The Magic Words

So, this past weekend (that of the 24th to the 25th), Nick and I went to Geneva for a little getaway. I planned the whole thing without telling him where we were going, where we'd be staying... only that we would be going away for a night. Orginally I wanted to stay at a cozy little bed and breakfast with lots of hiking trails and scenery, but holy crap on toast -- those cute little B&Bs cost upwards of $200 a night. Even in off-peak, non-tourist season. Curse them. We ended up staying at a very nice (and well within our price range) chain hotel in Geneva, with a lovely room, and only a short drive up the river to the downtown area.

Some of you who know the area might think that I planned this getaway in this particular location because of a particular store in the downtown area. I did no such thing. My only consideration was that Geneva is close to DeKalb (about 30 minutes' drive) and picturesque (of course I don't have any actual picturesque pictures because the camera has entered its Dada phase, the stupid bastard, and refused to take pictures of anything). My plans had nothing at all to do with shopping.

Right. Yes. So, Nick was all surprised and happy when we got to the hotel and saw our room (it was very nice), and then I gave him his gift (sorry for the stock photo, blame the Dada camera). His eyes got all big and he looked kind of sad and said "Honey, I didn't get you anything, I'm sorry."

And in the same breath he uttered the magic words:

"We can go to the yarn store tomorrow."

And we did, and my husband bought me Koigu for our ten-year dating anniversary.


He helped me choose the color (I love when he has input on my knitting!). I had it down to three different colorways, and he liked this one (after I explained that lots of colors are fun on socks -- he's a solid color kind of guy).


And in case you were wondering, the skeins are sitting on this book, with which I am in serous lurve



This Just In: This arrived as I was typing up this post!


Hooray! The book is here! I'm going to see her on Tuesday and I have the book! Hooray!

O Frabjous Day!

I'm knitting again!

The chiropractic problem with my wrists/shoulders has been solved, and I'm knitting!


This is one side of the to-be-felted-tote. It is garter stitch and a little boring, but I love it! Because I can knit!


This is the side of the bag with the pocket sitting on top. I think the log cabin deal is going to look very cute, and will dress up the whole thing a bit.


These are the two ends of the rectangle. I'm knitting (!!!) them at the same time for speed and consistency (because garter stitch is so very difficult...?).


These are the next pair of socks that I mentioned having cast on. They are the same pattern (.pdf!) I used with my first pair of socks, except I'm working over 64 sts and I've put -- what else? -- a 2x2 ribbing on the instep which will continue up the leg.


The yarn is Socks That Rock Fred Flintstone, purchased at Stitches Midwest last summer. I showed these socks to Heather the other day and she got all googly-eyed and demanded to know what kind of yarn that was so that she could buy some and make it her own THISVERYMINTUE! I told her and then she looked a little sheepish. "Oh," she said, "I have that in my stash at home." Snerk.

And today is frabjous for another reason. Ten years ago today Nick asked me to be his girlfriend. Ten years. TEN YEARS. I stand gobsmacked. And more goofishly in love than ever. Woohoo!

The No-Knitting Content part of my Knitting Blog

I just realized that the last four posts of mine have been entirely without photos. That's boring. Really boring. So, to revitalize this blog, I give you pictures of what I've been up to during my non-knitting time.

1. I haven't had these since fourth grade





I now have bangs.

(I was going to talk only about this new haircut and title this post "She Bangs" [because for some reason Ricky Martin songs are burned into my brain and nothing NOTHING! can remove them] but I didn't want the really creepy perverts finding this site. I'm only comfortable with the sort-of-weird.)

The last time I had bangs was the fourth grade. I would get bored in class and just stare at my hair, which screwed up my vision, and which resulted in my not having bangs ever again (and also in my getting glasses in sixth grade, the end result of which are my new glasses visible in these fine photographs).

I got the rest of my hair cut, too, but I'm still not sure how I like it. The very enthusiastic stylist suggested layers, and I wanted a change so layers sounded really good. Then she took off so much hair that I feel dangerously close to mullet territory. THEN! she blow dried it all poofy and put more hairspray in it than I use in an entire year, and I looked like a lion. A lion, people. I've been wearing my hair up ever since.

2. What does a vegan have on her pizza?

We made pizza on Sunday night, using the following ingredients...


black beans...


diced cooked potato...


sauteed/carmelized onions (so tasty!)...


fresh mushrooms...


green olives (for which I have a mad passion)...


avocado (which we peeled and diced, of course)...


and fake mozzerella cheese, from Vegan Gourmet.

And pizza crust, and pizza sauce. And it all turned out amazing and tasty and good, but I didn't get a picture of the finished product because I was hungry like the wolf and ate it all up before I even thought of the camera. Best pizza I've had in a long time.

3. When you can't stitch, plan your next project!

Or your next project after the fifty in line ahead of this one.

There's this long story behind the pictures I'm going to show you, but as I want this post to be more about the pictures and less about me rambling on and on about some crazy story, I give you the pictures.


This is Nine-Patch Number One...


...and this is Nine-Patch Number Two.

I started making these squares about three years ago, thinking that I'd make Nick an afghan (a visible and warming manifestation of my love). Turns out these squares are pretty small (7 inches across). I've made 20 of the buggers, and I'm not making any more. My current plan is to (1) Weave in the ends, (2) Crochet them together, (3) Somehow make one afghan out of two giant squares. I think I'm going to crochet a border around the nine-patches, then attach the two and make that the central panel of the blanket, then work some basic stitch on the sides.

Easy as pie, right? I'll get to it right after I finish everything else.

It will make a great 15-year anniversary present.

Laughter makes the cramps go away

Dude, go here.

And know that though I am not posting about knitting (again), I have a doctor's note to hide behind. I've been told to lay off the knitting for a little while, because it's screwing with my wrists, shoulders, neck, the state of the spotted owl, and the weather.

Apparently knitting is that powerful. (Although I suspect my physical issues have more to do with my sitting in front of a computer for 40 hours a week, it's difficult right now to say I can't work, and easier to set aside the non-income part of my daily life. If "easier" means "more financially sound," and it does right now.)

So please, bear with me as I post very little about yarn and the looping of it over the next few days. I hope to get back to it soon. Before I really start getting cranky.

I am nothing if not complex

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Countess-Palatine Katherine the Complex of Yockenthwait Walden Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

(unabashedly stolen from Kate)

Today's post brought to you by the blogging trifecta of Laziness, Nothing Interesting On the Needles, and The Wretched Time Change.

I know the time change was on Sunday (ages ago in blog years), but it's still screwing with me. The later nights this early in the year ... it's nice, but it's making me a little nutty. The light in the sky says it's early, but the clock says it's late. I'm already not-very-punctual, and this isn't helping.

The weather is lovely, though. Apparently it's 69 degrees F right now. March 13th, everyone, and we're pushing 70 degrees. Of course, it will return to its usual weather devilry this weekend when we have a high of 35 on Saturday.

I am really just defining the word "lame" here aren't I? I'm using my blog to talk about the weather. Ugh.

I really should get something interesting on the needles. Right now it's all garter stitch, working up that bag. Doesn't make for spectacular blog fodder the way home renovation, or a cute FO, or a stunning shawl, or a new job, or a baby (which can arguably be called a "cute FO" as well) all make for spectacular blog fodder. As I have no home to renovate, no fabulous job offers, and no immediate plans to reproduce, I guess I'll have to get on the knitting and finish the bag.

Was I also going to talk about Laziness? Meh...

It's Science, and you can't argue with Science.

Help a knitter out!

Eve of Needle Exchange needs some help with a project. She explains the situation (and the potential SOCK YARN prizes that await) in detail, giving extra points (more chances for SOCK YARN) for men who take the survey, and for women who recruit men who take the survey. So I'm off to register Mr HookOn and myself for SOCK YARN -- I mean, science.

A Miracle of Time Management

This is what it says on my latest KnitPicks order...

Order Number: ******
Order Date: 3/4/2007
Status: Shipped
Ship Date: 3/8/2007

Note the date of today's post. Note the ship date.

Now, maybe they have a time machine that makes it possible for the future (3/8/2007) to be in the past ("shipped") and if that's the case I want it, or maybe they're just doing some really good drugs. In which case I want those, too.

Some Observations

1. The weather has gone bat-shit crazy, as is usual here for March. Yesterday it rained all morning, got sunny and warm at lunchtime, then went grey and evil during the afternoon. Then it snowed all night with high winds (my apartment building? It sways in the wind. Yes.), and that seems to be the trend for today. Fantastic. But the weird-and-happy thing is, the wind that's blowing feels not as soul-crushingly cold as it has been. That long-awaited season (I'm not going to jinx it by saying its name) is coming!

2. I have purchased new yarn.

Cherry Tree Hill in Monet.


Fleece Artist in Moss.

I decree that this is not a falling off of the KFYS wagon. I have determined that casting on for a second pair of socks practically equals finishing a second pair of socks, the prerequisite for purchasing more sock yarn. Plus I wanted it. Plus the CTH has turned into a beautiful teal-green-based rainbow of a yarn cake. And the pretty pretty Moss is for a specific project (more on that later... it is marinating just now). So I am entirely justified. I mean it.

3. Our friends Mark and Amy are coming to town tonight! We haven't seen them since New Year's Eve: Hammerfist Style and I'm totally excited about it. Friends of ours are having their wedding reception tomorrow, and MarkAmy are staying with us and it's going to be awesome with the cooking together and the dressing up for the party and the hanging out. I've started the pre-preparation for the crockpot dinner I'm going to put together on my lunch hour, and dinner will be ready just after they get here, and all will be awesome. Awesome, I say!!

4. I have made progress on the to-be-felted tote.

I finished the base,


and cast on about thirty-seven times for the side. First it was too small. Then it was too big. Then it was way too big. Then it was too small. Now it is just right. Ugh. Garter stitch is a little sneaky stitch when it comes to how many stitches equal how many rows. This last time (the time that seems to be working, unless I have jinxed myself by saying that) I cast on 64 stitches, which is the number of ridges (2 rows of garter) I have in the base. I hope this is right.

5. My Mom's feet make sort of cracking/snapping sounds when she walks. It's not painful (I think) or problematic, her feet just do that. When I was little I could always tell when she was walking down the hall or up the stairs or wherever, just by hearing her feet snap. I never really thought about it until I moved out of the house and didn't hear it regularly anymore. This morning, as I got up early to chop vegetables, my feet made the snapping noise and I realized that my feet have been making that noise for a long time. I have my mother's feet. It made me all happy.

(I just don't have any good recent pictures of me and Mom, what with the camera being a twit, so I give you a picture from my wedding day)

Anyone else have any physical trait from your parents that makes you smiley and happy?