Sweaters, Songs and More...

So I promised you pictures of buttons. Here they are. These are some vintage buttons from my friend Kelly at Le Mouton Rouge Knittery. She got a big old box of 'em and I saw these and immediately - even though I'd bought some triangular Celtic knot buttons - HAD to have these. Had to. She was kind enough to give them to me, which was very sweet of her. There are actually 5 of them, and I have 19 balls of the yarn - so in truth, if I wanted, I could knit up some Gull Lace wristlets and use the buttons as accents. The sweater takes 3 - and honestly, I should've done it with just 2. Anyway, I have extra and I may as well use them. 

I'm moving along on the sweater; the lace pattern is really easy to memorize - almost too easy, and you can easily become complacent. I'm not sure whether this is zipping along or I'm being deceived by the fact that this is a DK-weight and it's not a baby-sized item. I'm doing 7.5" in length, and they said do 1.5" as garter stitch to finish. This being a silk + wool yarn, it'll "grow" a bit, especially with the entire body being lace. So if it gets a little longer, I won't cry, but I didn't want to have it too long. 

I was a little worried about the "alternations" I made in the pattern. I still don't get the "knit 4 rows of the lace pattern" thing because my 3rd buttonhole wasn't there, I couldn't see doing 4 rows of the lace there before you actually started the body, and finally - I messed up and reached my yoke length on the RS. So I added enough knit rows to make myself back on the correct side to start knitting the lace so it wouldn't be "backward." 

I can tell you that those 50g balls go fast! It seems like I'm already on ball #4 or so. 

Empty Bowls...

When I worked at the university, we had a project that was a great fundraiser called "The Empty Bowl Project." Everyone was encouraged to decorate a bowl, and then the bowls were sold. 

Well, Kid #2 had something similar at his high school, and he brought me one of the bowls that one of his students did. It's really pretty, has 3 little ball legs on it, and will be perfect for yarn. Or notions. Or just sitting and looking pretty. Haven't quite figured out where to put it yet. Still organizing, still tossing out magazines, and still clearing out the office. 

Songs...

So my guitar teacher and I thought I needed some new songs. He says to me, "Ever heard of the Wailin Jennys?" Ummmmmmm - YES!! So I did some research and found a beautiful song called "Arlington" (which has nothing to do with Virginia or the cemetery) and I was able to find sheet music for it. I've been working on it all day. I've also got a few others, including "One Voice" which I'd love our choir to do. 

Hubby was also able to find me a couple of new Tric guitar cases. Mine were pretty beat up, and I can't get them from my usual source anymore. Figures. 

So I'm all set to go. It's going to be fun. I'm also hoping to see Neal Peck and the Stay Tuned String Band this month at one of the free concerts in the downtown area. 

Politics...

Well, I know it's been a while and I've been processing a lot. But I have to go there. The Nectarine Nemesis says, "When will the world start laughing at America?" 

Ummmmmm. November 2017... the day after the election. And after the disaster that was his ham-fisted (pun intended) attempt at diplomacy? Yeah, they're rolling in the aisles. 

Even The Guardian pointed it out... So, folks. Let's get over Kathy Griffith (for any number of reasons, including Ted Nugent -- go look it up if you don't get it), and let's focus on what's important. 

The social safety nets which are in danger of being cut out from under the most vulnerable. 

The environment.

Jobs.

Education. 

Medical care/insurance. 

We have a lot to worry about with the Twitter-freak in the White House. Let's not get distracted. 

Get involved locally. Contact your representatives. Find a cause that you're passionate about and do something about it. 

Random Picture...

On my way to the "Essential Oils for Animals" workshop in Peoria, I drove through some of my favorite parts of Illinois: the slightly hilly "down south" area, where there are wind farms (take that, Nectarine Nemesis: the future is wind and solar, NOT coal!!) and rolling hills. 

Let's face it, Illinois is more famous for jailing its governors and not paying its bills. We've clearly got the most dysfunctional state government. And that's not hyperbole. We're broke, we can't pass a budget and we keep electing the same people. 

What's the definition of insanity? "Doing the same thing and expecting different results." Yup. That about sums it up. 

Anyway - that day started out cloudy, but the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue in some spots, and the wind farms were doing their thing. It's really pretty. 

News Filters Everyone Can Use...

So Rex Huppke is definitely getting cookies for Christmas. He nailed it again in his column in today's Chicago Tribune. "It's Sen. McConnell's world, and only his news lives in it" -- see if you can find it, because the Tribune site is slightly weird.

Anyway, apparently, Mr. Mitchy only wants news HE wants. Huppke indicated that at a recent news conference, Mitchy "made it clear that bad Obamacare news was all he was willing to discuss."

Here's the quote, right from his own mouth: "I prefer the news of that day to be what I'd like for it to be rather than what you all may be interested in pursuing."

Alllllllll-righty thennnnnnnnnn. I guess the only news I want to hear is stuff about cute fluffy puppies and a great yarn sale. Oh, and a good book sale, too, please. 

And, apparently, in the most recent news conference, President Obama says that he's just fine with your insurance company CONTINUING to sell you crappy insurance. Here's the CNN link. So basically, you can keep your crappy insurance for another year. Good luck with that, since that crappy insurance basically covers nothing. 

And if you all remember (or care to look it up), people were also slow to sign up for RomneyCare - human beings are procrastinators. They figure they have till January at least, so why rush? Apparently, there are people who have actually paid for coverage, but people who - like a lot of internet shoppers, have the policy "in their cart" but are not (for whatever reason - see said procrastination) paying for it yet. 

Again, remember: The insurance companies basically wrote this legislation. Nobody -- I mean NOBODY -- should believe that this is "health-care reform." It's only very basic "insurance reform" and it looks like it's not even very basic now. 

Yoga...

So our friends at Lululemon are still at it. Winning friends and influencing yogis all across the globe, I guess. First you have sheer pants. Then you recall them, bring them all new pants, and now, you say "sheer" is basically because women wearing Lulu pants are "fat." Yep. See this petition at change.org - and the statements of their tone-deaf president. Here's the thing. I got the "stink-eye" when I went to a Lulu store a while ago. I was heavy. Well, no. I was fat. Obviously, the stick-thin mannequins in the store should've told me what I needed to know. But the condescending eyeball of the saleswoman? That did it. 

I would never buy yoga clothes from that store, even if they did buckle and make them in something larger than "Barbie-size." 

As far as my training is going, I'm working on the book reports; still haven't done much on the thesis work. I need to start that research and the get a script written. And then get Hubby to help videotape it all. 

And I have to get in 2 private lessons, plus a couple of "karma yoga" sessions (free to under-served populations). I will be setting those up in the studio where I teach; I've already gotten permission. 

Knitting...

Finished the latest Fluffy Scarf. I have only 2 more to go! Yay! 

I have the pink Opal sock to work on, and I think that over the Christmas break, I will start a sweater. My friend D actually gave me a sweater that no longer fits her, and all it needs is a sleeve. Problem is, she's still looking for that last ball of yarn... Anyway, if that yarn is found, I may well just finish that one. 

Health...

Well, the eye infection I got over the weekend is healing. It still looks like I've been up for a couple nights in a row, but I'm not itching and I can go outside without acting like Bela Lugosi in a vampire movie.

And how about those new cholesterol guidelines?? Yeah - just put MORE people on statins since they work so well... Basically, the experts say that doctors need to sort patients into 4 groups (those 4 groups are the ones for whom statins are recommended): patients with heart disease; all people ages 40-75 with Type II diabetes; those with LDL cholesterol of 190+; and anyone who has a 7.5% or greater risk of developing heart disease or stroke in the next decade.  That last category worries me, because that could be any of us. 

The estimates are that now, with these new guidelines, up to thirty million (yep, THIRTY million) people could be put on statins. 

We all know that high LDL is bad. And we often feel (at least *I* often feel) that doctors are at the mercy of Big Pharma. They don't push the most common-sense things to do: Lose weight and exercise. Cut out crap food. Move more, eat less.

And that's because that stuff is hard, and I'm sure they've made that speech a zillion times, only to be told, "Doc I just can't do it." Well, big difference between "can't" and "won't." There's no magic pill, folks. 

Statins are not nice drugs. Sure, they benefit some. But look at what the Mayo Clinic says about the side effects. Muscle pain and damage. Liver damage. Digestive damage. Increased blood sugar. And the ever-wonderful "neurological side effects."  Women are the most prone to these side effects, too. Aren't we lucky?

Thanks, I'll keep trying the old-fashioned way to keep my numbers where they need to be. 

Music...

Trying desperately to learn 3 new pieces for church. In addition to memorizing a guitar piece. And - I haven't been able to attend the rehearsals. Urgh. Hubby put the music on Sibelius (v. 7) and I'm picking away at it. Our strongest alto is in Florida and presumably will be there through Christmas. Drats. 

The trouble is, it seems that two of the pieces are right in the middle of my range. I'm soprano-to-alto, and this is some sort of weird tenor-ish stuff. Oh well. I have to learn the alto part, so off we go. 

Reading...

Just downloaded Amy Tan's latest and can't wait to dive in. I love her writing. "The Valley of Amazement" is a story about a Chinese courtesan. She said in an interview that it "may be" based on some family history. 

Well, reading that, the Yarn Harlot (again) and the yoga books. It's keeping me busy, that's for sure. 

I have yet to dig into the Portable Faulkner that the kids got me for Christmas. I did ask them for 2 yoga books, though. They wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas and I don't need anything else. 

Except those slippers I mentioned a while ago, and I know Hubby is already getting those for me. 

Random Picture...

Comfy Tippi

Yes. Amazing Tippi cuteness. This was her, on Hubby's lap, last night. Of course, it does look uncomfortable. But she just gets in these weird positions. She has been known to curl herself up into this little grey donut shape and cuddle with me when she's stressed.

She's also been known to take up the entire couch. All 6 feet of it. I suppose if you stretch, extend your curly tail and just look as if you owned the furniture, the humans will let you be.

I've had very "flexy-bendy" dogs, apparently, because I'm also including one of Quinn. If you can see, her nose is about 2" from the floor. 

Quinn headstand

Yes, upside down, getting a belly rub from Kid #2. She plows onto the couch, stares at me if I happen to be sitting next to Hubby, and then HUBBY moves, so that Quinn can sit between us. 

When Kid #2 is on the couch, she barrels up there, puts her head down, and flips her butt over so that he can rub her belly. And as soon as I can catch that on video, I will do that. 

Photos...

It seems as if the majority of the pictures on my phone are dog pictures. Very rarely kid pictures, though I did warn the kids that this Thanksgiving, we're taking pictures to put up on our family's Christmas website.

We've given up writing the annual Christmas letter. They're usually tossed anyway. But this year, since I have all those pics from our trip, we are going to do our ecological duty, saving paper, and just including a link in our Christmas cards. If you want to look at it, fine. If not, I'll never know!

Off to learn that music. Can anyone help me figure out why my external speakers are not working??? Ugh. 

Catching Up....

It was a blog-fest for the travel topic, and now it's time to just get back to real life. 

Blimp rides on race weekend

We're back down to earth now; though everyone's still stunned that I walked off an Alp... 

The picture at right is a crummy one... The new Nokia is coming, people. Be patient. Anyway, this is the blimp floating around. We're near enough to the Chicagoland Speedway (located in Joliet, but hey - money buys names, right?) and we had the Big Race -- I don't know which one. I don't follow racing.

So I was driving home from work that Saturday and I saw this. They were giving rides on the blimp. Would be cool, I think! But not cool enough that I'd go anywhere NEAR that racetrack on a race weekend. Not a fan. 

I know the farmers are getting paid handsomely for renting out spots for campers, but I have no desire. 

The Garden

CARROTS!

Well. Tomatoes are ok; not scarce but not overly plentiful. At least this year they have some taste to them.

Pickling cucumbers ARE COMING OUT MY EARS. We have 6 more, and then I think they're finally done. So I get to make MORE pickles this year. I might do a garlic-onion-pickle thingie just to shake it up. 

Carrots are coming in; lovely!! Roasted for Thanksgiving and juiced. Nothing like the plastic orange things you buy in the cellophane bag at Jewel. Oh, and one radish we forgot about... Wowza, I haven't even cut into it but I bet it's gonna be hot!

Of course, I could make Carrot Preserves. That could be interesting. It would go along with my Basil Jelly and Rosemary Jelly. 

I need to do something with preserves, but we haven't had time to turn around, much less grab berries or apples to do anything with. Fingers crossed (again, where am I finding 26 hours in a 24-hour day???) that I can maybe get something done in that line for Christmas. 

The Politics

Will everyone Get. Over. It. The Affordable Care Act is NOT mandatory health care. It's not "socialized medicine." It's a fairly limp effort at INSURANCE REFORM. And you know what? It's going to SAVE you money. 

I have news for people: when someone without insurance shows up at your local ER with a stomach bug, yeah, they get care. And guess what happens to YOUR insurance premiums and YOUR hospital costs??? They go UP. Sooooooooo - let's give EVERYONE a shot at getting decent insurance for a do-able cost. Betcha they don't clog up the ER... 

Holding the government hostage so that Republicans can "score points" against President Obama (because, after all, it was THEIR healthcare plan before HE adopted it - what's with the schizo behavior??) -- well, that's what the FOUNDERS didn't want. The Founders - those guys who are always shoved in our faces by the uber-conservative folks -- they didn't even want political PARTIES because they thought that it would lead to division. Hmpfh. Go figure... 

It's ridiculous. We have wars to worry about. We have kids and elders going hungry. Our "First World" country treats its most vulnerable citizens as bad as, if not worse than, a Third World country, and yet we can bleat in total ignorance that we are "The Greatest Country." 

Nope. Not till everyone has at least the means to get a decent standard of living. And that encompasses a job that pays a living wage; health care; availability of food... The $8.25 minimum wage isn't cutting it anymore. We have no jobs bill because the toadies have spent their time trying to repeal the ACA. There are too many neighborhoods where there's not even a decent grocery store. 

We have lots to do before we can, in good conscience, call ourselves "The Greatest Country" again. 

The Knitting

Fluffy scarf #1

So what possessed me to think that I could do seven (SEVEN) fluffy scarves for our choir gals??? I have no idea. But I'm plugging away. I've brought them to work, and will do them at work on my lunch break. They're mindless, but a tad frustrating because the yarn is roapy. No, this time, I didn't iron it. But I'm afraid I'll have to do it for subsequent scarves just to save my head when I pound it on the wall...

Oh, and our Zonta Club president asked us knitters to knit another one of these things as a possible door prize or auction item for our club. So of course I said yes... (sigh)

Seaming

The baby sweaters are done. They still fit!!!! Yay!!! And I learned a cool seaming technique that results in no bumps. I may do these again, (a) because it's such a simple pattern; and (b) because I have some of the Encore left over and I can go wild with stripes. No baby looks ugly in a tiny little sweater, right?? Even if the colors are "out there" somewhere... And it's a good stash-buster. Any wool super-wash will do. 

I like the wool super-wash because it's warm; it's crisp when you knit it, and it holds the buttons nicely. And the pattern couldn't be easier - you can add length, you can leave the sleeves so that perhaps 1" or so is not seamed, to make a cuff. I have enough of the yellow and orange to make the front and sleeves (like, maybe down just past the buttonholes) one color and then switch so that the bottom half is another. I can stripe. I can do whatever I want! 

Avery Sweater

And the wool superwash is good because moms can just toss it in the laundry and it won't get felted or shrink. You don't even need to block this pattern. I think it's much easier than the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. 

I'm sorry that the completed picture is upside-down. Just squint a bit. The babies look adorable in the sweaters. I'm happy that they're able to wear them. Girl Baby will wear both soon because Boy Baby is a TANK. Looks just like his dad.


The Nephew Afghan... So I forgot that my nephew is getting married. Give me a break, please, there's been a lot going on... I got out the "8-hour Afghan" book and am doing a simple-ish tweedy thing. The colors don't look great, but remember, it's the Nokia phone and it's not the new whiz-bang camera... He will like it. The taupe is the approximate color of his living room, and the navy-ish color is at least the office, I can't remember. But anyway, he's got 2 black labs. I wasn't about to do a white afghan!! Encore again. Great stuff, washable and it holds a stitch pattern nicely. Big needles, so it goes fast. I have till about February, I figure...if it's going to be in time for a shower. 

Nephew Afghan

The Charity Afghan...This was supposed to be my "sweater year" and I have yet to cast on a sweater for myself. The charity afghan is moving along. I have it mostly laid out, and I'm completing the last 4 squares. This was a round robin project; some crochet, some Tunisian Crochet, and some knitted. I'm going to assemble it, using crochet. We don't want to interfere with Howl-O-Ween anyway, so this is decent timing. 

Socks, scarves, etc... The Teal Socks are set aside for now. The Chandelier Lace scarf is my Sunday Knitting project. I'm just breaking it down to "what do I knit each day of the week" at this point. The lace scarf may or may not make it for Christmas, depending on what else goes on.

Stash-busting: I'm going to go through the totes in the basement and be ruthless with the acrylic. Lord knows I'll not be knitting with it anytime soon. Will be a donation toward our Prayer Shawl project at the church. I'm sure it'll come in handy, and I've been sitting on it for a couple years now. Time to make room -- either just room in the basement, or (go figure) more room for yarn.

The Estate

YAY, good news! We got an offer on the house. It looks solid, but I've seen closings fall apart the week of, so I'm not jinxing this one! It's below our appraisal, but not too bad. I think it's just better to get on with it. I don't want it to sit over the winter, and I don't want to have to pay out of my own pocket for vacant property insurance and the utilities. It becomes an "attractive nuisance" and we're too far away. I don't want a 2 a.m. phone call telling me the cops are there because someone tried to ransack the place. 

Charity afghan

Fingers crossed. The lawyer also said he is going to negotiate with the IRS. It will still wash out, and mostly still probably be "upside-down" but he feels like he should make the effort. Hope to get them to 50-cents on the dollar. We won't have an "estate" to distribute to the heirs, but I can't help that. Can't get blood out of a turnip. 

The Reading

I'm still plowing through the Jane Austen collection. I'm on "Emma" now. Emma gives me a pain. 

I read J.K. Rowling's "Casual Vacancy" which I think I mentioned. She needs to work on her adult fiction. 

I have "The Portable Faulkner" and I've started it. I've also started (twice!) "Sanctuary." Yikes, I'd rather re-read "Absalom, Absalom" -- I have a cheat-sheet for Sanctuary because I can't figure out who's who. 

I'm going to order some more Pearl S. Buck for my Kindle. I love her way with words. 

The Yoga

I'm almost done with training. Yay! One more weekend for the formal classes. A few more workshops, a thesis and I'm done. 200 hours is a LOT of work. 

I'm no longer teaching Yin; my own teacher wants the class back, and that's fine with me. I will be a happy student again. I will still be teaching on Mondays and subbing where I can, but that's fine. I already have a full-time job; I'd be happy with a light yoga schedule.

The Weight

Well, I put on 10 lbs. since my brother died. I have recommitted myself to getting my act together. It's stress eating, and coupled with (yay, FINALLY) what looks like menopause, my body's not reacting like it used to do. Used to be, stress eating and I didn't gain weight.

Not anymore!! Yikes... I can really feel that 10 lbs. and I don't like it. So, off we go again. 

The Holidays

Again, we are doing Thanksgiving the Sunday before. That's nice, because it just seems so much less hectic. We're going organic this year, and getting our bird from Three Maples Farm in Oswego. Check here to see what they do. I'm excited. Yeah, expensive, but I sent an e-mail to all working family: time to chip in, folks. For years, Hubby and I have been buying the bird, which is fine; we're not broke. But an ORGANIC turkey is lots more expensive and we've been doing the cooking for years now, too. It's time for the kids to pitch in - most of them are working and $10 won't kill any of them. 

Also, we can take the older great-nephew (not the one getting married --- the 3-year-old) to visit the farm and pet the goats. He'll love it. 

Most of the family does pitch in with the side dishes, but if I may be allowed a little vent, I have some relatives who find that the holidays are the occasion at my mom's house to sit on their butts and watch Hubby and I run like chickens. I have one relative in particular who thinks her only contribution is to come in, plop rolls on the counter and go sit down. Lately, that's not sitting well with me.

My MOM doesn't have to do anything. She provides the place, and frankly, she's slowing down even though she won't admit it. She's earned the right, as long as we are capable, to just have the opportunity to visit and not work like a slave. 

We cook because we like to, of course, and to blow our own horns: we're good at it. That gene, I inherited from my Dad. Our kids do the potatoes (3 ways, thank you) and my one nephew (the dad of the 3 kids) does a great job cooking, too. He's really good. My sister is improving, but she's not much of a cook. And one of the kids bakes, so that's cool. But otherwise, coming up with a salad and dressing isn't much of a challenge, if I may say so. 

Last year, it was kind of funny. Kid #1 and Kid #2 got in a huff...They see that we're doing all this prior to the event, and we're also Clean-Up Crew... So THEY get the nephews. They're all: "Hey, you - grab these dishes and bring them up. You, grab the garbage can. You, start stacking the chairs."

And amazingly (not really - who am I kidding?), they all just hopped to it. Well, you get a teacher and a welder taking charge, and everyone just falls in line. If they griped about it, they didn't do it within hearing range of our kids, because they'd have been told to "suck it up and deal with it. You ate, you help." 

OK, I think we're caught up. I know it was an overload of knitting pictures, but next time, I hope to have something more scenic to show you.