Sunday, August 27, 2006

My new Portabella Bag


that will be coming my way next week from Martha at Green Mountain Knitting Bags --- it is a thing of beauty? I can't wait to get it in my hot little hands. It is going to be so perfect for going to knitting circle. And she was able to do the Portabella, accessory bag and circular needle case in the same material as my original carpet bag. I am such a happy camper!!

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Since there is no knitting content


I thought I would make a few mouths water -- This is tonights dinner and tomorrows lunch. We will not discuss the cost ok? Or how much yarn it would have bought.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

socks 2 on 2...


socks 2 on 2...
Originally uploaded by rho1640.
I scanned these socks so one is squished differently than the other -- but this is the point where I have hit the wall -- and I am so tired that the more I look at them the more confused I become -- Geeze - you know you can do this -- and after it is done you will wonder how you were so confused --

Yes, I do talk to myself a LOT!!!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Maybe I need more coffee?

Saw this on gourdongirls blog and being the coffee addict that I am I HAD to take this test - and I got the same result as she did :D

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable

At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty

You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it

Your caffeine addiction level: high


On the sock front - I am at the part that makes me mutter -- did the heel and am picking up the stitches on the side - and since this is the first pair of socks done 2 at a time I am muttering -- I was going to say twice as much - but in reality it is more like 10 times as much. So I put it aside and will pick it up tomorrow at some point. I want to get it done before we go out to dinner tomorrow so I am past this point before knitting circle on Wed.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

what happens when you don't sleep

and your size 0 needles are whipping your butt so the sock progress is going sloooow ----you do little blog quizzes.

This was fun - Jo -- notice where I should be living LOL

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.


God I am so tired it is a chore to breathe -- I would kill for a cup of coffee but am afraid it would make me stay awake again tonight.

Friday, August 18, 2006

fun

and I think pretty close to me....

Your Element is Water

Your power colors: blue and aqua

Your energy: deep

Your season: winter

Like the ocean, you evoke deep feelings and passion.
You have an emotional, sensitive, and spiritual soul.
A bit mysterious, you tend to be quiet when you are working out a problem.
You need your alone time, so that you can think and dream.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

What a fun day







Well first off it has taken me 5 minutes to get Blogger to only put 2 pictures on instead of 4 of each picture so I am not going to play with the placement of the pictures or anything.

the first picture was during the talk - It is very similar to the picture on Jane's Blog because I handed her my camera and asked her to take the picture because I had heads in front of me. The Second picture is my socks Ala Yarn Harlot and her traveling sock photos.

Turns out my worry about working on my socks was for nothing - Ann was working on a sock when we got there.(Kitchenering the toe [geeze is that an actual word or did I just get on a roll with it] and trying it on when it was done. Then, later during the talk, I was reminded again that working on moody blues socks while wearing a denim blue dress is not something you should do -- so I put it down and just had a ball.

I cannot believe that there were 4 or 5 members of Knitters Review there. In our little town and at a knitting author talk - And one, Deborah, was all the way from Annapolis, MD. How fun is that. And I got to meet Kathy who I have only talked to online before.

I must must must do some of the Moss Grid hand towels from the book - I loved them in the book but in person yummmm -- I really really loved them. So I am on a search for the Euroflax needed for that.

And what fun -- when I introduced myself I said my name and then said rho1640 -- they both said at the same time "from comments" Now I will choose to believe they were happy to see me -- not that I am some crazed stalker type they can't forget hehehe

Now I took some allergy pills a little while ago and my brain seriously starting to fuzz up. So I will just finish with -- Buy the book, play with the projects - make them your own (they talked about how people were doing that on the Knit Along site and how they enjoyed it) And if you ever get a chance to go to one of their talks --- GO!!!!


And I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to link to other blogs - I had it figured out a few days ago but tonight it just didn't want to work for me.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

sock progress 2


I just started the heel flap on my socks - I am trying a few new things -how funny is that - it is all new to me LOL .... But I shortened the cuff because I kept wanting to pull up the other pair so I thought shorter might be better - and I went down a needle size for the heel and foot.

I faxed my info in for the Knitters Review Retreat - can't wait to hear if I got it in on time.

And I woke up this morning with no voice - I hope this is just a minor blip in the radar (and not a 6 month loss or the time it decides to be permanent) and it will be back tomorrow for the Mason-Dixon talk I really try not to let my lack of voice bother me when this happens but dang - I would like to talk to them and not be remembered as the one with the cross between Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop voice. Shoot..... So anyone who reads this send good voice thoughts out for me.

Plus we have a huge celebration coming up for the 125th anniversary of the Fire Department which means a big cocktail party and a beach party etc.- I HATE parties when my voice is gone - no one can hear me talk and they have trouble understanding the raspy whisper sound but you add the noise of a few hundred people in an building that bounces back all the sound and it is impossible.

And I have a baby shower earlier that same day and the workers picnic at the gun club the next day etc etc etc......damn and double damn.. Not to mention that when this happens DH has a valid reason to be wife deaf....

OK--going to think positive--my voice will be back by tonight at the latest........

edited later - voice is doing better - going in and out but maybe it will come back fully X = crossed fingers. . .

Saturday, August 12, 2006

In reference to Jo's comment

I figured I should clarify some things - I don't think anything about what we had in the freezer - I've had some varied food items in there over time - caribou, moose, bear, boar, elk, venison, halibut, salmon, tuna, bass, clams, scallops, buffalo, bluefish, flounder, fluke, ducks, geese, etc. Some things I was really glad to be finished with -- like the bear -- bleech (I never found a way to cook that that I liked - no matter how much spice I used). Most things were from DH's trips or our trips or from around here like the venison, or tuna, flounder, fluke, bluefish etc. some things were gifts from friends trips - like the elk this time or the boar in the past. And some was from a friend who had an abundance like the buffalo. The salmon and halibut we got in Alaska while we were visiting friends (I got the biggest halibut on the boat that day :D ) and they also sent us home with lots of Moose (roasts, hot dogs, sausage [made the best sausage and peppers ever from this] corned moose, steaks) as you can guess one moose makes for lots of everything - lots and lots of everything LOL. Also since our friend in Alaska is a pilot if we run out of things and he has a trip down here - we exchange things like moose, halibut, salmon that he got for things like fish, venison, lobster, corn and tomatoes we have down here. Makes for lots of fun meals...

When DH gets a deer we butcher it and process it at home - we have a commercial size meat grinder to make ground venison and to make some fantastic breakfast sausage from it. We also have a commercial size sausage stuffer that we have used to make kielbasa from venison. I want to try a summer sausage recipe sometime with that too. And when friends need to use the equipment they will bring over what ever they are doing and do it here and we get a nice visit out of it. We were lucky in having friends and family living on farms who gave us their equipment when they upgraded to newer and improved models.

We used to get a half a pig yearly from an uncle who had a farm and would bring it home and process it into smaller packages or a quarter of a cow etc. We love fishing and clamming and scalloping (but this year we haven't been out at all - boo) And I love cooking for us and for friends. We also have a smoker and enjoy playing with that.

This reminded me I owe a person on Knitters Review a recipe for Wasabi Glazed Salmon - I have to dig that recipe out and go over there and find that thread to send it to her.

it's actually cool enough to wear socks

my socks -- I am a happy camper today - I have a list a mile long but all I want to do is sit and knit on my socks today -- maybe I will use some flylady ideas and work 15 min then knit for a while (well, I'm being honest - it will be longer than the 15 minutes so why even say knit for 15 minutes) If I get six 15 minute projects in I will be thrilled.

Saw this on another blog and thought it was fun so.....

Bold the ones you have done:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it (Daily!)
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (this is on my list - in a friends hot tub with a drink preferably)
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg (a glacier but not an iceberg)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland -
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cd's
57. Pretended to be a superhero (hey it doesn't specify age)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (found out I much prefer behind the scenes things)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (both actually)
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (working on it - it is a final goal)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone (or 10)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (all 3 plus archery)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (doesn't say you have to like it)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (a few times - once as an expert how funny is that)
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (pretty much daily)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you (hope dh doesn't see this he will want me to get back to it - had a person who collected deKooning who wanted first refusal on my stuff)
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life


surprisingly there are only a few more things on there I haven't done that I would like to do ....

Friday, August 11, 2006

It has been one of THOSE weeks

everything from my previous post - added to a call to check on MIL who had no clue who I was - which was ok because she was calm and not raging or scared - and her caregiver didn't say there was any problems. Just upsetting .....

And last night I went to put something in the chest freezer in the basement (and the light was on on the freezer showing it was and had been working) .... you can all tell where this is going can't you.... YEP -- The freezer died - I guess during the brown outs we have had because of the heat wave (the compressor must have died since the light is still on)

At the time I was trying to get hubby off on his trip - he tried reaching into the freezer and the stitches in his leg started pulling - plus I was afraid he would drip yucky decay juice on his leg - so I sent out an emergency call to a friend who came over today and emptied the stinky mess and then I put a call in to the garbage company to pick up the containers - hopefully I will hear from them soon or I will have to figure a way to keep cats and racoons out of it tonight ... Well on my second call I had to play helpless woman to get the garbage company to come today instead of tomorrow - but it worked -- sometimes it is handy to be able to do that even when it isn't a part of your normal make-up....

One good thing-- thank God for foodsaver vacuum sealers -- the only things that had made the stink were 2 packages of stew meat and a boneless leg of lamb that weren't in foodsaver bags and the turkey and chickens that were in the bags they come in -- it could have been worse. So it is cleaned out -- Bleach poured into it and fans on in the basement to dissipate the odor and evaporate the bleach. And I am not going to cry over the lovely tuna and salmon and halibut and elk that are lost now - ---

Next week is Mason Dixon talk at the Historical Museum and I can't wait - things will be better because this was the 3rd thing right?? :D

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

2 socks on 2 circulars 8/8/06


2 socks on 2 circulars 8/8/06
Originally uploaded by rho1640.
My first attempt at this - I decided yesterday when my hands were sore from IVs (one hand had it and the other was a botched job) that I couldn't continue the Knit 2 Purl 2 cuff so I did about 10 more rows and now I am doing straight knitting for the rest of the cuffs.

Can we see a theme here with all the blue - yep it is my favorite color. The bag is a Green Mountain Knitting Bag -- isn't it beautiful.

Argh - just got a phone call from the fire department DH cut his leg on a hose coupling during a drill and is at the hospital getting stitches -- I told him not to go to the drill tonight and to work on the new pad he is putting on his gun for the big shoot he is scheduled to go to this weekend in Rhode Island - Now to see how bad it is. . . .

Men really should learn to listen to their wives shouldn't they?? LOL

Just got back - he has about 10 -12 stitches - the coupling wasn't on tight and when they charged the line it blew off and caught his shin - the area where there isn't any meat to hold it together. I think he will be a hurting puppy when the numbing wears off ....

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

From March


view from my front door
Originally uploaded by rho1640.
do you feel any cooler??

How does anyone even

think about knitting now - I can't even pick up my yarn to ball it up to cast on some socks-- It's 10 pm and and my house is still over 90 degrees I have 3 fans on me and spritzing myself with water and drinking so much water I should float -- We went shopping today and it was 101 without the heat index -- AND THEY SAY TOMORROW WILL BE WORSE ............ I'm melting, I'm melting --