks cup and I was annoyed at myself for using the corrugated cup cozies. This is again the Patons Classic Wool. It seems like I'm drowning in this Wedgewood colorway, but I do have 4 hanks of it. I think that the last thing I'm going to do with this is another pair of hiking socks. It's about what? Somewhere near 425 yards for 2 socks, and I have enough full hanks and 2 partial hanks. If nothing else, they'll be warm. I'll do the same as I did on the purple hiking socks: worsted weight yarn on size 3 DPNs. 

Cup Cozy

If I have more of the Wedgewood left over (sigh), I will either do wristers or, since I have a LOT of grey Patons, I will do the hiking socks using the variegated at cuff, heel and toe. Or I hit up Joann's and buy a couple of hanks of beige Patons - there's beige, blue, brown - lots of ways I can go, and I think that either way, it'll work. 

Here's the cup cozy: I think I posted a partial pic earlier, but either way. It's only 3" long, so it's not like a monumental project.

But what with the monumental projects I've been knitting lately? I needed a down-and-dirty easy and small one to just talk me off the ledge here. 

I suppose some of my Etsy friends might say, "Hey, you could sell those." Well, yeah, I probably could. But knitting endless cup cozies is not my idea of fun. Ever. This is stupid-simple: just cast on your desired stitches (in this case, about 42) and knit in a K1, P1 rib for 3" and bind off. So the bind off is where I used my paper-clip-crochet-hook device. Not ideal, and I do have an end to weave in, but I can do that at home. And remember to stick a spare hook in my bag. 

You can use any stretchy stitch: K2, P1 or any of those variations, or a moss stitch, maybe? Grab your stitch dictionary and go for it. I guess if I screw up and wash the cup with this on, it'll felt. But it won't kill me. 

Olympics...

I'm not watching. Putin is a dictator. Plain and simple. There are too many stories of Russian dysfunction and his ruthlessness - from shooting stray dogs to displacing people because they're "in the way." This dude has really reignited the Cold War. And for what?

Gotta love the whole speech about "inclusion" in the Olympics. Check out Russia's human rights record. You probably won't sleep at night, if you have a conscience. 

I'm going to be exposed to it, of course, because you can't get on the Internet without seeing it and I have 2 sports nuts at home, so it'll be on. 

I'll be knitting or reading. Or maybe THIS is my Olympic moment: to finish cleaning out my office at home!! Yep, there's a thought. 

Yoga...

I'm in a rut. My own personal practice is kind of in the toilet (which happens to teachers) and I've got a couple other things going on. So the reason I'm bringing this up is because I went to a therapeutic workshop last night.

I almost didn't go. But I'm glad I did. Workshops tend to reinvigorate you, especially if they're not particularly long. This was a one-hour thing dealing with ankles, knees, hips, low back. I felt jazzed in the lower body, but sore this a.m. I hope to be able to use some of this in my own sequences. 

And I'm really hoping that this makes me roll out my mat. Which, actually, could be done if (see paragraph above) I make room on my office floor on which to roll the mat!


Really...

OK, so I wonder sometimes what people think when naming their kids. My kids have conventional names because they have an unconventional last name. Neither name can be mangled into a cutesy nickname, and both are, in my opinion, classic names.

My friends, for the most part, have named their kids along the same lines. But there are some folks who do choose to go "unique." Kid #2, the teacher, says that he sees a lot of "odd" names, and Sis (a nurse) often has to have people spell what you'd think was a simple name because they want to be "different." 

Now seriously. Take "Christopher." Very common in the early 80s. So I once saw it spelled thusly: Khristopfer.

Yep. So you say "Christopher" but you make your kid forevermore have to spell it out. 

Nice. 

So the reason for this segment is this story. A couple named their child Messiah. A judge in TN - the home of the Bible Belt, apparently, changed the name over the objections of the parents, and she stated in court that "Messiah is a title and only to be used by one person, Jesus Christ."

Nice. Well, not so much. She's been fired. Apparently, she's let her bias slip more than once and this set the judicial commission in her area over the edge.

Do I agree with the parents? Well, not so much. And it's not because of some overwhelming religious fervor. I just think that sometimes in their desire to see their child as unique, parents saddle their kids with names which are quite burdensome. 

The judge should have been fired, if indeed she was bringing her Bible to the bench. There's no place for that, because so far, we're not a theocracy. Though there are plenty of Republicans and Tea Party folks trying to make us so. 

Anyway, you really can't tell a parent what to name a kid - at least within reason. Of course there are naming conventions, and your local clerk's office will outline those. But please - recall that at some point, your kid may not thank you for that "different" name. 

Random Picture...

Peace is slowly coming to the house. Hubby still feels (and is) "tied" to Raisa while they all work out who's where. But it's coming along. 

Everyone napping

Our biggest hurdle is the relationship between Tippi & Quinn. We've had 3 females before and after one or two "dominance displays" everyone calms down. I really feel that the mother-daughter thing is overwhelming sometimes. If Tippi and Quinn were not related, I think Raisa's integration would be easier. I've talked to folks who've had mother-daughter combos and they all seemed to think it was really easy. Well, maybe for them. But it has certainly proved to be a challenge with us. It doesn't help that there are 3 adults in the house with three DISTINCTLY different styles of interaction with the dogs. 

This week is Raisa's first training, but since I have a wedding shower where my attendance is required (and for which I'm baking the cupcakes), Kid #2 will be Raisa's handler. He's also got to sub for me one more time. After that, I'm clearing my calendar to get her trained. 

This morning, Raisa said "hello" and I have a scratch on my face very much in line with Boris Karloff. We're working on "off" pretty regularly! She took a chunk out of Hubby while going after a treat, so that's another thing: "EASY!" 

But overall, things are mostly positive and we understand that this will be an interesting group of dogs. Raisa will be our last puppy. And we're hoping it all smooths out sooner rather than later.

By the way, in case you're curious, that rectangular patch on Quinn's flank is the hair growing back after the removal of a pretty nasty cyst. She's got the undercoat just fine; now we're waiting for the guard hairs to come back. It takes a while. 

Fall. Definitely Fall...

It's cold in my office, cold in my house and I'm thinking of knitting up another set of wristlets... But I still love this weather!

Yarn donation

Hubby made 7-grain bread yesterday and said it was good. It was really nice to have the house smell "yeasty" in that way that only bread baked in cast iron loaf pans can make it. 

Hmmmmmmm. Almost "chili and soup" weather! 

Knitting...

Well, I was going to work on my Fluffy Scarf, but I have company here at the office... It'll sit for another day. 

I am, however, going to work on ANY other project at home. I need a change from scarves and afghans. I finished re-reading the Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Rules" and it's inspired me to wade into the stash and also look at the WIPs. The Nephew Afghan - I've got time on that one. Kid #2's afghan? He says now his timetable for buying a house is spring... Whew - that buys me a few months! 

Nobody's having any babies. Maybe I can pull out something I've started, or start something fresh. I probably ought to look at the number of WIPs I have. I know of 3 off the top of my head, and one of them (sigh) is a baby afghan.... 

Donating two huge boxes of yarn to our church's Prayer Shawl Ministry was also a good thing. First off, I wish I would have just knitted up the stuff, but on the other hand, this is a good destiny for this yarn. I truly was overwhelmed with it and I did keep some of it. During the de-stash, I found a nearly-finished throw of my Granny's. Granted, in colors that leave me shaking my head, but I'll still finish it. 

And I found one of her "waffle weave" throws. I have been trying to learn that stitch forever... 

In "Knitting Rules," Stephanie gives her opinion of "what I'd knit if I knew I couldn't knit anymore." I thought about that in light of my post commenting on the washcloth where my Granny crocheted her last row. Looking at her swatches, looking at the almost-done throw? 

Do we ever know when we're "done" aside from perhaps being blind? I mean, I know my grandma knew it was coming. She had macular degeneration and glaucoma. She knew, somewhere deep inside, that the day would come when she laid down her yarn. 

I can't imagine how that felt. She wasn't much of a reader, but wow - she was a needlewoman. 

Stephanie says she'd knit a "wedding ring shawl." A wedding ring shawl is knit using what's appropriately called "cobweb" yarn. You can, theoretically, pull the ENTIRE shawl through a wedding ring. And they're heirlooms. 

Wedding Ring Shawl

And I want to knit one so bad... When I was at TKCGA in Indianapolis, I stood in front of the Orenburg Lace stall for a long time. Then I went around the exhibit hall. Then I came back. Then I went around again. 

That time, I didn't buy the yarn. I do have some very fine white silk that'll be a shawl for me. But it's not an Orenburg or a Wedding Ring. You'll see a picture of a typical Wedding Ring Shawl here - courtesy of Google... It gives me a tingle up my leg to think about knitting one of these. Just search and look at them. Cascades of lace. Rivers of lace. Waterfalls of lace. Avalanches of lace. And they're not always white, but when I get to this point, mine would BE white... I'm all wibbly-wobbly just thinking about it!

I think Yarn Harlot has a point: barring being blind, you could totally knit this as a magnum opus - it should be a wave of lace. It must be huge. And therefore, it's a project that could sustain a knitter for a long, long time. 

 Almost a Tragedy...


So Hubby says, "When was the last time you noticed I had my wedding ring on?" 

Wowza... It's turning cooler and you know how, for many of us, our hands seem to shrink - at least my fingers do. One of my rings now is doing a loop-de-loop on my right hand. The only thing stopping my wedding rings is that I have the "arthritis beads" in the shank of the wedding set.

Anyway, he thought he'd lost the ring on the walking trail. Luckily, he took it off to mow the grass, and found it in the pocket of the pants he had on.

He's lost a lot of weight, and I think he needs it re-sized. All he said after I suggested that was "We'll see." What???  Gotta just shake my head.

The To-Do List...

Well, the one at work is coming along. The one at home? It'll get done. With both of us having crazy-busy schedules, we do what we can. I do wish, however, that Kid #2 would take care of his bathroom... 

I have off from the middle of December till the New Year. I would really, REALLY like to get the laminate floor put in - all we need to do yet is our bedroom then finish up the trim. 

Of course, we also want to re-do both bathroom floors...so we'd have to wait on the trim. And Miss Tippi would probably be totally offended to not have SOME carpet to lay on. Anyway, if we did finish -- oops, WHEN we DO finish our flooring, I'd still get carpets alongside both sides of the bed. I don't want to put my bare feet on cold floor, and the back of our house always seems the coldest. 

Politics...

So Ted Cruz "admits defeat." Moron. I'm sorry - you really think that bringing our government crashing to a halt and making us the laughingstock of the world was a good thing? You all looked like (and continue to look like) a batch of toddlers in need of a nap. 

Excuse me if I don't believe that it was "never [his] intention filibuster the agreement." He'd have done so if he had a nanosecond's inclination that it would have worked. 

I think the Republicans are surprised that President Obama hasn't caved in. Lord knows, Democrat that I am, I can truly say that the man was giving away the candy store... He didn't realize how insanely crazed these people are, and frankly, everyone underestimated the percentage of hate-filled racists who occupy the political scene. All very genteel, all very "boy's club" -- but you tend to notice the overwhelming tone of "Wonder Bread" in this group of bigots. Testosterone-fueled Wonder Bread bigots, even, because we also can't have the women in there. 

You know we go all erratic once a month with our "women's troubles." I guess that's why so many of these guys need to be up in our lady-parts...apparently, we can't make our own decisions, and we can't have equal access to  -- well, I was going to say "medications" but I guess I mean to say "anything" instead... We are still, in 2013, seen as "the weaker sex." And that bugs the living stuffing out of me. 

You should have seen Kid #2 when I informed him that, in the way-back days, insurance companies DID pay for Viagra. But NOT for birth control. I think I shattered an illusion or two, and he takes after me in the "normally quite a cynic" mode. 

"I could pee on this."

I am hoping that we haven't already gone off the cliff. Time will tell. And this "agreement" seems more of the same to me: just another opportunity for the ultra-cons to re-arm and bring us back to the brink once again. 

Please, do your part to get voters mobilized as elections draw near. You know as well as I do that we as a culture have the attention span of a fruit fly. We're all there when it comes to pop culture, but for some reason, we just don't pay attention to the very important stuff: Washington DC. 

I still think there's hope that we can wash these Teabaggie folks right out of the town. 

Random picture...

Public art somewhere on my trip with my mom back in March. I thought I'd remember where I took this, but I don't. All I can say is "Doggie Delight." 

This was taken out the bus window, hence the greenish tint. It was somewhere in North Carolina, I believe. It's fully 30 feet tall! And I wasn't sure whether to put the pic in this section or up in Politics...because it seems to fit there, too!

If You Aren't Alarmed, Check Your Pulse...

Finally, Pictures...

OK, we got the Crappy Red Camera fixed. Well, it was working. Somehow, the Evil Software Elves ate the software that helps me download the pics. Still doesn't explain the fact that the computer wouldn't read the memory card, but I'll take the victory. I reloaded the software and we're back in business. 

So here are some pics...

Knitting...

Cheesy TKGA picture

So it's cheesy - but here's a picture of my Teal Sock (Nice Ribbed Sock @ Ravelry) at the TKGA show. No, I didn't take pictures of us. Yes, I did take pictures of what I was attempting to knit. See the post from a few days ago. 

Yes, I should've taken pictures of the 3 of us. I'll do it next time. We'll be going to the Wisconsin Sheep Festival next year. You'll just have to wait unless I can get some taken earlier. 

Heel Turned!

And yes, I'm still enthralled at the magic of the turning heel. Funny enough, yes, I did follow the designer's instructions. I wasn't going to. I was going to use my Red Sock-Shaped Book... But I bit the swatch and did it her way. And jeeze - it worked! It's even working with my splitting the heel and going back to 4 DPNs. She did her socks on 3, apparently, and frankly, I don't like that. First off, it's hard to avoid ladders where the rounds join, and second, it seems more squished for my fingers. 

Inside of heel - still magical!

I was a bit concerned with this sock perhaps being "inside out" but as you can see from the picture here, the K3P1 rib is working out quite nicely, and the heel, though you can't tell from the picture, is actually almost "doubled" - it's a sl1,k1 and then the WS is sl1,p1. It makes a very sturdy heel, kind of like the Doris Heel that I had learned for my hiking socks. I will still try the Doris Heel on the next pair of socks; it's a very pretty one, particularly with a solid yarn. Maybe I'll use it on the Blue-faced yarn. We shall see. 

I guess I have to type more so that you can see the pictures in the order I want them... 

Which is fine, because I can talk a lot. Particularly about yarn. I haven't gotten any of this up on Ravelry yet. I do also have to search for some patterns while I'm there. I love Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "Pretty Thing." It may go into my queue. Very much worth the money for a pattern for that one skein of perfectly luxe yarn. 

Blue-faced Leichester sock yarn

Also in this post are some of the yarns I purchased at TKGA. The Blue-faced Leichester sock yarn is a bit thicker, but not quite worsted. It will make up beautifully. Looks like I have a "teal blue" theme going on here, but I really wanted to do something different, since the stash is looking a little too purple lately. They had a wonderful collection of yarns, and it was also the first booth in the exhibit area, which is a double-edged sword. Either you get lots of traffic, or they sprint past you on the way to the other booths. This was from a company which also makes a rose yarn.

Yep, yarn made from rose fibers - the ones on the stems, that is. Talk about using alternative plant-based materials! It was interesting, but I didn't buy any. This stuff was on sale. The rose yarn wasn't. I'm trying to be fiscally responsible. Don't laugh. For what it's worth, she had some roving of the rose stuff she made. It was soft, not as "crimpy" as wool, and I couldn't tell how it would've been to spin with. But then I'm not a spinner. 

"Probably way too fine" merino for shawls

The "probably wayyyyyyyyyy too fine" merino will be a couple of shawls. Probably out of one of the "sock yarn shawl" patterns or maybe just a lace from the pattern books. 

Here's the "silkworm" thickness merino. It's Italian. That yarn was at the back of the shop area, in a huge, huge, HUGE pile of "stuff." Everything from glittery yarn to kid mohair (thanks, but I don't want to torture myself). And all of it was on sale. I saw a lot of very nice colors of this merino, but I thought basic was better. And the gal said I'd need 2 hanks. A few of the prettier colors had only 1 left. 

Shawl pattern & yarn

Love this one at the right: the yarn is actually in a "cupcake" kind of container. It's a local designer, and her mom made goodies for her booth. Which of course made it the most popular one! It's a very pretty shawl. The yarn has charms/stitch markers included. It's not as vivid as it looks, and it's hand-painted, so there are various gradients in the yarn. You can see it more clearly in the close-up picture. 

Again, lots of pretty colors, but I was on a mission to avoid anything in the purple range. They did have a lovely selection, so if you can find Toluca Knit Jewelry and Fine Yarns, then please visit them. I don't have their website handy, otherwise, I'd put a link up here. 

The yarn with charms

Of course, that "avoid purple" thing didn't count the Namaste mini-messenger cross-body bag. My excuse for that is that the eggplant color was the only one there! So there. And it was a more secure bag than the others in that booth, most of them having open tops. This one is going on my trip. I can put a smaller bag inside it with wallet, etc. for the actual travel, and it's got plenty of room for knitting. 

Which will be coming in this kind of bag. My very favorite project bag for travel. It's a KnowKnits bag. My LYS (yeah, the one I'm kind of mad at) actually ordered this for me. They used to carry them under the previous owner, but this gal likes the simple cloth ones. Heck, I sew, and while I don't want to deny anyone the option of making a living, I'm also not paying $15 for a bag that's got about $1.66 in materials and would take me 20 minutes to sew up. I want to spend that money on yarn, not the bags. 

Project bag

And I'm not a bag snob either (stop laughing). I have my share of WIPs in the reusable grocery bags. Just check my closet. Well, don't check my closet. 

As you can see, the bag is just perfect for socks. It's got 2 little amazing strokes of genius. The outside has a loopy thing you can use on a hanger (right now, it perches on the pattern holder of my OttLite). And inside, the other loopy thing holds the yarn and keeps the ball from popping out onto the floor of the plane, train or automobile. 

The perfect bag for a trip

I love the fact that you can zip this thing closed and it STAYS closed. I don't care if the inside is black. And it's pretty tough stuff. But to be cautious, yes, I'm using needle holders on my DPNs. It's silver, so I can find it in my bigger purse, and it's waterproof. My friend Doris can attest to this because I've borrowed her purple one - which I'm returning to her, since I now have this silver one. She spilled a Coke on hers, and it didn't ruin the knitting. Good to know. It comes in a pretty good range of sizes and colors. I think they're just grand, and I do have to laugh: one website shows one clipped to a belt so the knitter can walk and knit. No. I don't think so. 

I contemplated walking on the treadmill and knitting. Then I contemplated a whole-body tattoo, and to each of these propositions, upon long reflection, I reacted with equal enthusiasm. 

New Needle #1

As I'm moving along on the Teal Sock, I've discovered a dreaded "gusset hole." I'm not ripping back. I love how this ribbing folds gently into the gusset, and I almost knew I was creating the hole as I picked up those stitches. I'm absolutely fine with pulling it together once the sock is done with a little slip stitch in the back. Nobody will know. 

Ok, all of you will know, but the first one who sees me wearing these can come up and ask about it. 

I've read enough reference books to know that sooner or later that would happen. And now that it has, I've got some solutions. Picking up a small stitch in behind is one. I could've twisted the stitch making the hole, if I caught it early enough so as not to have to rip out a good inch-and-a-half of knitting. But since I didn't catch it, I'm not too worried about it. I know it's there, and I know how to fix it. Problem almost solved. 

Dreaded "gusset hole"

The pattern calls for a simple gathering at the toe, or Kitchener Stitch. Not sure which one I'll do. I'll see how the decreases go. One day, a Star toe! 

Yoga and the Full Moon...

So we had our (for me, final) Community Class at the studio where I'm taking my certification training. I can tell you it was a full moon. We had 12 people, and totally had "2 classes" -- the absolute newbies, who needed to be up in front, were in the back row. The experienced folks were in the front, when they probably could've been in the back.

And I screwed up a couple of cues. I had them go into a wide-legged forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana if you're interested in the Sanskrit) and I had two mats: one long-wise and one skinny, crossed over each other. I was on the right mat, but I forgot to cue them to "come to the long side of the mat." They took me literally and didn't move. Yikes!! 

I also apparently forgot to cue heel-to-arch alignment in Trikonasana (a/k/a Triangle Pose). I thought I did. The mentor supervising us said I didn't. I've been teaching on my own now for several months, but for some reason, this class just flipped me out. 

It happens. All 3 of us were nervous, and the mentor did say that what rattled her was the absolute inexperience of some of the students. And a couple who could've used the help refused it. You can't force help on them unless they're about to blow out a body part, like a knee or shoulder. All in all, it was a humbling and teaching evening, and I'm also glad it's over. 

I'm teaching my favorite class, the Yin class, tonight. My teacher is taking a much-needed sabbatical for August, and we're in the midst of rearranging schedules. We dropped the Tuesday a.m. class till September. That may come back as a Yoga 101, and we hope to have more than 3 students in there! 

Tippi...

...is healing fine from her surgery. Now if she'll only leave her foot alone, we can remove the Cone of Shame. It comes off while she's in our sight, but she often sneaks off to lick her foot. I know the re-growing of the hair must itch like crazy. Heck, I'm itching (still) from that heart monitor. But she will lick to extreme, so we have to watch her. 

Once I can get a nice picture of her in her "summer duds" we'll post it. 



Climate Deniers?

OK, so I did find this on Facebook. But pay attention, people. Crikey, just look at the summers and winters we've had lately. 

There's a lake at the North Pole. No, not a "lookee what we have under the ice" lake. An actual, visible from a camera, LAKE with a bouy floating on it. And it happened this year. July 22, 2013. 

I don't know about you, but this scares the jeepers out of me. The North Pole. It's supposed to be frozen. Well, climate deniers, what do you think of this? 

http://www.livescience.com/38347-north-pole-ice-melt-lake.html