Knit Your Cares Away

I started a Hemlock Ring Blanket for a shop model. It's a really fun knit. The beginning is a small bit of lace--nothing too complicated and then you feather and fan until the cows come home. I chose to start with a circular cast on using magic loop. I get really frustrated trying to keep four dpns from slipping or twisting when doing a circular start, especially on big needles (US10) like this. I quickly switched to a 16" circular. As I knit I noticed my blanket looked like an angry skull face.



It also strongly resembles the trash heap from Fraggle Rock.



It looked a little nicer once I got it on a 32" circular.

Pretty Much Sums Up My Feelings About Facebook

A Double Pleasure is Waiting for You

Erin and I made a podcast. We're still a little rough around the edges. Check us out.

It's Madness But It's So Dang Cute

I saw this on Cute Overload. Oh. My. God. Insane. And hilarious.

Meet My New Boyfriend

One of my spinning friends is fostering a guide dog puppy. Donner is cute as can be and likes to stay close to his handler.

Fun Friday

Things that made me laugh this week.


i can has cheezburger

Flight of the Conchords



This one is Wes's favorite.

More on the Rick Roll

This One Hurts

Haven't We Had Enough of This?

I just heard about a new documentary, Young@Heart, about a senior citizen choir that sings rock songs. It looks cute.



I'm not crazy about the poster.



Why is knitting still the international symbol for old age?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

via Boing Boing.

Random Awesomeness

Betty White is my role model on how to be 86.



The new Pixar film looks so good I want to see it right now!



And in case you still haven't seen it, Sarah Silverman on Kimmel.



And Kimmel's response.

Stop!

Wes just showed me this very amusing flowchart. I found myself thinking, "Did MC Hammer have a Saturday morning cartoon or did I just imagine that?" Thank God for You tube.

I Have Not Laughed This Hard in Months

Seriously. Go watch it now.

Thomas Dolby, You Have a Lot to Answer For

Scene: Standing in line at Trader Joe's, "She Blinded me with Science," a 26 year old song, playing in the background.

Cashier in her 20s: What's this song? She whatted me with science??
Customer in her 30s: "She Blinded Me with Science."

Couple in their 50s.
Man: This sounds like Prince.
Woman: But edgier.
Man: He must be trying to copy Prince.



Watch the video, people. Learn something.

A is for Ailing

No, I'm not doing the ABC-along. But I am sick and getting sicker. I think my cold has blossomed into a sinus infection. I declared yesterday a stay-in-bed day. I hunkered down with my laptop, Endpaper Mitt and some movies. I knit on and off (mostly off) and am ready to start the thumb increases.

I watched movies between naps. First I watched Once. It's a sweet but slight film. Really it's just a vehicle for the music. Fortunately I enjoyed the music but a viewer who didn't would have a hard time liking this film.



Next up was Elephant. Elephant is a spare, chilling film which documents the mundane events of the lives of high schoolers before their school erupts in violence. Rather than attempting to explain teen violence, it merely documents it as you spend a day perched over the shoulders of various students.



Thankfully I was able to get an appointment today to see a doctor. Fingers crossed I will be well enough to travel to TNNA.

Sorry for Radio Silence

Well my six-day straight (while sick) work week has ended. I have one day off then it's back to work and all the counting, counting, counting. Working in a yarn shop is great until inventory. Yesterday I was doing all the needles and notions. So very tedious. Worse than intarsia!

I have been knitting though. I just finished the thumb increases on my first Endpaper Mitt.



This is two old skeins of Koigu KPM that have been in the stash for years. Nice to finally put them to use.

Wes got me a Sew-EZ table for Christmas.



I have finally moved my sewing machine off the dining room table. It was getting kind of crowded with the machine and the two laptops. I was so excited I started sewing up little scrap blocks. Why I didn't work on one of my current UFOs I have no idea.

I seem to have passed my cold on to my oldest son. I'd feel worse for him if he weren't being such a little jerk about it. You've probably already seen the Man Cold video but just in case. This is my life.



And every time I sit down to use the computer I get this.


Tug?

And if I don't play with her she gets all dejected.




So that's my life right now in a nutshell.

Friday Night Video (Early)

We're heading out for the weekend so I'll leave you with this great music video from Weezer starring the Muppets.



Have a great weekend!

Swear Jar

The discussion at Purlygirls turned to parents and swearing because of my last post. Someone suggested implementing a swear jar which made me think of this Bud ad.

Friday Night Video

A heartbreakingly cute commercial for a Friday night.

Bruce Campbell, Shilling for Old Spice Yet Still Cool

Stupid Sinuses

I've had some miserable sinus thing going on for about a month now. I've been knocked out by headaches. If you see me and I'm grimacing, don't worry, it's not you.

Yesterday was spent at an all day spin-in at Weaving Works. I got a little help fixing the connection for my treadle. It was too long and the making treadling a real chore. My wheel is behaving much better now. I had one of those days where I didn't quite have the touch with the fiber. My rhythm was off or something but it was a bit of a struggle at times. I have just a little bit of the blue/brown merino that I have been spinning for a few months left to do.

Today we did a little exploring. It was opening day for the West Seattle Farmers Market. We don't go to West Seattle often and Seattle magazine had a little article this month on it. The market was nice and very similar to the other neighborhood markets we have in Seattle. Someone from the rather twee-named Coffee to a Tea with Sugar was giving out free mini-cupcakes. I had a mocha one and it was dense, moist and rich. Very nice. The balloon man was there.



There was also a horse-drawn carriage taking people around. We never figured out where it went or where to get on. We stopped at Bakery Nouveau which has been getting great reviews. It's the head baker from Essential Baking Company which I love. It's a lovely little shop. More heavy on pastries than sandwiches. Although they were just bringing pizzas out as we were leaving. The pastries--apple danish and chocolate croissant--were deliciously flaky and light.

I've had a bad run of Netflix rentals. First I got Mr. Show. I found it unwatchable. Honestly, I let it go for a while but I couldn't stand it. I skipped to the next episode which was also completely unwatchable. Popped it back in its envelope. Then I tried Little Murders. I like Jules Feiffer; I like Elliott Gould. Couldn't stand this. Could not bring myself to finish it. So then--now I was really going out on a limb here--I got Battlestar Gallactica. I hate sci-fi. Like hate, hate, hate it with very few exceptions. But everyone keeps raving about this show and saying it's not really sci-fi. So I tried it last night. I didn't hate it. I also was a little more interested in knitting my shawl. I also foolishly thought that "Battlestar Gallactica: Season 1: Disc 1" would be the beginning of the series. But no! Battlestar Gallactica: The Miniseries is the beginning so I kept asking Wes to explain everything to me. Of course, he hadn't seen the miniseries either. But he has seen the 70s tv show so he had some sense of what was going on or what the heck a Cylon was.

So with all the headaches, spinning and running around I've made very little progress on the shawl.

Friday Fun

I pity the fool who doesn't like this commercial!

I Don't Think I'd Make It Through the Movie

The trailer is squirm-inducing enough. But ridiculously funny.

Friday Night Video

via Steph