I Went Ahead and Did It...

Yep. I started the Close to You Shawl for my friend's upcoming birthday. I mean, "upcoming" as in "this fall..." Not like I don't have time. The last one  - which was the first one I ever knitted - was done in 2 months. It took me longer to get around to blocking it. 

I have two pair of socks in progress. I have a scarf that I never finished. I have a few (more than a few) WIPs. But I felt compelled to wind the ball up and start the shawl. 

So this is the yarn. Expression Fiber Arts, "Stone Tulip." It's got a twist to it, so I wasn't sure if this would be good for the shawl. It's billed as sock yarn, but I also don't know if it'll be good for socks either. 

I have a few other yarns of this same type (from different dyers) that are billed as "sock yarn," but I wonder if the twist in the yarn will keep it from being comfortable. I guess I'd better knit one up into actual socks soon. 

I think my friend will love this, particularly since it's her favorite color blend. You only turn 60 once, and it's important to me that I make something for her. It's also kind of cool that we'll have "matching" shawls - at least as far as the pattern is concerned. 

So anyhow, got the swift and ballwinder out and cranked this one out this morning. It sat. All afternoon (you'll see why shortly). And then around suppertime, I figured it was time to cast on. 

I put the project bag together and had to look up my notes on the last one I did so that I could familiarize myself again with the pattern. I admit to a small "mental-pause" there because I was a tad confused on some of the repeats, but then I got the mental picture of the shawl, so it's okey-dokey. I know people have knit multiples of this one, but this is only #2 for me!

Using the Unicorn bowl, but I'm not committing to putting the yarn through one of the solid holes! I'm leaving it in the removable one so that I can take it with me to work on at lunch. I figure it's a decent enough "lunchtime" project that will keep my hands busy. 


We shall see.

You start this one out small and it grows. I like the crescent shape of this shawl because it stays on well. I can drape it, pin it, tie it... It can be worn in many ways, and I really like the "tips" (which you may remember from the last one I made)... You'll see this as it comes along. 

So the socks are temporarily in "waiting" till I get moving on this one a bit. Like I said, I have time, and I can enjoy the process here. I like to be in a situation where I don't have a tight deadline, so I'm kind of glad I'm giving this one a lot of time. 

Enjoying the unicorn bowl - it's finally a bowl deep enough without me raiding the kitchen cabinets for a mixing bowl! 

...And I have a question for my readers. Anyone know what this little gadget is? 

I got it in my shipment from Expression Fiber Arts, and I have no clue. There was no packaging that gave me a hint, no instructions. It's not an eraser. But that's about all I can tell about it. 

Not sure. Anyone?


Eagle Run...

So, we got news that eagles were in a local-ish park. We couldn't go during the "eagle weekend" because of a couple of things, mainly including the blizzard that happened. 

We went this weekend. Of course, you go on "eagle weekend" because they're around. We didn't see anything that resembled an eagle. I did see a hawk and a seagull. And a cute little rescue dog on the trail with its humans. 

Oh, and some folks kayaking down the river. 

But no eagles. 

What I did see were LOTS of ancient trees. This was near the river, and I couldn't stop looking at it. Such an amazing tree. Don't you wonder what it would look like in full leaf? I may have to trek down there and find out in the summer. By the way, I made these two pictures small because I took them with the "big" camera and they're quite hi-res. I didn't want to kill anyone's computer! 

Random Picture...

For some reason, I'm attracted to "path" pictures. I took this one at McKinley Woods today. It's a path. It's kinda sparse. 


But again - unlike a prairie park, where there's lots of grass and few trees, this shows those older trees, and it shows that each tree is unique...as is the path each of us takes. 

I can see this in my mind in the summertime, with the birds flitting through the trees, the leaves making dappled shade on the path. Maybe the smells of the river coming over you as you walk. And I can see it in the winter, covered in snow. 

I can see the possibilities in the path, and I hope you can too. On whatever path you're on. Whether a path actually in the woods, or a path you've set out for yourself. Your path may be paved. It may be gravel. It may be grass...and sometimes there's mud, you'll have a fallen tree or two and there may very well be pot-holes. 

But if you keep your eyes open and keep your wits about you, you won't trip. And you'll also know when it's time to change paths - or keep on with the one you're walking. 

My, I'm philosophical this evening! 

Toe Decreases and Yoga Intensives...

Believe it or not, those two things have something in common. 

I'm in the near-middle of the week-long Yoga for Healthy Aging intensive - it's a 30-hour training, and I'll get a certification out of it. It's in Lisle. I've had to take the week off, which has thrown things into a tizzy. I got a sub to teach my classes, which was a good thing, because my brain is kinda mushy from all the stuff we're trying to cram into it. 

My students are going to hate me. Well, no. They'll love what I'm learning. Just that I'm so excited about it. I bought 2 more books dealing with yoga modifications and variations. 

No. Much like yarn, you can't have too many yoga books, especially with regard to those on sequencing and modifications. See, my classes are mixed level. Yogis of all levels attend, and the ages span at least two, sometimes three generations. I have to be prepared for the 20-something who's blown a knee to the 30-something who wants to get stronger, to the 70-something who can't balance. All in one class. I need modifications and I've almost given up planning sequences. You know that phrase, "You plan, God laughs"? Well, it apparently applies to yoga teachers too... 

I plan a sequence on shoulders. At least one or two students come in with active shoulder issues. Pfffffffffffthhhhhh goes that sequence. I plan a class around legs. I'll get a fake hip or a fake knee. Pfffffffffffffffffffffthhhhhhhhhhh goes THAT sequence. I've gotten pretty good, if I do say so, about modifying on the fly and offering alternative poses. 

Certainly tests my equanimity. 


Anyway, how does this apply, you might ask, as I drag myself back to the subject. Well. The studio is a bit chilly because the weather is dreary, rainy and grey - you know: fall. So I'm wearing my hand-made socks. And I finally got it in my head to bring my knitting. 

Socks, of course. At first, I brought the beginnings of the St. Charles socks - Vanilla Latte is the pattern. But I didn't want to deal with them because right now, they look like nothing. 

So I grabbed the Blue Self Patterning, which are on the verge of being done, and I really want to get them on my feet soon. This picture is dated by about 2 or 3 days. I'm on the toe decrease now and everyone was ooohing and ahhhing. One person asked me if I sold these in my studio. 

I suppose, if I wanted to, I could sell the "yoga socks" version (no toes, no heels - just the short-ish leg and instep). I could do that, but who'd pay for a sock with no toes and heels? And besides, it'd have to be something like $20/pair at least. The legs would be no taller than about 5" if that, because I don't want to knit that much for people who may not buy them. You don't need long yoga socks anyway. Though they could be pedicure socks. Could be S-M-L sizing. I definitely have enough sock yarn, and the trend is mis-matched socks...

In my spare time. 

Garden Yoga...

Is done for the season. We were being pelted with Honey Locust leaves and it was a very brisk 67* at the last class, but it was worth it. I purchased a bush called Amethyst Beauty Berry. Hubby wasn't necessarily pleased, but it's in the northwest corner and will be gorgeous. Pink flowers in the spring and a "fountain shape" that doesn't require pruning; now, though, it's got beautiful purple berries on it. Tomorrow, if it's not pouring, I'll get a picture of it. 

So this tree, two weeks ago, was just turning color. Last Saturday? This was it. Bald, with very little to tell you what it looked like earlier. It's a beautiful tree - I love the trunk and the shape of it. 

Fall hit sort of late and it's wet and gloomy so far. 

The brightest spot in the garden last week (aside from the mums and the Amethyst Beauty Berry) was my mat!

The berries are just a tad more purple than my yoga towel/travel mat thingie here. It's advertised as a "travel mat" but it's very thin. I use it over my regular mat, because, aside from the odd hot flash, when we were practicing in the hotter weather, I'd slip. 

Rule #1 in teaching yoga is to be human. But Rule #2, at least in my book, is to try not to face-plant in front of your students. Seriously, you can really hurt yourself, so I got this to help keep my hands and feet sticking where they needed to stick. 

It's a good idea for travel anyway, because if you do yoga somewhere (like I did once, in a conference room), on a grungy carpet when you're not quite sure when or if it was ever cleaned? You'd like something like this under you. Let's just say that Downward Facing Dog was as close as my face got to that carpeting! 

Anyway, we'll start up again next summer. I think we rushed it this spring, and the weather in spring was as odd as the weather in fall -- like Mother Nature couldn't decide. 

One thing Mother Nature HAS decided on was that, lately, the skies at night have been stunning. We've caught a few sunsets and sunrises (this is a sunset last Sunday at Yin class) that were pretty spectacular. She knows how to put on a show when she wants, that's for sure. 

Random Picture...

I think someone let the air out of Quinn... This is the infamous "Norwegian Flat-Hound." Used to be an Elkhound when it was blown up... She does tend to really sleep when she wants to sleep. Didn't blink an eye when I took this shot. 

She's a patchwork puppy with all the surgeries, which is why she's still in a thunder shirt. Hubby has "diapers" (as you may be able to see) still around her neck so her collar doesn't irritate the skin till a little more fur grows back from her recent surgery. Unfortunately, she's got more cysts growing. The vet doesn't know if we'll be able to ever find out why or if they'll ever stop. 

But she's a snuggle-bunny and my fierce protector-beastie. Scared of her own shadow, but heaven help you if she doesn't know you and you knock on the door! You'd swear the Hound of the Baskervilles lived here! 

Russian Connection????

...So every once in a while I check the stats on the blog. Just want to know where my followers and readers are. I've had a consistent, though small, following for a while now, and while I'd love to hear from you, I get it. 

Life is busy. 

So I checked today. Dang. I'll be investigated for collusion with Russia. Twenty-one pageviews in Russia and 18 in the US... What's going on here? Bots? 

Hope y'all like my political rants, reading preferences and knitting. Oh, and cooking... 

Knitting...

Starting off at the top of the list. This was a gift from one of my students. Her sister is the dyer, and she brought it back from the Indiana State Fair. She said, "Tell your Hubby that this is MY fault!" It's beautiful and I think it will be a shawlette. The yarn is too pretty to put on my feet and hide in shoes. 

Just because I could, I joined a Facebook group for shawl knitting. Oy. Probably shouldn't have. Because I'm now in as deep there as I am with socks! 

So many projects. 

And I'm planning on doing as many as I can, while I can. Though I'm going to have to go on another yarn diet. (Go ahead. Laugh. I'm laughing, too.). I really have to get some things done, and I feel good about those things that are really progressing because at least I'm moving forward. 

Today, I should have brought my knitting along. I had some time, and I didn't have any knitting. But I'm at an area with the sock where I need to concentrate, and I figured I could work on it a bit tonight, which I'm going to end up not doing, actually. 

The magic has happened again. The heel turn. This is why I like a traditional heel. This little bit of glee when you can start to see the cup of the heel forming. The short rows, which freak me out otherwise, are my bona fide signal that the foot is near. And where there's a foot, there's a toe. And that means that I'm nearly done! 

I finished up the heel turn and closed the gusset last night. I was going to do more, but as you'll read below...stuff happened, and I went to bed a little early. 

The end-of-summer cold hit at its worst yesterday, and I actually woke up this morning without a voice. Nevertheless - 4 cups of tea later, I could at least speak. A hot shower, and I was off to work. 

I got adjusted by my chiropractor, and while it's not a "cure" it does help. Seems like it got my lymphatic system working. 

Basically - I thought I was going to have all evening to knit because I didn't think I was going to be able to teach tonight. But I was able to. 

Oh, and I spent about 45 minutes ripping out part of a sweater for my friend Roberta. She managed to drop a stitch. Cotton yarn, straight needles. Typically, this is a recipe for disaster, and it kind of was. But I ripped back 2 rows and was able to get her back on track. 

She was clenching her fists and breathing like she was having an asthma attack. And I get it. Watching someone rip your knitting is a little --- ok, a LOT --- painful. I thought I wasn't going to be able to fix it, but I got lucky. Whew!

And I also did stop by Betsy's Tea and Knitting. Picked up more Gunpowder Green tea (love that stuff!) and another package of stitch markers. I swear, they walk away. They up and walk out of my house. 

Them and tape measures. Somewhere in the universe there's a place where all the stitch markers and tape measures go. And they sit there, laughing at us. 

Cooking...

Hubby made this last night. That also helped the cold... Chicken soup with LOTS of garlic in it. And shallots. Lots of them. The chemical compounds in garlic and onion-related veggies are good for your immune system, too. 

It'll be good tomorrow. It's always better when it sits for a day or so. Tonight after class, instead of the soup (which would've been a good idea), I had a grilled cheese sandwich. 

And snapped yet another rubber band. At least this one I didn't swallow. I hate those things, and I'm hoping that at the next orthodontist appointment, I can stop wearing them. 

Something else I've been using to help my wellness is my Young Living Essential Oils. This is this past month's Essential Rewards order. The stuff in the front row - that was free. I use the Ningxia Red every morning. Even the dogs (the elkhounds, at least) get a little bit. Full of antioxidants. For this cold, I've been using a bit of Thieves Vitality oil in there. 

Wowza - that'll open your nose! The items in the front are mainly the entire kid's line of oils. I use them anyway. They're a nice addition to my stash. 

The supplements (in the back) are Sulfurzyme (use it like you would a joint supplement - because that's what it's for), Multigreens (a supplement with concentrated "superfood" green veggie goodness), Super Cal (calcium) and Super B (B vitamins). I buy this stuff at the store anyway, and these are also infused with the essential oils, so for the same price as what I buy in the store, I'm helping myself stay well. 

New Flowers...

I went to repot an orchid I've had for 3 years. Only to find that it died. So I bought another one, but it's supposedly a "mini." I don't know if it needs repotting or if I need to wait till it's done blooming. 

I want to repot it because I want to bring it to the studio, but in its current pot, it's top-heavy. Just what I need is a yoga student knocking the thing to the ground and not only killing the plant, but hurting themselves on the pot shards. 

I rinsed out the old pot and put new bark in it. Also -- this one came in moss. Is that something I need to wash off the roots? Can you mix the media? 

I can't find anything in my "Orchids for Dummies" and there's conflicting stuff on the internet (go figure)... 

I'll take advice from any orchid folks... Chime in! This one is not the same bloom as the original, but it's the same family. Quite pretty, and I'm pleased with how healthy it looks. I want to keep it that way. 

Kindness Rocks... 

I've been planting my rocks all over. Waiting for someone to find them. This one I left outside my church, on the concrete bench. "Be a Nice Human."

Easy enough to say. Hard to do, right? It seems that we have a lot of challenges. I try to be cool, calm and collected. I try not to say things that are nasty. I try to be good to everyone. Or at least nice. 

But. Then there are days. There are times when "the stupid" is so strong that I can barely stand it. It's amazing how dense some people can be. I mean, even in regard to the most basic of things, people don't think. They absorb whatever's shoveled at them, and I've come to see that, whether true or not (a) if it's in print, people tend to believe it, in spite of all the "fake news" crap floating around; and (b) if you say something often enough, with enough authority, you have believers. 

So if I say the world is flat often enough, and with authority, there are corners of the internet -- dare I say "corners of the planet"?? -- who'd believe me wholeheartedly, in spite of pictures or science -- or pictures AND science to the contrary. 

I swear that if one more person posts something stupid about the hurricanes being God's vengeance or the fires being retribution for something, I'm going to punch someone. I'm not convinced God is mad at us. 

Mother Nature, on the other hand, has a LOT to be peeved about. And she's not above showing it in a manner obvious enough for even us humans to get it through our remarkably thick skulls. 

Steampunk Lincoln...

Outside Betsy's, I saw this and stopped dead in my tracks. First off, Mr. Lincoln is missing a leg. Not sure if it's supposed to be missing or it just wasn't shipped with the rest of it. 

And second... Is this steampunk? I mean, he's half in armor, and he's got gears and a chimney coming off his chair. And there's that one leg thing. 

I've never seen anything like this. And I don't remember anything in the local paper about it. 

The plaza is a nice area to sit in, though it's kind of close to the Amtrak tracks. It would be cool to ride past this and stop for a break. It runs alongside the old I & M canal, and is part of a really nice trail system through the historic area of Lockport, Illinois. This part, in particular, is across the street from "Lincoln Landing" - which is a relatively new "installation." It used to be a batch of historic structures known as "Symerton." Which was once a small settlement here. But they moved them up the road a bit, and restored them. And where Symerton once was, they redid the landscaping and put enormous chunks of local limestone in. 

Which, because it's Illinois, cracked, and they had to do it over. 

Anyway, Lincoln Landing is on the other side of the big bridge, and still has part of the canal system there. We used to bike it a lot, and we haven't done much of that this year. Between the busy-ness of my schedule and Hubby's shoulder bothering him, it's hard to get time in for a ride. 

No Picture...

...but the promised story. Last night, I was on a conference call. Lucky for me, I didn't have to do anything but listen and take notes. I was already in my PJs at 7:30 p.m.!

I can't smell anything. I have a stuffed nose, a semi-productive cough which keeps me up at night, and I want to take my eyeballs out and freeze them till December. 

I smelled skunk. I mean, it caught in my throat and penetrated the stuffed sinuses. 

In walks Hubby in disgust and he puts Raisa in her crate. Raisa is licking her chops and has a funny look on her face. 

The stupid dog launched herself off the deck at a rather large, and then peeved, skunk. The dog got skunked and Hubby barely managed to get out of the way of a blast. 

He made up a batch of dish soap, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and doused her. She got mad. Tough kibble, you moron!! 

This morning, we re-washed her with a blend of Thieves cleaner, water and Purification oil, which I had diffusing all night (the oil, not the cleaner). And he took her to the groomer for yet another bath. 

I think she's ok, though if you get really close, she still stinks. Even the elkhounds were disgusted. 

Though I'm not sure they'd ignore a skunk either... 



Tuesdays With Tippi...

We're in year 5 or 6 of doing this. I can't remember, but I think we're closing in on 6 years. Tippi loves it still, though now I have to lift her into the truck. Our goal was to walk more and get her to lose some weight, but again - busyness and then it got hot -- or at least hot if you're a 9-year old dog with a double coat. 

I'm going to start walking her more now, though. The weather is changing and she really needs to move. I lift her in and out of the truck, because I've noticed she's a little stiff in her hips. 

I'm giving her the Ningxia Red, some turmeric supplement and will start her on Sulfurzyme, too. It won't hurt her, and it could help her mobility a bit. Of course, getting at least 10 lbs. off her wouldn't hurt. That's going to take a while though. 

We'll keep you advised...

Random Picture...

Lately, the sky has been fascinating. Whether it's because of the huge hurricanes (Harvey, Irma, Juan and Katia) or the change of weather or the wildfires, everyone's been commenting on the striking clouds and sky. 

This was a little chunk of it outside my office yesterday. Tonight's sunset was hot pink, turning to purple. Hazy - what with the smoke we're getting. Even though we're 3,000 miles away, the fires are immense. We expect to feel the ramifications of this weather and these fires for quite some time. 

Someone in class told me tonight that Irma could reach, theoretically, into Indiana and Ohio. 

Think about that. Hurricanes in the Midwest. Still think global warming is a hoax? 

Reading and Writing...

...and of course knitting...

Reading...

I bought (on Kindle) "Reader, I married him." As you may know (and if you don't, you need to!), that was a major line in "Jane Eyre." It's somewhat buried, but it's in there. Jane says, "Reader, I married him."

This is a novel set in an age where women didn't necessarily agree with the marriages - they were property. For Jane to say this? A penniless, orphaned soul who had nobody in the world, reduced to being a governess, living on the kindness of other families and raising other women's children? This is a bold statement: "Reader, I married him."

The book, by Tracy Chevalier, is a compendium of stories that are take-offs of that iconic line. It's worth a look. Some of the stories are obvious. Some? Not. Some are totally off the wall. But they're lovely short stories. Well worth your time. 

I got my e-book refund. A whole $25. You'd think I didn't read much! I just buy cheap books, I guess. And I don't really buy a lot of them on the e-reader format. I'll have to look up some good ones. 

I usually don't buy reference books in an e-format. I won't buy cookbooks, nor will I buy knitting books. I like sticky notes. I like highlighters. I can't highlight or flip pages back and forth on my Kindle. Well, I can, but nothing beats a sticky note, a yellow highlighter and being able to whip right to the page I want. 

Knitting...

The magic happened again, friends! Heel turned on "watermelon" sock. I'm doing the gusset decreases again. I picked up 20 stitches on each side - it's an 18-row heel flap, so I thought 2 extra stitches on either side would prevent a hole where we join the parts. 

I didn't go all "harlot" and match the yarn so that the repeats were even all around. I didn't do it on the first sock, and I think that at some point, it's a waste of yarn to do it just to match. 

Often, I find with Opal in particular, that my stripes match anyway. Or close enough and I'm happy enough. 

I bought some beautiful self-striping yarn from Eat. Knit. Dye. called "A Starry Night." It's got the contrasting dark mini-ball for ribbing, heel and toe. As you can see by the little card, this is a take-off on Van Gogh's "Starry Night." It's just gorgeous, with a silvery shimmer to it. Can't wait to knit this one up, and I think I'll do a fairly simple sock. Let this yarn do the talking!

I'm giving the baby his stuff this weekend. He's a whole 3 months old now, and growing like the proverbial dill plant in the garden! 

So here's a problem. See that line of yarn? How in the heck did that happen? It was during the heel turn, and it was on the purl side. I noticed it, but at the time, didn't ascribe too much to it. Then I realized that it looked odd. 

I tried to put an arrow near it, or do something with it in PhotoShop, but even Hubby couldn't do it. And my old reliable Quark Xpress? Pfffffffffth. 

Anyway, I think it won't really matter, but it's annoying because the other side flows nicely with a nice smooth line from the heel flap to the turn. I know - nobody will see it. It'll be on my foot. In a shoe. 

But it still makes me wonder...

Inspiration Point...

So I belong to a FB group of writers, and they were asking for "your view" -- "What does the view from your writing area look like?"

This is mine... I usually have some knitting handy. There's a book or magazine (or three). There's a cup of tea ready, and I'm able to glance out the front window to the yard and flower garden. I can see the hummingbirds from my knitting chair. The dogs have their chairs on either side of the window, so they can also look out. 

Nine times out of ten, my Quinn has her head under my chair, so I rarely recline it. And usually, if I'm not writing for elephant journal (yes, all small letters), I'm contemplating what to write to you all. 

We got Tippi back from the vet. She has some health issues, and we're not sure what's what just yet. We know something is up, but the lab results are coming back as "not to worry yet"... They're waiting on one more blood test. Hopefully, it's just a nasty UTI, but the vet says some indicators are pointing toward an "eventual" thyroid problem.

It was so sweet that they brought her into the room and she raced at me! They thought they might have had to use a little knock-out medicine on her for the x-rays. But it turns out that she just needed a little skritch under her chin. She rolled over and stayed there. 

We don't call her "Tippi" for nothing! 

The Vet's Office...

So I saw this at the vet's office today. I'm so glad. We love our vet, but sadly, we had a VERY bad experience when we took one of our elkhounds across the Rainbow Bridge. 


One part of that was solved when the vet who was "in charge" of this left the practice. Thankfully. She had about as much empathy as a dead carp. In August. In Chicago. On the street. For four days. 

But another part had to do with having to walk back through the waiting room after doing this. Knowing we did the right thing didn't necessarily mean it was easy to walk back out there with all the other patients and owners. 

From what I see on social media, this is becoming a "thing" in many vet's offices and I like it. 

We who own (or are owned) dogs or cats -- or any companion animal -- we often tell people that they're our furry (or scaly or feathered) children. These are our girls. Anyone who knows us will realize that our human children are male. Our canine children are female. 

When it's time to take that final visit to the vet's office, even when your logical mind is telling you that it's the right moment; when you know your companion is no longer living a quality life; when the pain is too great...you still find a giant hole in your heart. It hurts to think that "the world is going on" while this momentous thing is happening to you and your family. 


To have the vet's office and staff acknowledge this - and to have other pet parents know what's going on - is a comfort. 

Coloring...

So this is the latest one. I have this hanging in the studio. I've found several sites where I can download them. And of course there's Pinterest. 

I'm looking into adding to my stash of colored pencils; I want to get some new metallics and some neons. 

No, I haven't discarded the watercolors. I'm just experimenting with color in different formats. 

What are you doing to unearth, unleash, reclaim your creative side? 

Think about it. What do you do all day? What would you like to do to help you open up a part of your brain that may be a little quiet? 

Paint? Draw? Knit? Write? 

Go find a journal and a nice pen. Or if you're not the "handwriting" type, make a blog on the web. Jot your thoughts. You don't have to make it public - you can have a journal that's a Word document that you keep all to yourself. 

But do something. Create something. Then sit back and enjoy it. It's worth it. 

And so are you. 

Can We Just Agree...

...that Dick Cheney is a soul-less moron with no actual experience in ANY war, and thus should not ever - EVER - be quoted as an "expert" in anything to do with the Middle East?

Unless, of course, you want to talk about the faulty equipment that Haliburton sent over, the bad facilities and the general killing and maiming of an entire generation so that he and his ilk could make billions?

Ok. There. That's the end of THAT discussion. Hey, newspapers and news outlets: STOP QUOTING THIS IDIOT! He's shot his credibility just like he shot his lawyer friend in the face. 

So. Enough. It's just as bad that Terry Bradshaw, late of the NFL, is now a Fox News(?) commentator spouting off about Benghazi. Really. I couldn't make that up even if I tried...

Knitting...

This is WORLDWIDE KNIT-IN-PUBLIC WEEK!! Go out and knit something in front of people!!

Ok, so to celebrate this great holiday, I bit the bullet and bought Fluormania sock yarn. And of course, the Teal Sock #2 is sitting again... I'm on the foot of Teal, though, so there's hope that it'll be finished sooner rather than later.

I told you it's coming along...

I'm sad (well, not really) to say that on my first day off in a couple of weeks, I went to Le Mouton Rouge and spent a bit of money on yarn. This IS my favorite yarn shop. Kelly is great to deal with, the yarns are quite nice, and the "stuff" that we knitters need? It's plentiful!

I went by myself, and I probably should have thought about that for a bit. I haven't been feeling well, and Morris is a ways from my house. 

Neon Flower

Sure enough, I started feeling a little "off" about half-way home. Took a reading and according to my sister, I'm now also throwing PVC (premature ventricular contractions). Lovely.

Back to knitting... So here's the Fluromania colorway I have. It's "Neon Flower." It's going to be wild. Seriously, the picture doesn't do it justice with the way it pops in real life. Kelly is holding 2 more for me: Ocean and Berry, I believe. 

It's a little different. I'm doing these in a plain pattern, with a K2, P2 ribbing instead of K1, P1. I also chose US size 1 DPNs and I cast on 72 stitches. Usually, I'm a 64-stitches gal, but also I'm using 2.5-ish or so...

Bright start...

I think that the 72-cast on will be fine. It's a much smaller needle; truly, the smallest I've knitted on since I knitted 3 rows of a "baby afghan" on two size-00 needles.

Which I gave away. And now that I know - I wish I'd have had sense enough to keep them... Oy. Live and learn.

So I did the usual 6-row knit-around for the cuff, and it's looking interesting at any rate.

All Hubby said was, "Well, those are gonna be bright!"

The other stuff I bought is pictured below. 

Do I need it? Of course....(maybe not). 

I bought more sock yarn. I'm on a roll. I think it's because I've finally got socks "in my hand" and they're becoming a great take-along project. It's summer. I know that I owe Kid #2 his afghan, but really - even though the house is air-conditioned, I don't really feel like working on an afghan.

He knows it's in progress. He's seen it. 

Trekking

So. We have more Trekking. Now that I have the Karbonz size 1 DPNs, I think this will be nicer than the Teal Socks. I am toying with the idea of perhaps a cable down the cuff of these? I have to look for a pattern for simple cabled socks. 

I love the colors. And I don't think that the cable would be "too much" with the colorway. I could also do the Twisted Rib like I did with the Madelaine Tosh "Franken-sock." 

Yes. This time I'll write down what I did with the heel. Thanks for reminding me...

And there's more Opal. This is still the Little Prince colorway, but it's a different color - I can't remember which number it is; it's in the bag in my office at home. It's brighter, and has blue in it, which my last Little Prince socks didn't have. 

Opal

This reminds me of a beach towel. Don't know why. But the other Opal Little Prince reminds me of autumn. 

Since this one is very definitely a self-patterning yarn, I will again do a plain vanilla sock. 

By the time I finish this, I should be able to do a Plain Vanilla Sock in my sleep. Which is nice, I think. 

At least memorizing a pattern will be good for my brain. I think I can do everything to the heel in my head. At least till the heel turn, since I have mostly memorized The Doris Heel.

I also purchased the Fish Lips Kiss heel pattern from Ravelry. That may end up on the next pair of Opal socks. Not sure yet. 

Shawl-to-be

This is Cascade Ultra Pima. A while back, I used their stunningly gorgeous garnet color for my friend Janet's prayer shawl. This is Jade. And this is the pattern I am doing: The Miami Beach Shawl. It's a free download and also, (yay!) not charted. 

Check out the awesome shawl pin I got from the shop. I figure that if I get the whole thing, it'll be the next thing on my needles.

Go ahead. Laugh if you want. At the rate I'm going, I could potentially use this as the project I knit while recuperating from the atrial ablation. 

Lord knows I'll need something to keep my mind busy. 

My Friday...

So here's a lovely look at my lovely Friday (yes, tomorrow). 

At 7:30 a.m. I have a board meeting/annual meeting at which I'll be named president of the organization's board of directors. It's a one-year term. I have to run out of there, speed drive home and change for a... 

10:30 a.m. interview with a committee of colleagues who are in charge of hiring for the academic advisor position I've applied for. Then, at... 

11:30 a.m., I spend an hour with the Dean of the adult accelerated program. Who also happens to be Special Assistant to the Provost. And buddies with the person who decided to flip my life head-over-heels.

Then, just for fun... at 2:30 p.m. I meet with the cardiologist to talk about the upcoming surgery. Hubby will be there with a notebook in hand. Because I'm telling you: my brain will shut down right about when the doc says, "It's a 5-hour procedure..."

Then, at 6:30 p.m. I have a guitar lesson. Which is likely to be the highlight of my day...

Luckily, I don't have to work on Saturday. 

But I do have a wake on Saturday. It's also the day I'd planned to whip down to Le Mouton Rouge to pick up those 2 extra Fluro skeins. I'll see how that goes. It'll be another trip down there by myself, because if I go with "The Girls" it'll take too long. It may be that I can go Tuesday, with "The Girls" since we haven't seen each other in a long while. 

If the call doesn't come for Tippi from Children's Advocacy Center. 

The wake is for the FIL of my friend Nat. It's a short one, with a private burial, and I really want to make sure I get there. 

Susan B. Anthony...

This is my new Facebook picture. I love this quote. Especially these days, when we're having a lot of trouble (in my opinion) with folks shoving their religion in our faces. 

It reads:  I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

You tell it, sister.

See, I'm a religious person. I have no problem with other religious people. I just do not believe that the United States of America has a "state religion." 

Those Founders that the ultra-right-tea-baggieez are always beating us with? They clearly said that there was to be separation of church and state. 

I'm also not really fond of politicians saying, "God Bless America" after speeches. I think that's disrespectful to atheists and agnostics. For cryin' out loud: Even Pope FRANCIS says that they should be respected.

And I love that a woman said this. Particularly since women are usually on the receiving end of men's  proclivity to regulate and "religious-ulate" our reproductive rights and even our working and personal rights. Hey - I'd like to make the same wage a man makes. It would be cool.

And please. If you don't have my plumbing, you aren't allowed to legislate against it. 

The Storms...

Clouds from the southwest

So this happened. I went to the back of the campus to put a note on the board yesterday morning... And in 5 minutes, the outside looked like this. 

More clouds

The weather alarm didn't go off, but it was totally dark, and the wind whipped up something fierce. 

It started with a couple of plops of rain, a clap or two of thunder and then some pretty nasty lightning. 

The lights flickered briefly but we didn't lose power. 

Then it started bucketing. It didn't last long, but it was fierce. We apparently just got skimmed with that system that spawned a couple of twisters up north of us. 

There's more in the forecast for today, and I'm hoping it holds off till I get home, and settled in with my knitting. 

The rest of the clouds

What's fascinating is the cloud formations. They're pretty cool. It was another adventure in "How fast nature changes" and it was awesome to witness. I was particularly concerned about that batch from the southwest, since that's usually where tornado activity initiates.

And last night's yoga class was punctuated by yet another storm. Of course, I was by the window. Try holding Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog to the civilians) while thunder and lightning are popping all over... It's a study in concentration, for sure. 

As I start to clear out 8 years of "stuff" from the campus, I'm feeling melancholy, and the clouds kind of reflect what I'm feeling. 

I don't know if I'll get the job I'm interviewing for. I told my boss the other day that I wished with all my heart that she or someone else would call and say, "You all are moving to the new location" -- but I think that she and I are the only ones who think that that's a good idea. 

She's pitching something for my assistant, for which I'm really grateful. But one thing is for sure. 

I'm really tired of having to reinvent myself. 

I thought I'd have a home in this job for a long, long time. And maybe for some folks, 8 years IS a long, long time. But not for me. 

Bad Karma...

So this other thing happened. A student bounced a check for a private yoga lesson. Then, my bank (which happens to be the student's bank) ran it again and it bounced AGAIN. So. No fee for the lesson and TWO bounce-fees. I've asked the student (strongly) to pay me in cash, ASAP. According to the last communication, this should be accomplished by next week. I gave the student 5 days, which I'm told is "much too nice."

My studio owner - well, this is her hot-button issue. There's a sign in the studio with the student's name and "cash only" on it. I don't know that I'd have done that, but it's her studio. She really doesn't want to have to chase people for fees. And I get that. We shall see.

If the student doesn't come forward with what's owed, I will (sadly) be reporting this to the police. It sounds harsh, but it is, after all, a business. 

If the student had called and said, "I need to change the lesson date and time" it would have been fine and I would never have thought that it was perhaps that money was tight. It's more honorable in that instance to do that -- rather than write a check you can't cover. 

You want to trust people. And it stinks when you find out that you can't trust them as often as you would like to. 

Blowing coat

Random Picture...

This is Tippi. Or what's coming OFF Tippi. She's blowing coat. So is Quinn, but to a much lesser extent. 

Raisa is, too, a bit. But not near this amount... However, NEXT year, she'll be on par with Tippi, if not more.

And no. I'm not saving it this time. I haven't even started anything with the Five-Dog-Yarn that I have.

But I've found a lovely lace shawl that will fit that yarn nicely.

It's on my list. 

I was going to go put another box of stuff into the car. But then I realized I had 2 cans of upholstery cleaner in there.

I don't think I need to have them explode. It's a cloudy day, but the car interior heats up nevertheless.

I guess it's time to save this, post it and take a toddle around the office.