Did you catch Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday? If not, YouTube has it...
Did you catch the Knit A Thon on Gilmore Girls Tuesday? Fantastic giant needles and balls of yarn...You could easily see who was a knitter and who wasn't...I'm pretty sure Lorelei had never knitted before...More swifts in one tv show than I've ever seen...
For y'all who don't have digital cable and can't watch Knitty Gritty, it'll start airing on HGTV (regular cable) on Dec 4 (Monday)...Start those TiVo's!!
I've got some pics to show ya'll, but winter has definitely arrived, so getting the shots will be interesting to say the least...I'm glad it feels like Christmas, but I'll be happier this weekend when its back up in the 60's...its 33 right now...the dog is stuck inside and bored...the cats keep her in her place...
It's been in the 80's for the past two weeks, rather balmy and somewhat hot and sweaty for this time of year, but all that's about to change...as you probably have either experienced first hand (did you see the snow on Monday Night Football in Seattle?) or have seen on the news, there's a massive cold front on its way South...we should see it tomorrow morning...which means I'll be creating a greenhouse in my kitchen today, bringing the roses and butterfly plants inside...I'm thinking of bringing the butterfly plants into the bathroom where its warmer and balmy and grabbing both butterflies so they don't freeze...I'll def bring in the chrysalis, he's easy to catch, but the ones in flight might be tougher...I need a butterfly net!
How is your Christmas shopping coming? I've bought a few things..technically I'm done, but I keep finding stuff to order online and ship to the house...We've talked about putting up decorations and a tree, but we need to make some room..needless to say, not all the boxes are unpacked and our living room is stuffed with furniture that we aren't sure where to put...this is a small house with small rooms, which I actually like but it feels kinda cramped at the moment...we have no room for a tree, and now we'll have a greenhouse in the kitchen...I love living in the country...
Sounds like a British romance novel, doesn't it? I just checked on them outside and sure enough, they are still flitting about the plants...good to see them again...and the chrysalis is still cooking...its a dark overcast day, although 70 and not cold...I hope they spend the day and then head on down south...
I have a friend coming over to give us recommendations for our yard...she can tell us what to do, where to plant, what to plant and how to work this new soil we are so unfamiliar with...That'll be fun...
I shipped most everything yesterday, there are a few things still lingering that I'll be shipping today...and then I'll have some new beads for ya'll...I've been thinking of new color combos, and of course they are turning darker and more grey as the days go that way...wintery colors...
I've been knitting little catnip toys from the WendyKnits book...very simple...I looked for a pattern on her site, and found the more complicated one, but I'm doing the simple one cause I don't want to think too hard while knitting...CO 30...knit 6 rows...K2Tog, K to end of row...Keep going until 4 st remain...BO and leave long tail...seam up long row, turn inside out, fill w/ catnip and sew up...give to kitty and watch bedlam ensue...Clementine is beating it up downstairs right now, and everyone has had a chance to beat it up a little...I've decided to make these thru the year and donate them to the Humane Society...I bought loads of kitty and dog toys and we donated them at Our Favorite Nursery on Sunday...little squeek toys, bells, catnip, chew bones...We can't adopt all the kitties and puppies, but I hope we can give them something fun to play with and go home with once they are adopted...
We....are....sore....ugh...We decided it was time to start work on our front yard, so over the weekend we bought a new tiller (Thanks Santa!) and two truckfulls of compost...Yesterday we tilled up half the front yard and we are obviously out of shape...Brian swung the mattock to loosen the dirt, I had mowed down the weeds/grass as far as I could and then we took after it with the extremely loud tiller...The good news is that half the yard is turned and it feels fantastic...it was so easy to loosen the dirt up, so different than our clay/concrete dirt at the old house...The rest of this week I'll be adding compost to amend and turn it in...Plus we bought two new butterfly bushes and lantana and I'm ready to get it into the ground!
But I have to wait because there's a massive cold front barreling down from Canada and we're supposed to have a few days of freezing weather later this week...
So what was it that I found? While sitting on the front steps taking a break, I looked over into the flowers and found...Joe! Or one of Joe's small relatives...suspended from a piece of garden art, there he was in his gold and green glory, a monarch cocoon quietly cooking away in the setting sun...I think Brian has pics of it, but I'm too sore to walk downstairs and get the memory card right now...maybe in a little bit...
And thanks to Kathy for the reminder - A Charlie Brown Christmas is on television TOMORROW night...Nov 28...which is way to early in the season for my taste, but whatever...
Oh, we thought we were being so covert by sneaking to the Pottery Barn outlet at midnight to do some shopping - but apparently most of Austin and San Antonio ALSO decided to go shopping at midnight..it was a madhouse! It took us 30 min just to exit the freeway and get into the outlet mall parking lot..and there were no parking spaces of course...by the time we got into the store it was 12:30 and packed w/ shoppers...as it turns out, there were no sofas or beds we wanted anyway, but still, I had to admit I thought there'd be like 10 of us there...ha...what a dork I am...obviously I do not know how to professionally shop for Christmas during these 'early bird' sales...We're not gonna make that mistake again, I can assure you...
I'll work a few extra weeks and pay full price to have furniture delivered instead...what a nightmare...We got home around 2:00 (the drive was a bit far, and in fog no less...)and so I'm a little groggy this morning...but I've got some cocoa puffs to perk me up and the UT/Aggie rivalry football game starts at 11:00am, so I'll be watching...and knitting...
I bound off the Ultra Mega-Mega Tote last night, and sewed up the bottom, and one gusset...I'll sew the other one this morning and then its off to the laundromat to felt it...probably not today, but I'll keep ya'll updated when its done..I need some leather handles, anyone have a good source for those?
We are doing OUR Christmas shopping today - buying a tiller for the garden...I doubt there will be many people pushing and shoving in the tiller section of the store, do you?
The Holiday Season officially kicks off today...We will be removing the compost from our truck, cause we're in the mood to start working in the yard...but the soil here needs some amending...I'm asking Santa for a tiller so I can dig the compost into the ground and grow many pretty butterfly plants...I hope Santa can find me in my new house w/ no chimney...Its a gorgeous day to be outside, 78 I think is the plan...Compared to my buddy Coleen who is suffering with -27C windchill..ah, my favorite Canadians and their crazy winter weather...You can't plant in ice..
Speaking of ice, the bird breast is thawing in the sink and we'll be eating after working in the yard...just like the pilgrims of old...well, not really but kinda...
We are contemplating doing a midnight run to the Pottery Barn outlet tonight - all furniture is 50% off and we need a new sofa...and king size bed...and probably other stuff (like chairs?)...but Brian typically goes to bed at 9:00 (he wakes up at 5:00am - insane), so I dunno if he'll be awake enough to want to go..I might have to sneak off by myself and drag home a new sofa...Santa would be pleased...
Oooo...Football is on...I just finished watching the Macy's parade...I like seeing the parade, cause it reminds me of the three Christmases we spent in NYC...snow, cold, wet, diamond district, Carnegie Deli...the holidays are groovy...Hope you're having a groovy day too...stay warm, knit a sweater and I'll see ya'll later...
Someone asked what I've been knitting lately, and it seems that its the same project I've been on forever...but it really hasn't been that long, it just SEEMS like it...I did get a catbed finished in the meantime and when the tote is done, I'm moving on to a pair of wrist warmers..nothing fancy, just something to use up a couple of cashmerino aran balls that I bought for leg warmers and decided that I don't need them and wouldn't wear them...I MIGHT wear wrist warmers, tho...mostly I like to knit totebags and bowls for now...call it a rut, but its a rut I'm happy with..and my ballwinder/swift is working out great...I love it...!
Do you watch CSI:Miami? Do you revel in the wonder that's Horatio Caine and his one liners? Do you live for David Caruso's sunglassed-head cocked- attitude? Then you'll enjoy this You Tube montage of one liners...pretty silly...
Looking forward to the next Harry Potter movie? Check out the new trailer here...
Do you believe Dwight Schrute to be the smartest Dunder Mifflin employee? Then read his enlightening blog and learn from the master...
Can you see why this actress is da bomb? She's my hero...
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on TONIGHT (Monday) at 7:00pm ABC..and no one told me...!!!
I can already tell that I will be updating on a hit-or-miss basis, cause I have a BUSY week lined up, as you probably do too with your turkey and family and the turkeys in your family...So if you don't see me here everyday, do not fret, just go shopping and don't forget the cranberries!
We did our Thanksgiving shopping yesterday...we are very commercial - boxed stuffing (but I LIKE it!), gravy in a jar (have you seen my lumpy gravy?), canned cranberries (the only way I'll eat them)...We've done the big bird (10lbs- big for 2 ppl) and had so many left overs that we felt guilty throwing it out...so we've downsized to just a turkey breast...no bones, no thawing in the sink for 6 hours, and this one has a cajun flavor (I accidentally picked up a cajun turkey, it sounds tasty, tho)...I like the colors on the Thanksgiving plate - burnt orange yams, green casserole, garnet cranberries, pale mashed potatoes - they are the palette of fall...
I'm almost done with my felted tote...I need to measure it, but its larger than Santa's toy sack, that's for certain...I've run out of 3 of the colors and was smart enough to reorder two of them, but alas, the White Oak color is done for now...so I'm adjusting the pattern (I created it, I can adjust it, right?) and making the top of the tote w/ more narrow stripes...its all a monge of mistakes and accidents, but I'm gonna love it, I know...its like your favorite jeans that have holes and paint smears and the pockets won't hold any change but you can't bear to get rid of them..I have a pair that has holes in it from when I smeared my hands on the butt of them, after taking a bead out of the electroforming ACID...guess what - acid burns jeans! d'oh...but I love them and they haven't been tossed..speaking of, I finally tossed the jean shorts I've been wearing for the past OVER 5 years...it was time...they were hurtin'...so they were quietly disposed of...and now I have not a single pair of shorts in my house... I know what I'll be doing this Spring..I live in shorts, I need more!!
I need to wash my car, and make some beads and do some laundry and pick up the dog bone bits so I quit stepping on them...its a gorgeous day here, I'm gonna go get after it...back later kiddos...
Can you name the movie that line comes from? Its a little customized, but you might recongize it...I'm growed up because I now have a yarn swift and ball winder attached to my table, and I've wound two who skeins of Manos yarn...look at me go...I never figured I'd need a swift or ball winder, but as I'm finding it harder to locate yarn locally that is in skein form (I love Lambs Pride Bulky, but I have to order it thru the mail) because our two little yarn shops (that are on opposite ends of the earth, but that's another story) carry mostly Cascade 220, which comes only in hank form...and in order to use it doubled, you need to pull from both ends of the skein..the best way to do that is to wind it...and thus, I now have a winder...I have a feeling that living in the country will mean that I have to be more self-sufficient...its not as easy as jumping in the car and zipping to the store for convenience...we are finding we have to schedule our weekend trips and Brian likes to take his lunch hour doing errands like picking up dog/cat food and getting light bulbs at Target...One thing is for sure - it keeps us from doing any kind of impulse shopping...which isn't so bad, really..
So today we're heading to World Market to pick up some wicker baskets so I can start taking stuff outta packing boxes and store them in 'nice looking' recepticles...And of course IKEA just opened on the 15th, but we have a sneaking suspicion that it'll be PACKED there today, so we are not even venturing anywhere NEAR that store...but I could easily see some nice IKEA shelving upstairs for me to store my goodies...I knew I would miss my old studio for so many reasons, storage being a big one...
I'm also gonna try to find a tupperware cake holder at a local thrift store so that I can use it to block the catbed...the cats have been sleeping on it anyway, they don't care...and my tote is very slow going of late because the cats (Clementine mainly) insist on snuggling on it while I'm trying to knit...she will crawl in my lap, and yell at me, if I don't pet her...and then she forces her little head onto my hands to make me pet her...its rather hilarious...a teeny furry kitty who's trying to force you to pet her - I crack up just thinking about it...
11:25 - Ok, I'm ready to go...just under the wire...
11:00 - I'm adding the descriptions and buttons right now...so look for beads sometime before 11:30 CST...see ya'll then...
Who sang that song? Points if you know...- Good Job Tara, for admitting that you Googled the answer...its hard to post trivia questions w/ Google out there, but I appreciate your honesty!! you rule...
Beads are cleaned and strung...they look nice...i want to keep them for myself..what else is new...I've got to setup our patio table and umbrella to take the pics, they blew over when wind gusts were 45mph in our backyard...crazy day..thank goodness its overwith and its calm, sunny and cold out today...I might have to go in the front yard where the sun is to shoot these pics, just to stay warm...I'm such a wuss, I know...back later, babies...
BEADS ALERT: There are beads cookin' in the kiln and beads ready to be photographed...but I have a 9:00am appt Fri morning, so I won't be posting beads until I get back...I'll letchanow when to expect them, but I didn't want you doing the 'refresh game' all morning in anticipation...see ya'll tomorrow with some fresh skididdle...
Good news on the tumbler front...Brian found the tumbler motor last night, in a box that I had previously opened but not gone thru recently...so I quickly tumbled a load of silver, old and new...and it works great...now all I have to do is uncover the bead release...my philosophy is - if you can't find it, buy another one and when it shows up, you have two! It works for light bulbs and batteries, but since this bead release lasts so long, another tub would take me thru 2011...maybe I'll just keep looking...
More good news - I'm very happy with the beads I made yesterday, and have plans for more today...Its nice when I have a plan and can work from it...the making of the beads isn't the problem the inspiration for a groovy style is...I hope ya'll like them too...
I'm having trouble finding a good place for the cat food where the dog won't eat it..every time I turn around, the dog has emptied the cat food bowl...its not that she's hungry, she has food, but cat food tastes better than dog food (I guess)...So now I've got a bowl in my studio and a bowl upstairs...she hasn't come up the stairs since we moved in (they are hard wood and a bit narrow) so I don't expect her to come up anytime soon...and look, there's Abby eating from the bowl already...I think this might just work..
It was massively windy yesterday, 40 and 50mph gusts...our umbrella and table were knocked over and are scattered in the yard...I have some work to do before I can shoot any pics...power was out in Austin yesterday, our power blinked a few times, but we never lost it...I'm grateful for that...
Good Job to Emmit for winning the dance contest...I don't watch the show, but knew he was competing and hoped he'd do well...Fancy shoes!
Its just as well, its very windy today and there's dust and sand being blown all over town...its like the Wizard of Oz...in fact, I just made friends with a little scraggy Jack Russell-mutt dog who was so happy to see me...he is the fastest dog I've ever seen...amazingly fast...but he had a collar and tags, so I know he belongs to someone...its funny living in the country, you never know who or what its gonna drop by...did I mention there's a little white kitten in the area...i saw him/her last week, but not since...
Yesterday was VERY productive - for my unpacking..I spent hours upstairs going thru boxes and finding all sorts of goodies...i'm still missing my bead release and tumbler motor, but I found lots of bead presses, frits, beads, jewelry, silver, books and junk...i'm telling ya, having that television upstairs is the best! I'll keep looking for the stuff I'm missing, tho...I know it'll turn up eventually...
I finished the Kitty Pi cat bed last night, now it just needs to be felted...I think I need to make another, but not until I get my tote done and a few other totes too...I visited this NoniBag site yesterday...I had no idea the artist was living here in Austin...one of the two yarn shops we visited the other day said they stitched her pieces while she was designing them, but I didn't know she was local! I like her new Fall 2006 collection and want to do a Lattice bag and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Adventure bags...I must do one of those!...I have the Felted Carpet Bag pattern from 2005, but haven't decided what colors to use for it just yet...
Time to take a break before getting down to work...I watched Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars and Nip/Tuck last night - a great night of tv, but not so productive for beads...must...get...to...work...!
I'm still fascinated with the DIY show called "B. Original"...Today she's taking apart computer keyboards and motherboards to create jewelry...gah...I'm getting used to her very strong Iowa Midwestern accent...RAAAcks...
Ikea is opening a store in Central Texas in the next day or two...the news was showing footage of people sleeping outside (in tents and sleeping bags)waiting for the store to open...very interesting...
Brian spent two weeks outside a movie theatre waiting for Star Wars to open, but I guess waiting for an Ikea to open seems so weird...is that the new thing to do? Bennigan's is opening, lets camp out!...Target is opening, grab the sleeping bags!...I get that Ikea is cool, but who sleeps outside it? Rock on dudes...
I'm working on beads, I'm not sure how I feel about the ones I made yesterday...I'm gonna keep working, lets shoot for Friday as a release date...Come get beads on Friday...that'll give me a chance to get some good ones made, and figure what to do with anything that I'm unhappy with...the bad bead jar is hungry...
I'm tickled with the way the studio is cleaning up...there's still a way to go, but I have a little more breathing room in there...I still need some storage and horizontal storage - like shelving or a dining room buffet with lots of drawers and doors...I think I want to paint the place before I start hanging shelves on the walls...in the meantime, I'm gonna just haul stuff upstairs until I can find a place for it...I never did find my tumbler motor this weekend, but I'll keep looking...
I did work on my felted tote, but am now waiting for some replacement yarn in the mail before I can keep going...so i picked up the cat bed that I started and worked on that while watching Prime Suspect 7...Love Helen Mirren...I need to go see "The Queen"...
Speaking of, we did make it to Borat yesterday and it was rather hilarious...although, let me just say - if you are easily offended, I cannot recommend this movie to you...I like South Park, Bill Hicks and am not offended by much...its not Napoleon Dynamite that's for sure...buyer beware...
Today is one of those days that we both feel like working around the house...we should be working outside, but before we can plant anything, we need to excavate some of the soil and haul in a bunch of compost to amend...and we haven't done that yet...so no planting for now...But on the plus side, Brian has hauled a big tv upstairs and hooked it up to the cable, so I can watch tv upstairs now...which will keep me up here instead of trying to do everything in my tiny studio downstairs...its so full, its starting to bow at the seams...there's plenty of room upstairs, I just needed some companionship while I work up here and now I have it...the kitties are nice, but they don't say much...I'm watching college football right now, while unpacking boxes and hauling stuff back upstairs...groovy..
I worked on some of my silver yesterday, but I need to find my tumbler motor so that I can tumble it all...I'm not sure where it is, tho...which makes digging for it somewhat futile...but I'll keep going thru the boxes and hopefully I'll run across it...
I like my spaces to be organized or at least neat...hopefully getting the studio in order will make me want to spend more time in it and get beads made...I feel like I haven't been on the torch in ages...I did go get propane the other day, as my cannister had finally given out...I've got 3 full cans ready to go, which should hold me for the next year...
Sure enough, the caterpillars have devoured all the leaves and flowers from the plants...I found only 3 of the 8 yesterday, crawling, searching for new food...I don't know what else these guys eat, so I hope those big enough have started to cocoon and the others figure something out...Poor Joe...
I just got out of a steaming hot bubbling tub and I feel great...like a big boiled chicken...all rubbery and boneless...I can't stand up straight...
Speaking of heat (and I imagine you get tired of this, but here I go) - its supposed to be 91 here today...Australia Winter, no doubt...thankfully a cool front is on its way, but today will feel like June...it is still November, right? At least the caterpillars will enjoy it...I shoulda snapped a photo yesterday - there were 4 of the dudes all huddled around a flowertop, munching hungrily...I imagine the flowertop is no more...I can't wait to go outside and see what destruction they've done...I'm not worried about the plant, it gets cut back to the ground in a few weeks anyway, and will come back stronger than ever next Spring...they're just fattening up before their flight to Mexico...I hope Joe is still out there..one of them gave up and climbed onto the garden art 'bee' that is hovering over them...I think he needed a nap...
I have 8 new friends...discovered them over the weekend...our little milkweed plants have been populated with eight (8!) fat monarch caterpillars!!! We are so psyched...I took pics of them this weekend, and accidentally erased the pics...duh...so I'll go shoot some this morning...Its in the 80's here, so they aren't in any danger of freezing (sweating to death, maybe)...and they are bigger than they were on Saturday...I only hope that they start to change into chyrsallis soon because there isn't much food for 8 growing caterpillars on these two little milkweed plants...8 caterpillars! I can't WAIT till they start changing....!
HA! I just looked at the pics of the house, and there IS a bathroom in it...why doesn't it say so on the description? Are they ashamed? Whew...I'm glad to see they aren't the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family...
I enjoy looking at homes for sale..there are plenty that are really cute and reasonably priced...i found this one this morning and it says "3 bedroom, 0 bath"...I thought it was a misprint, but sure enough - there is no bathroom in this house...granted, its in the countryside, but dont you need bathrooms in the country? Is there an outhouse? Do you just go to the neighbors, or the SacNPac? How much is it to install indoor plumbing in a house? Can't be cheap...There are a few houses in our little town that are reasonably priced - but have no central heat or a/c...in Texas..no a/c...but I do think they have bathrooms...
I made some groovy beads last night, just a few...I need to clean/string them...they were inspired by a felted tote pattern I bought...now that its light outside I can put the dog out and get to work...back shortly...(its early, i know)...
Did your favorite candidate make it into office? I did my voting and got on with my life...a new pair of glasses with glare-free lens...ooo, very hoity...and I setup my bluetooth earpiece and actually made a phone call that worked! shocking...I am really digging this new phone, it is sweet...even if my friend does shrug it off and say negative things about it...how nice...but I don't let it bother me, I am still happy with it...
I see the dog in the backyard, she's relocating, looking for the sunbeams to sleep in...she doesn't have much fur to keep her warm, so she needs some sun to stay warm...although it is 60 outside, not exactly chilly...
I bought some new clothes yesterday, and realized it had been about 18 months since I've been shopping...but I needed some jeans, since I burned holes in my last pair from the acid I use when electroforming...I'm all about wiping my hands on my jeans - that's why I wear them! They withstand anything! except acid, apparently...so I bought a new pair...and some long sleeve shirts and even some Crocs sandals that were made for the University here...they are orange and have the UT Longhorn symbol on them...from what the sales dude told me (and he's a sales dude, so I am somewhat skeptical), he said the Crocs people have never made any shoes for any universities except for the Longhorns - only because the owner of Dillard's dept store (Mr. Dillard?) when to school here and told the Croc owner to make him some shoes...the Croc guy said 'no, we don't do that' and when Mr. Dillard gave him his business card (do multi-millionaire company owners even HAVE business cards? Donald Trump has a business card?), the Croc dude went 'oh, ok, you'll buy a bunch of these, I'll make you some'...regardless of whether its true or not, I have a pair of orange UT croc sandals and they are pretty funkalicious...And I guess the Crocs folks thought it was a good idea - cause there will be 50 universities represented starting in 2007...cool!!
wow was I wrong!!! there were 30 ppl there and it took me 20 min but I voted and now I'm sportin my sticker smugly...heh...
I've got to go vote in this little town - you know there might be 2 or even 3 people in line ahead of me! good grief...
Time for some new glasses...Why is it that you don't think you're getting worse until you go get your eyes tested and find you can't see what you used to...I can see up close just fine, but my distance -not so much...especially at night...so I'm lookin' forward to the new orange and purple specs...I asked them to set them aside last week and with my luck they won't be able to find them when I get there...I'm expecting it...
I'm in talks w/ Germany for another class next year...we're hammering out dates and such...and this time I better not get any strange bugs...I'm not worried, tho, I look forward to going back...it was a fantastic time in Sept...
Summer is back, its in the 80's the next few days...I hope it gets cool again, or it won't feel much like Christmas...its not fun shopping for Christmas in the heat, although I try to pretend I'm in Australia when that happens and it makes it a little nicer...Last year we were planting roses on Christmas day...its a crazy world out there...
Jello Pudding Trifle -
1 Sara Lee Pound cake (thawed)
1 box of Jello Chocolate Pudding (instant)
1 container of Cool Whip
1 can Cherry Pie Filling
slivered almonds (optional)
Prepare the pudding according to package...Cut pound cake into cubes and plop into trifle bowl first...add prepared pudding on top...add layer of pie filling next, and cover with Cool Whip...add almonds on top and make a mess when serving...I have one in my fridge chilling at the moment...tasty and delicious...
Hey yeah, I actually have some beads...amazing, I know...you think all I do is garden and knit, but that's not true...I still make beads, i do...really...my kiln is heating up right now and today I'm making more beads..amazing...don't everyone gasp at once...
The radio guys are talking about BBQ...mmm...I'm hungry...its too early to eat BBQ...I rarely eat BBQ...even here in Texas, but its just not my thing...meat meat and more meat...I like the sides...potato salad, bread, pickles, jalapenos, banana pudding, mac and cheese...yeah...that's my BBQ plate...all the carbs, none of the protein...I think I'm a vegetarian at heart...i rarely eat meat...i'm not a full-fledged veggie, but I'm a faux-vegetarian...heh...
Today is Brian's last 'day off' of his mini vacation..we're mostly watching football, doing house chores (grocery shopping, anyone?) and I'm working on my new felted tote...its growing exponentially...I see why people knit with wool during the winter months - it really does keep your lap warm while you knit...I've finally finished the base of the tote and am now getting to the more interesting striped portion...which means lots of changing colors, but its more fun and seems to go more quickly when you only do 2 rows of a color instead of 45...Technically, I've already knitted enough to meet the measurement requirement of the pattern (23 1/2"), but that wouldn't give me NEARLY enough tote to tote around...so I'm going bonkers and making this thing plenty big enough...I mean, the bigger the tote, the more stuff you can haul in it, am I right?
Bendy beads seem pretty popular, so I do believe when I go back to work tomorrow I shall be making bendy beads...and I'll post the beads I have on hand...its supposed to rain tomorrow, so I'll do my best to find a dry spot to shoot...speaking of shooting, we spotted some new friends in our 'garden' and I've shot some pics to share...I'll post them tomorrow...we are excited to see them...
I've been having a GREAT time with my new phone, taking pics with it is super easy and mailing them to my various email addresses is quick and painless...I've ordered a BlueTooth headset to wear when I'm driving because I cannot drive a stick and talk on the phone at the same time...and a car charger because I like to keep it plugged in when on the road...and for fun - a 1gb memory card to store a few tunes on...I have no Ipod, I'm not COOL enough for that, so my groovy phone will have to be my pseudo-entertainment center...and for now, its doing a great job...!
I'm updating from my phone...crazy...I'm gonna try the pic feature later...this is slow going but its going!
I want to see the new Borat movie..is that wrong? Normally I'd just roll my eyes and ignore such a movie - like those stupid Jackass movies - I have no interest in those at all...but the trailer for the Borat movie makes me laugh...I saw him on Letterman and Daily Show and he was funny, and not in a mean, nasty way...its showing at theatres in Austin that I'm not interested in going to, tho, I need to wait till it gets to Drafthouse...
I've decided the best part of our new house is the staircase...why? Because Clementine likes to run up half way and we can play thru the stairrails...she pops her little head thru, and grabs the toys I offer her, and it cracks me up...she loves it...once she gets really wound up, she darts up the rest of the way and jumps full speed onto the pile of paper (her paper nest) that I've made for her upstairs...we haven't had stairs in a house since 1997, and the cats LOVE zipping up and down them...another plus- the dog has no interest in going up them at all, so the cats can play upstairs w/ no interruptions...wacky times...
Its COLD here, not that I'm complaining, cause I know its in the TEENS in the upper midwest, but we don't have the heat on in the house (it's gonna be 80 later in the week, why bother)...we tend to just tuff out the cool weather until January when it typically stays cool for a few weeks...so my feet are chilly...bah...
Time for Ren Faire this weekend...we haven't been in a long time, so this'll be fun...I think...while we have costumes, I don't think we'll wear them this time...too much maintenance...
I'll be back on the torch soon, Brian has taken a few days off after the closing, so we're just getting some chores taken care of and such...I'm getting some new eyeglasses today, and while that probably sounds mundane, I've picked out a pair that is orange and purple...crazy! I feel like a fun pair, tho, my last pair was black and that's ok but its time for something more silly...I'll work on some more bendy beads too, that'll be fun...
UPDATE: just got back from Cingular, we have our very cool phones and the dude who helped was fabulous...my new phone lets me update my website and read email...I logged onto my site and saw my beads on my phone - it was awesome to have it mobile...I still have to learn how to update it (there's a built in QWERTY keyboard with it), so now I'll have no excuse not to update when I travel domestically...rock on.
So, remember me saying I had something new to tell you? Jim at BlueMoon has these neato tools that let you bend beads, and I sent him a bunch and he sent me the pics of what he's done...You set the bead in the kiln, bring it up the temp, and use the device to bend the hot bead into a slight curve...perfect for bracelets or watches...these are pics he sent of the beads 'in action'...very neato...I'll see them in person later, and these were just practice, so I'll make more and offer them..kinda groovy, huh..
Yesterday was a big day for us - we closed on our house in Austin...its now in the hands of a new dude who will renovate it and make it completely awesome...it all happened pretty fast, he bought it with cash which moved things along quickly...we're glad to have it sold in this housing slowdown, although I will say that Austin hasn't been hit with the slowdown like the rest of the country has...things are still pretty inexpensive here, folks are flocking here and houses are moving...I'm sure it'll slow down eventually - all the better that we won't have to worry about it...
So, I spent the day with a friend in Austin...the day was gorgeous, we flew around in the Vampyre, our hair blowing around like mad...(my hat didn't fit)...we hit the sushi shop, and then the World Market where I picked up a gigantic straw tote to haul my knitting around...the new felted tote I'm working on is now so large, I could wear it as a skirt...and there's more of it to knit...so after we bought Toblerone and tiny bottles of Shiraz, we headed to the yarn shop and I loaded up on some super bulky yarn...and afterward I was lucky enough to get to check out her bead collection which is the most amazing thing in the world...so many super groovy projects, so many beads, so many pretty shiny things...
So finally, I'm leaving around 5:00pm and on the car radio I hear that our entire town is out of power...around 2:00pm a fire at the local power station took out the town...no electricity...Brian called and said the place was dark..and with the time change, it was getting darker quicker...so by the time I got home, it was almost black...we decided to head to Austin and go to Drafthouse cause they show Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars for FREE...we loaded up on some pizza and I took my knitting and we watched television...it was fantastic!
Parts of the town were lit and others were still black when we got home, but our house had power, which was nice...I have no idea if any trick or treaters came by, although we did see some in town, they aren't really out by our house...so now I have 3 big bags of candy to hide and eat between now and Easter...ha...not really...my teeth would rot outta my head if I did that...gross...
I have some things to do, but i'll be back later w/ more info...I DO have some beads to post, not many, but a few...its dark outside, a cold front came thru and its dark and stormy...very wintery...