Technology Bites!!

Well. It took me a literal month to get my phone and my laptop to talk to each other. I was going through this cumbersome "attach this widgety thing to your phone, download, then upload the widgety thing to your computer so that you can share pictures" thing. See, my Windows phone just kind of automatically uploaded stuff. The OnePlus? Not so much. 

But...My pics are back! And Hubby had to order me a new hard drive - a larger one. My good old ThinkPad is still chugging along, but for a birthday gift, he got me a Surface Laptop that I can travel with...which is slightly ironic because I'm not really going anywhere lately! One of these days, when I can travel again, I can take this Surface, which is MUCH lighter than my "Old Reliable." 

Speaking of which, I've got UPDATES for you! I've missed blogging and I need to get on the stick - especially now that I actually have time. 

Vintage Sewing Machine...

Who knew I had a "vintage" sewing machine? I just thought it was old. It's a Brother Charger 661 and it was made in the late 60s to mid-70s. And it's mostly metal...which is saying something! It sews forward, backward and zig-zag. And it does buttonholes, but I can do those by hand. The only fiddly bit is the bobbin - not a drop-in, but a "pick it out of the hole sideways and put it back in the same way" thingie. 

These are the first batch of masks. I reckon I did about 58 of 'em and I have a large --- and I do mean LARGE pile of fabric for Masks, Phase II. I'm on pace to do about 150-175 of them before I run out of thread, patience and fabric. Two quilting friends of mine, K and D, donated. The "ugly" fabric turned into ties. The masks are two-pleat, except for the "family" masks, which are more fitted. 

The first batch were 3-pleat, but honestly, my hand mobility isn't what it used to be. I was really messing up not only the topstitching but the 3 pleats. Consistently. And it was frustrating me. I mean, my sewing skills can "kindly" be called "basic." But I wanted to do a decent job. These certainly aren't meant to be heirlooms - they're meant to be washed in hot water and kind of scalded...and I don't expect them to last for any more than a few months, with luck. But I'd like them to look half-way decent. So the next batch are all 2-pleat. and they fit the same - the basic size is the same; just easier for me to manipulate. 

The fitted masks are all the "male" sized ones, though. I found that the "women/teen" size shrunk and wasn't as comfortable. So we're all guys...

Kid #1's partner, J, asked me, "Can you make me some snowflake masks?" I wasn't quite sure what she wanted, and we had a discussion...turns out that folks in CO think she's a "snowflake" because she's wearing the one mask I made her. This is what I came up with -- I've ordered some snowflake material, but as you can imagine, it's more likely to be out at Christmas rather than spring! Anyway, the patch is making a point: "Kiss my snowflake keister, bub!" And besides, she's a welder - you really wanna poke a woman who wields a torch? 

The fitted masks are meant to have elastic - but I don't like elastic because I wear glasses; and because it's uncomfortable. So I've been making my own ties. Thankfully, Hubby is my "cutter." He can really maximize a piece of fabric! 

I'll be donating the masks to the local hospital, and then anyone who wants one. Since the fabric is all donated, I'm not keen on charging for them. A few folks have wanted to donate, so I've given them 2 charities to donate to: a local food bank and our local free clinic. 

The dogs think it's a "clacky machine." Of course, on a laminate floor, being a heavy-duty sewing machine, it IS loud. For the amount of hours I've been putting on it, it's gonna need a "spa day" after this is all done. And things are opened back up. 

As a matter of course, I cleaned out the drawer of the sewing machine cabinet. I found this vintage (there's that word again) magazine that I used to subscribe to in the Way Back Times. 

Boy, have things changed. Sizes, for one. Most of the knitting has "XL" as a size 12 with a bust size of 38"...
Yikes... There are a few patterns I'd be interested in doing, but let's just say I'd have to size them up a bit more. 

It's fun to see the recipes too. Jeeze - "cream of something" soup in just about everything, and lots of stuff in cans. I have to laugh too at the Bran Flakes recipes...this was 1984, when bran was The New Super Food. 

The article on Companion Gardening is still relevant; and a thing about creeping Thyme as a ground cover is kind of cool. But mostly, it's a real throw-back. 

The Knitting...




Tons o' stuff to catch up with in regard to The Knitting. So, all this time on my hands in quarantine has resulted in several FOs (finished objects) and a couple new ones started. One frogged, twice...which is my limit. 

First is a shawlette that ended up being for my friend M. I had purchased this organic cotton from Le Mouton Rouge with the intent to do more face cloths. But it wasn't looking like it would work. So I found this pattern on Ravelry, and it fit the yardage. M likes orange (which is the main color) and the rose was a nice accent. I have blue and gold for one for me. I will knit a pattern several times (see Close to You Shawl, which I've knitted at least 3 times) if it's an easy knit and fun. This fit the bill for both things. And with it being cotton, it's kind of a 3-season item of clothing: you can keep the AC off your neck (which is what M is doing), and it's still light enough for when it gets warm.

Here's the pattern: Two Color Seedlings Scarf -- not the yarn called for, but it worked out just fine. And I may still use the leftovers for facecloths. This yarn I used is Mika, a 100% organic cotton. 

Being as we had snow in March and frost in May? "Warm" is a ways off yet. 

The green Traveling Socks are now done. I had to steek --- (cut my knitting!!) because I did a really screwy job on the one sock, and it was like 4" long in the foot. Seeing as I'm a size 9? Yeah... So I tried to unpick, but it didn't work. So I cut. Held my breath, grabbed scissors, and snip, snip, snip. As you can see by the right sock, it was only a few inches that I had to lengthen, but it made all the difference. So Sock #2 got done first! 

I'm going to start knitting my socks at 68 stitches. 64 is too small and 72 is too big. So I started another one. And it's too small in the foot, too... What the heck. I think it's the star toe. I have to add at least an inch to the foot length for the star toe. And I need to increase my heel flap to a full 3 inches. 

I'm plowing through the Opal stash like crazy. But I'm having an issue with finishing. So this blue one is still a tad tight at the toe - and I will do Sock #2 and see if I can make the improvements and then fix the toe of Sock #1. Why do them in order??? This pic here is all of my Opal socks. Yes, I finally got "enough socks to wear them all week long" because I'm not including the Sweet Georgia and MadTosh. Kid #2 wants me to make him some "scrappy short socks" which will be ok, except he's got huge feet.... 

Here are the rest of the socks. I'm rather chuffed.... I've got lots of socks! I'm aiming to clean out my sock drawer and basically get rid of anything I'm not wearing anymore. Replacing them all with hand-knits where I can. I do still wear compression socks when I need to, but the "novelty socks" I have by the dozens can be given away; they're still in good shape, but I don't wear them. I wear these and short socks when I wear socks at all. Two pair of Fluromania...and I'm using the other 2 balls of Fluromania for the Breathe & Hope shawl - I've got blue yarn as the "base" and the pop of the bright color will be just what I want. It'll be a fun knit - twice...

And here, left to right: the hiking sock out of 100% wool (Cascade 220) - I have yarn to do a second pair; these are cozy and great for winter boots. Center is the Trekking sock in "Ovarian Cancer Teal" -- and these have the honor of being "5-year socks" because it was 5 years between Sock #1 and Sock #2... and to the right is my Sweet Georgia pair. These are on 72 stitches and are wayyyy too loose; but the yarn is squishy so it's still comfortable. 

And then there's shawl #2. It was supposed to be Reyna. Except my pattern was wrong (my printer cut off a few rows and I didn't realize it). And then I mis-read KTBL as KFB and I was increasing by FOUR stitches every other row. This was my "frogged twice" project. And it's using yarn that doesn't take kindly to frogging. Expression Fiber Arts Pearlescent Fingering is 50% merino wool and 50% silk. It's got the most gorgeous depth of color and "squish factor" and it splits like a bugger... The bloom of the yarn is lovely. I can't wait for it to be finished. 


But it ain't gonna be Reyna...This was just before Frogging #2...

I've got a few projects "in my sights" to work on while we're under shelter-in-place. But I started Simple and I like to stick with it. I also still have to finish Kid #2's afghan, which is thankfully at 50%. That's going to be my next rotation project. I'm shifting between sock needles (size 1), this shawl (size 5) and the afghan (size 7) -- because I find if there's too drastic a needle switch, my tension goes all wonky. 

I'm doing Simple Shawl with the silk + merino - a Ravelry freebie. Which is dead boring right now because there's about eighty bazillion yards of plain knitting...and then a gorgeous lace edge with a picot bind-off. So it's a patience-pay off thing... I can mindlessly knit this after I've sat at the sewing machine or taught virtual yoga classes or worked at home with the church stuff...and it works for me. 

It's 550 yards, so it'll be bigger than what the pattern calls for. I weighed the yarn, because she says to start the lace section when you have 25 grams of yarn left. I bumped it to 30 grams - to give myself wiggle room. Maybe I can add a few more rounds of lace before I do the bind off. Which will be a test of my math as well as my patience!! 

Here's the Pearlescent Fingering in the hank. I thought it would be a bit brighter, but the sheen of the silk more than makes up for the long runs of the burgundy tones. It's primarily purple-to-burgundy and the white really pops in there. The whole thing is just an exercise in amazing color work. 

I just wish it was less splitty. That's frustrating; I'm using Chiagoo lace circulars which I think helps. I didn't want to use dull points, because I think I can keep it from splitting more with the sharper points. 

I'll work on this shawl till I get sick of it, and then I'll rotate to the afghan. The socks will wait a bit. As Hubby reminded me, "you have time." 

I also bought some Quince & Co. Sparrow yarn and have a beautiful t-shirt to knit. It's definitely summer wear, since Sparrow is linen, but I wanted to challenge myself with something with shaping. So that's got to be wound. 


Oh, I have a new swift and ball winder!! And the set was on sale!!! My swift bit the dust a while back and Hubby was my stand-in. He got tired of that quickly! We'd been researching them anyway; and we came to the conclusion that this table-top model was my best bet. I don't have to clamp it to anything, and then I got the extra-large ball winder. My other ball winder works just fine; so I can wind regular hanks; just the larger ones (like the 550 yards above) were a stretch for the smaller winder. 

This works a treat and I don't have too many moving parts to fiddle with. The ball winder is a tad more complex to put together and storing it isn't fun, but it's also incentive to get my yarn room/yoga room/office in shape. I'd love to have space to keep the ball winder "handy." 

Elder Ladies...

Well, I'm lumping myself with Tippi.... COVID-19 has wreaked havoc and there's lots of drama and tragedy around. Tragedy in that this virus will kill you --- or severely impact your life if you manage to survive. And drama with the queens wailing about wanting to go out for dinner and get haircuts.... Queens of both male and female persuasion because I think all of 'em are whiny babies. 

For some reason, my stylist cut my hair shorter this last time....and thankfully!! So far, it's behaving; but it's starting to curl at the back, which is my clue that it's getting to be "a mess" sooner rather than later. I've got a good blow dryer, and I've got hair combs that I can use. But heavens.... So. Much. Hairspray.... I'm putting the hole back in the ozone layer. This is today, just before my yoga class. Believe me, if I slipped on my mat and landed on my head, my hair would protect me. And not be moved! 

Tippi has regained 90% of her coat since chemo; frankly, it's doubtful she'll ever regain her ruff, even though it's "tufting" somewhat. Her 6-month post-chemo check-up was great. Numbers are where they should be; and I got the 'she's a bit fluffy' chat...but I did deliberately let her eat a lot when she was having chemo. I felt like she needed to have that extra "beef" to carry her when she wasn't feeling well. And that also carried her thru a subsequent bout of pneumonia. Yeah, this dog doesn't do anything the easy way... This was just the other day; she's almost back to her sassy self. She spends a lot of time resting. We're easing her back into walks; the vet said to take our time but definitely have her move more. She likes to have "selective hearing" when she's doing her 'snoring meditations' on the couch. 

She's officially retired as a therapy dog. When we go back to Lewis University, it's going to just be Raisa. I'll probably take her back for one "final" visit, just so everyone can say goodbye, but at age 13.5, her back end is a little wobbly, and I want her to enjoy just being Queen of the Household. She and I will be taking more walks and just hanging out together. 

Random Picture...

This is my favorite time of year. In spite of the freeze that slightly burned my parsley and almost killed off my tomato plants. 

It's lilac time. Pro-tip: If you have allergies, try not to put a big honking vase of lilacs next to you; you'll cough and everyone will think you have COVID-19. Our bushes are 5 years old and this is the best year yet. We keep them at about 7-feet tall, and prune pretty strongly, taking all the suckers off too. 

Funny, we thought we bought 2 identical bushes - the same variety. But nope. Looks like we have two different varieties. Similar - but just slightly different. The right one (at the end of the front sidewalk) is an early bloomer, bigger blossoms, and a lighter French Lilac scent. Lighter, but still quite strong. 

The left one is blooming a bit later, smaller blossoms and a slightly sharper scent. Again, still a French Lilac, and believe me -- you can see these bushes from the end of the block and smell them 4 houses away. When I have my kitchen window open, I can smell them all the way to the back of the house. I love it. 

I know they'll "last longer" if I leave them on the bush, but I'm cutting with abandon, and letting them scent my house. I'm happy to have them and I'm happy to have neighbors walking by and taking deep, deep breaths!

Just a Short Note...

It's been a week... So here's a random list of "stuff."

1.  The baby sweater is coming along. I'd post pictures but my computer went haywire and I have the feeling it doesn't "see" my phone... That's ok. I've only got about 1" or so on it.

2.  Pumpkin Baby Set is going home this weekend, along with two lovely Young Living Essential Oils: Gentle Baby and Lavender. 

3.  I'm so sick and stunned at the crap going on in this country that I can barely verbalize it. That being said, I'm working on it. 

4.  The braces just got tightened this Monday. It's not as bad this time around. But I'm still not chewing. About 15 lbs. down. 

5.  Here are some pictures...  Is it heresy to put a Kindle in William Faulkner's lap? This is from Oxford 2016. 

I'm in the middle of reading his take on a murder mystery, "Intruders in the Dust." Once you get past the fact that the sentences are literally paragraphs long, and once you get past his use of the "n" word (remember the time and place - I'm not saying it's appropriate today. I'm saying it's appropriate given the time and place he was writing in), and once you figure out who's who, because jeeze - they're ALL related... It's a decent story. I think people believe I'm being a "snob" because I read Faulkner and Vonnegut and so many other odd writers. 

I'm not. I just like good literature. And I'm not above reading a "fluff" novel. It's good to clear your brain every once in a while. It's just that for me, I prefer fiction to history, though I really like historical fiction. And I prefer to dive into a book with some meat on its bones. 

6.  This is a horse that we met at the Kentucky Horse Park. These pics may be repeats, but like I said -- the phone went kerpluff as far as the computer is concerned. Anyway, this was a horse that managed to take a hankering to Kid #2 - who wasn't a horse fan. He only went there (a) because I was driving; and (b) because it was likely our last "literary trip" (though now he's heard that Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst is going to be opening up...). 

It's a Marwari Horse. Extremely rare in the US. And the Kentucky Horse Park has 2 of them. Maybe 3 - I can't remember. 

Anyway, this one liked The Kid. The other one we were able to see -- well, it let me pet it, that's all I can say. I'm losing my horse mojo to a kid who's not at all fond of them. What's THAT about??

7.  This is the dignified Norwegian Elkhound. Also known as the Norwegian ElkCLOWN. Quinn decided one day that "upside down and half off the couch" was a comfy position for a nap. And yes, I took her picture. Dogs are goofballs, and mine are particularly good at it. 

This is typical of an elkie. They get comfy and they don't care who knows it. She's been known to get up on the couch, in the middle, and s-t-r-e-t-c-h her skinny self all the way to both ends. The dog's made of rubber bands, I think. 

8.  Random picture: Be different. 


Be you. Be what you need to be. Don't follow the herd. 

It's up to each of us to find something in ourselves that's unique and capitalize on it. It seems that more and more, we're surrounding ourselves by like people: people who share our views. People who share our hobbies. People who share our jobs. 

And there's nothing wrong with that - though it could be argued that we should get out of our own "bubble" and listen to diverse views. 

I'll listen when they're not shrieking at me... I love a good discussion. Talking points, not so much. 

Anyway - find the "different" in you. And learn more about it. Have fun with it. Heaven knows, there's precious little "fun" left - we're all worried; some of us are scared. Some have given up to the fear. 

Take an inventory of yourself and above all, during that process BE KIND to yourself. I bet you'll find something about yourself that's uniquely YOU. And that's what makes you a wonderful person. 

Annoying Password Changes...

Look, I'm all about the safety issues on the 'Net. But this is kind of ridiculous. In December of last year (two months ago, to be exact) I changed a couple of passwords.

And now, I try to get into those accounts, and I get "wrong password" or the equivalent. So I have to reset them again.

After resetting the password to get HERE, which I did about 10:30 a.m. today, I was ready to type today's entry. Just now, at 1:13 p.m., I get "wrong password." Really?

You mean the wrong password that I just changed this morning? So it says "type the last password you remember" -- easy enough even for me, since it was 3 hours ago! 

Finally, I think I have it done correctly - at least this time. We'll see about next time. But jeepers...

Rescues...

This is a hanky alert... Read here about Taysia Blue Siberian Husky Rescue. So - this is why we do what we do. And Hubby and I don't really do all that much, considering what some folks do. We do what we can, but as with every cause, there are superstars. These folks are. 

When you see these things on Facebook or if you get solicitations, consider donating to a local rescue or no-kill shelter. Volunteer if you can; either by helping to foster, or walking the dogs or transporting - which is what we did for a long time. Hubby still does it when he can, but that "working Saturday" thing has rather hobbled my ability to do so. 

And of course, for now, with our recent rescue Raisa, we're in the midst of integrating everyone and taking her to puppy training. 

By the way, speaking of that - today we had everyone off the leash and all was good for quite some time. She's still a little "lickey-face" with Tippi, which is typical puppy behavior. And we're watching it to make sure Tippi is ok with it. For now, she's tolerating it, but I'm certain Tippi will certainly let her (and me) know when it's enough. 

Goofy Quinn

Also speaking of rescues, today is Quinn's "gotcha day." She's come a long way from that scared scrawny puppy hiding under Kari's chair as Hubby tries to coax her out. She's still a little too easily freaked out, but she's smart, healthy, and strikingly pretty. And also a loon. See the picture... 

This would be the 5th in a quick series of pictures of her dive-bombing Kid #2 headfirst into his side, her butt in the air, swiveling around, sliding down his leg, wriggling her rear end in his face before sliding that part down his ribs, and then smooshing herself onto the couch so that he could rub her belly.

I didn't print the whole series here because Kid #2 has asked me not to print his pic in my blog. It's not like I'm going to print something humiliating, but he's asked and I respect his privacy.

Yep. So, this is a clip from the AKC page on the Norwegian Elkhound:

Right Breed for You?

The Norwegian Elkhound is bold and energetic, an effective guardian yet normally friendly, and does well with children, especially when introduced to them at a young age. The Elkhound is a very people-oriented breed and does not like to be shut away from its family. The breed does requires regular exercise, but does not require elaborate grooming procedures.

They are also often described as friendly and DIGNIFIED. I guess 50% is good... I don't know what we'd do without our scrappy watchdog. She's the noise, Tippi's the muscle. 

Snow buddies

I think what's freaking her out is that, at 5 1/2 months, Raisa is bigger than she is. Huskies are always bigger than elkhounds, but I believe she would've taken to Raisa better if she wasn't as huge. All Raisa wants to do is make friends, and when they're on a leash, they're amazing, as this shot shows. Hubby took this on the trail yesterday. 

Tippi, embodying the "dignified" thing, is alongside and behind. She's not about to exert herself if someone else does. 

Did I mention that Norwegian Elkhounds are also very smart?? 

Oh, and so are Siberian Huskies. 

We'll be lucky that they don't change our locks and fix our computer passwords... 


Knitting...

The afghan is more than coming along. I think I'll be done next week. I pulled the yarn (unwinding it from its hanks in the super-special steel bowl yarn holder device) and did about 25 pulls... I can see the hanks shrinking nicely and I think I'm getting excited to see it finally finished. Right now, when I'm knitting on it, I can drape it over my feet, as shown, and it's nice and toasty.

And, luckily for us, Raisa shows no interest in the super-special steel bowl yarn holder device. She's come close with tossing her toys, but she stops solidly before the afghan and yarn. She tried to mouth the afghan ever-so-slightly, but a good "AAAACK!" did the trick and she hasn't bothered me at all when it's in my lap. 

Almost done!

This will be about 42" x 46" - and my nephew is kind of a big guy. But I never committed to an exact SIZE of the afghans I'm knitting them all! This will be enough for a nice throw on the back of the couch, and I hope he likes it. 

I have the sock with me, but I have a doctor's appointment, so I haven't even brought it out. I'll work on it tonight, I think, just to shake up my fingers and since I'm feeling confident of the afghan.

And I hope I haven't just jinxed myself, with that comment!! Never mess with the knitting fairies. They'll get you every time. 

I saw the Yarn Harlot's new socks, in my favorite sock yarn, Trekking XXL - like neon Easter eggs. I may have to have that colorway to work on some more socks. I think maybe there's a sock binge coming on, and it can't be too soon for me. 

The hat binge is over for now, though I do want to knit one more, for which I've already gotten the yarn. It's a cloche and I can't wait to start on it. Oh, and there's the silver-grey beret...

So maybe the hat binge isn't over yet. Oh well. 

Irony overload...

Yes, this is a picture from a catalog I got yesterday. Look at the 2 entries at the bottom. God and Guns... 

I get it. Concealed carry is now legal in Illinois and I have to get over it. But I don't have to like it. 

And I can't help chuckling - "carry your concealed weapon, and as a side, carry your electronic Bible just so you're prepared for whatever happens."

Well, that's probably not what they thought. But that's what I interpret it as. 

Hey, at least both items are on sale. You can get 'em while they're in stock and you are then fully prepared for anything life hands you.

Or that you do. 

Like the guy in Florida who felt "disrespected" when a 17-year-old didn't turn down the music in his car. 

So he shot him. And of course, claimed that he "thought" he saw a gun. And felt "threatened." 

Apparently, in Florida, "Stand Your Ground" means "shoot 17-year-old black kids"... The closing arguments are today and I wonder what the verdict will be this time.

You'd think you could assume the verdict, right? Not so much. Google "Trayvon" if you're still confused as to why this isn't an open-and-shut case...

Random Picture...

Raisa & Tippi

See? They're getting a little better. I admit, this one had me flashing back to River and Tippi - they really got along well. 

I'm always positive - at least I hope I am. I'm positive that we'll be fine and everyone will get along. Eventually. I don't expect perfection immediately. The reason River was our "robo-dog" was because she got along with EVERYONE. There will never be another River. 

Just like there'll never be another Tippi. Or another of any other dog I've ever had. 

Each one has been an addition to our lives, and of course, when they died, they left a hole. 

Another dog can't fill that hole. In fact, sometimes I think I'm making holes by continuing to have dogs in our lives. But they're the kind of holes that I would like to believe make me a better person. 

Like the saying goes: "I want to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." 

Hug your dogs. It's just that kind of day. 

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. 

Truckin' Through Thursday...

...as in "truckin through the mush." 

Big news: It's snowing again. Now, I don't mean I'm all "Henny Penny" about it. Just saying that our current weather is 19*F with "feels like" at 10* and snow showers. 

Tomorrow, it turns to rain. Saturday it turns to sleet. Welcome, January. We went from -45* at the beginning of the week to Sunday's upcoming high of 40* - ABOVE zero, mind you. Darn nearly spring weather...

So now that 2014 is here, let's get back to the interesting stuff. Not that food, reading and knitting are NOT interesting, but I did take a slight holiday break from "The Insanity." Let's have some discussion, though. It's time.

Women...

From a study done by a Harvard economist which indicated that flexible hours would lessen the gender pay gap to those good ol' boy Republicans who want to legislate women back into servitude. We're head-slappingly going back to fight fights we oughtn't have to fight in this century. 

In the Chicago Tribune the other day, Professor Claudia Goldin (gasp! a WOMAN!) states that gender salary differentials "would be considerably reduced and might vanish altogether if firms did not have an incentive to disproportionately reward individuals who labord long hours and worked particular hours." 

Translation: How come women 25 - 69 years of age, working full time, still make 77% of what men earn? She says that the pay gap in industries with more flexible work schedules (science, technology, health) is smaller than that of other industries with more rigid workdays (those professions include financial and legal professions). 

"Quite simply, the gap exists because hours of work in many occupations are worth more when given at particular moments and when the hours are more continuous," says her study. Here's her solution to closing that gender pay gap: workers must get more autonomy in determining their schedules. Read the entire article here. 

I'm 55. I have worked in office settings where I had to be at a certain place at a certain time. I actually had to pay my kid's Catholic school a fee every month because I was unable to do my monthly "lunch monitor" work. Well, because I had to WORK to pay the tuition. Plus, of course, the fee for not being able to volunteer because I had to work. 

Can you see where this argument goes? Now, I have my MA and my MBA and I work a more flexible schedule. But there are still so many women stuck in "pink collar" jobs - and whether they're stuck by training or inclination, they're still stuck. And I'm not saying that we don't need those kinds of jobs. We do. 

Crap - ANY jobs now are good ones! 

That being said, why must it only be the women who've been able to break the mold of traditional office jobs who can take advantage of that lesser pay gap? Frankly, it's the ones stuck in the cube farm or in other work where the day is fairly regimented who really need the smaller pay gap. 

But of course, we're talking about women. Who, even though they are in large part major contributors to their family's incomes, are still considered "less than" by employers. Men still get more than women, for doing the same job. 

It is 2014, right? 

Of course, with jobs at a premium here in the US anyway, I suppose I shouldn't carp on it, but it bugs me that the fights that were fought in the 70s and 80s are now either being re-fought or aren't won yet. How long will this take?

Sooooooooooo... The Republicans are trying again to legislate birth control and abortion, battles we thought we'd already dealt with. Because, you know, nothing else is going on. 

But there's good news on the ACA front: Breast cancer prevention drugs must be covered. See this link and rejoice! Now, if we can get more research money toward lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer, we'd be golden. 

Yesterday on Make it Plain, I heard Dahlia Lithwick talk about Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor and her rather interesting decision regarding the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order with one of many ACA "I don't want your birth control mandate" lawsuits. The issue appears to be a release form. 

Here's how it goes. You object to the ACA mandate. Okey-dokey. Do you fit into one of the categories that qualify? Yes. Okey-dokey. Please sign this form. 

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, says Little Sisters. If WE sign this form then it means SOMEONE ELSE has to give our employees birth control. And we object to THAT. Their ability to give our employees birth control violates OUR religious views. Here's the story. 

Now just hang on a pea-picking moment here, good Sisters. My take on this is thus: It's none of your business what I do. If you object to providing birth control, peachy. Object. Sign the form. Move on. 

But no. You have to force YOUR religion down ANYONE else's throat. That makes no sense. Well, maybe a warped manner of sense. 

So if I object to the war (Doesn't matter which one. Pick one.) and I register that objection, then that's the end of the argument. I don't get to object to anyone else's stand in the issue. Because that slope is more slippery than an Illinois freeway right now. 

That would cause whole segments of commerce and society to collapse. 

Oh, and it would likely cause the ACA to collapse. Regardless of the good the ACA does (see the cancer drug mentioned above), regardless of the countless people it'll help. "Ye Gods and Little Fishes, we WILL NOT HAVE BIRTH CONTROL." (stomp your foot here)

Just because the Little Sisters (or insert your favorite religion here) have that belief does not entitle them to push that on anyone else. Because that, my children, is then called a theocracy. 

And let me remind you of the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli. See the first sentence? This treaty was written under the presidency of George Washington and signed under the presidency of John Adams. 

"As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion..." 

While every one of the Founding Fathers were "religious" - they were most often "deist" - they believed in a God, but nowhere is that God mentioned in the CONSTITUTION, which is our governing document. The Declaration of Independence, a lovely document, is not a governing document. Big difference. 

Fewer Republicans...

I liken this to slavery or indentured servitude. A small percentage of the people decide that they know what religion is best. And the rest of us are forced to go along with it. Remember the old movies? What the master of the house believed, everyone had to conform with. When he prayed, the servants prayed. When the plantation owner prayed, his slaves prayed. What he believed, they believed. 

Because that's what will happen if we keep to the current trend of legislating freedoms. 

Sr. Joan Speaks

How come it's "legislating freedoms" when they do it to those of us with ovaries and a uterus, but when it comes to guns it's all "restricting my rights"? 

How come y'all are "all about the fetus" but, making Sr. Joan Chittister's point, you all could give a lamb's left leg about the baby AFTER it gets here. In fact, not only that, but you slut-shame the mothers of said children as if the fathers had no earthly responsibility toward the child now living in this world surrounded by your condescending hatred of its very existence. Because it's a CHILD now, not a fetus. As if one has more value than the other. 

According to a recent Gallup poll, "record numbers" are registering as Independents. Not Republicans. Actually, the number of registered Republicans seems to be declining. Hey, when you have to have sensitivity training to deal with over 50% of the population (and that's only the gender split, not counting racial lines), then you have problems, kids. 

Now, if the Democrats could get as good of a message-making machine, we'd be golden. As an example, we have the redoubtable Chris Christie...Bridge-gate. But on Fox, nary a whisper. What Christie scandal? 

We Democrats/Progressives should have such a news network. Though we're not really into suspending belief in the face of evidence...that could be a problem. 

Polar Vortex...

Speaking of flying in the face of evidence, there's the "isn't he dead yet?" Pat Robertson claiming that global warming must be a hoax because there are no SUVs on Jupiter.

Ok. And pickles have feathers. 

Because that sentence makes as much sense as Robertson's statement. And for good measure, Hannity, Limpblow, Trump, and the rest of FakesNews chimed right in. 

"There IS NO GLOBAL WARMING because it's cold."

Ok, guys, here's the thing. GLOBAL. That means the ENTIRE world, not just the silly little bubble you seem to inhabit. See, Australia (Remember, that's on the OTHER side of the Earth) is having summer now. That's how it works. The seasons rotate and while WE have winter here in this hemisphere (follow along, it's not hard), the OTHER hemispheres have other seasons, so Australia, in its hemisphere - the SOUTHERN hemisphere - is having SUMMER. 

And they're baking. Record high temps. Heat wave. Massive problems with heat, including wildfires, bats dropping out of the trees and destruction of homes and property. That's why it's called GLOBAL warming. Because the temperatures all across the GLOBE are changing, too rapidly, and because of us stupid humans. 

So while I'm sitting here watching the snow fall in Illinois, Queensland is having a raging fire. Because of the heat wave. 

Because of global warming. 

If you're interested, here's a story on the polar vortex. 

Religion...

As if we weren't already bashing enough, right? Well, look at this video and just let the chills go up and down your arms. Scientology. Religion for profit. Urgh. 

Again, hearkening back to the news lately, it seems like we're on a crusade. Or I should say a Crusade. 

Now I'm the first one to say that, since the dawn of "reality TV" (an oxymoron of massive proportions) society and civility have been going down the flusher. But I don't think a massive swing back to "Puritania" will cure this. 

Common sense will. But as the sage said, "Common sense... isn't."

Knitting...

No pictures. Just a note that my mom likes the Nephew Afghan. I saw the bridal registry. Sorry, but I'm sticking to my own gifts: the afghan, and then I got them a convertible punch bowl/cake topper/dip thingie + a "First Christmas" ornament. Done and done. 

I'm cool with gift registries. But I'm a renegade. I'm the weird aunt who buys the kids books. Obscure books. Reading is cool. 

Oh, and I find I need to knit myself a hat. I've got a cloche pattern for a "fancy church hat" (just for fun, and I have the wool) and a really cute beanie style. I have hats; I just don't have the "right" hat and I have a ton of the grey/black/cream yarn left from the Charity Afghan. I may as well use it. 

I don't particularly care what my hats look like, because like I told Roberta from choir, I have very few (read: NONE) "cute" hats. They're all functional. 

So I've just searched something like 16 pages of "free knitting hat patterns" and I came up with several. Now to just get the time to knit one before spring...

Raisa...

Raisa, f/k/a "Dolly"

We had the home visit. It went fine, for the most part. There were a few stumbles. Like when the volunteer brings Raisa up the front porch and Quinn goes ballistic. Dude... it's HER territory. We should have met down the street. 

Or when, as the dogs were licking faces (and I'm talking Raisa licking the faces of Tippi and Quinn, just like a puppy does) and the volunteer kept sticking his hand between them. Great way to lose a finger or encourage a bite. 

Ok, there's "puppy licking" and the "stare and flick." The "stare and flick" you really want to avoid, because that's the precursor to trouble. With a capital "T" - which we didn't want. But Puppy Licking is submissive behavior. I learned a lot because after we were done, I contacted a friend in England with masses of years of dog experience, and a friend in TN who not only fostered, but bred, and also had years/decades of experience in huskies, elkies, wolf hybrids, you name it. And I talked with our trainer. To a person, each said, "Pfffffffth - he didn't really know what he was talking about." However, our trainer did say that perhaps he had a placement go really wrong, so he was overreacting to what was going on in our house. 

So Tippi responded quite well to Raisa. Then she became oblivious, which is a good sign. Quinn took a while, and it would've been easier if the volunteer hadn't gone all "Cesar" on us and talked about being "the alpha in the room." 

Really? It's MY house. Thanks. Aside from the fact that Kid #2 was there, and Hubby, let's face it; I'm really the alpha female in this household. Either way, the kids grew up with northern breeds and this isn't exactly Hubby's first rodeo either. 

Nonetheless, we are approved!! Raisa comes on the 18th of January. Puppy all over again. As you can see, she not only found the couch, but found the grunting hedgehog. We have the crate ordered; along with a pad for it. I have spare toys, Kong bones and dishes. We're all set except for the first few sleepless nights. 

And realistically, she's our last puppy. I'm in my mid-50s and perhaps at some point, I'll retire. We will have 3 dogs. And when Kid #2 moves out, we more or less lose our in-home dog-watching service. Though he's already said that he's kidnapping -- errrrr - DOGnaping Raisa. "After all, you have THREE and you're only supposed to have TWO." Um, dear child - we will count paws when you leave. 

Anyway, you have to add up the vet costs; the fact that you have to train each of them; the fact that you can't exactly up and take off for a trip. Of course, after everyone's housebroken and trained, we can take them with us, or leave them home longer. But you still have to think about things. Particularly since neither Huskies nor Elkhounds are small dogs. 

Random Picture...

Eskimo Snow

I used to do a lot of counted cross stitch. A lot. Masses. Of course, I still have a cache of WIPs in that media as well. You guessed that, though, didn't you?? Anyway, here's one of the pics in the hallway. I love it. I used a glossy floss on the snowman and I only outlined him. I mean, the fabric is white, so why stitch it over? I don't remember its exact title. But the frame is a lovely denim-dark-blue and it's on the Wall of Fame. One of these days, I have to get a long shot of that. When we repainted, I had hubby gather up all the stuff I'd done and put it all up there. May as well display it, right?

I should put up my Curtis Boehringer snowman for January. I also have one for February, but March is sitting in the cross stitch frame waiting on me. We won't go into the WIPs for counted cross stitch right now. 

It would make me want to retire. Well, a lot of things make me want to retire...