Well, time to write a bit about our recent trip to California. The impetus for the trip was the Rock Star’s cousin S’s wedding to the beautiful M. The wedding was planned for the day before Labor Day, but we went out 10 days early so we could visit the Rock Star’s father and step-mother. After the parental visit, we planned a few days in San Francisco with his brother (including one night of extreme debauchery for the bachelor party). Then we drove north the Anderson Valley area of California for the wedding. This first vacation blog entry will be about the parental visit and the drive to SF. Parts of it are not a pretty tale, so I’ll try to go over them quickly…and get to the parts where I molest, fondle and buy yarn.

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Therapeutic knitting has been happening.

Make two of these and call me in the morning. Can’t. Stop. Plotzing.

…and keeps on ticking. Remember that old Timex (?) watch commercial? Well that’s me right now. Depression is a terrible thing. I’ve been plunged back into the darkness and am having a bit of trouble finding my way out. I’m sure I’ll make it, just need a bit of time.

Vacation was really great and there are many stories. or Yarns, if you prefer. Everyone loves a good yarn, especially if it’s about yarn. There are some stories about yarn, and about my family, and about a beautiful wedding and seeing/meeting friends from far away. In a bit of time.

Here’s some natural beauty in the meantime.

Vacation time!! We leave on a flight to California tomorrow at 7:00 am won’t be back for a week and a half. There is still a ton of packing and prepping to do. I anticipate being up til about 3:00 am getting ready.

My internet access will be spotty, so if I get the chance to update here I will. Otherwise, I’ll be back to normal posting when I return home.

I’m planning on finishing the LFFCS/BOBA on this trip and hopefully starting the Fetzensocks. Maybe even finishing them. I really hope I get some knitting time on this trip. Chasing a rambunctious toddler all around California does tend to limit the sit quietly and knit time.

To keep the top of the blog looking cute, here’s the Boy when he was six months old.

It involved oversleeping, missing appointments, diarrhea (the Boy), lack of coffee, giving up all my walkies (and the accompanying pay) to take my mom to the dentist only to find they couldn’t perform the procedure, not getting any of my desk work done, not getting any getting ready for the trip done, tiredness from staying up all night on Crackelry, and the worst part? No knitting at all.

The plus side? Yeah there were a couple good things.

Ahhhh. That’s much better. Focus on the positive. I’ve fixed myself a lil cocktail. I have a book my mp3 player (The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield). And I mean to get at least a round done on the LFFCS/BOBA before retiring to my comfy bed.

Ravelry. OMG. Crazy, amazing!!! You can just click for hours, and never get bored. I love, love, love the part where you can look up a pattern and see everyone else’s version of it, complete with all the details of knitting it. And it’s very intuitive to use. It only took a moment to get my bearings and enter my very first project. There are interesting forums, groups, and every kind of knitter you can think of. I imagine I’ll settle down a bit after I’ve been on it…just one day, and I’ve got knitting projects planned for the next seventy years.

I read a great forum thread that included info on Combination knitting and now I’m very interested to learn it. The post was actually about getting faster with your knitting.

Latest progress pic of LFFCS/BOBA? Here ya’ go:

Wondering how that all turned out?

Doing fun stuff with my hair was one of the things I promised I’d do when I reached my goal weight. Since I’m within 2 lbs, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get started. Plus it’ll be fun for the trip to California next week!

Oh my flip-flap-freakin’ god!!!! I’m in!!! I just this second got my Ravelry invite and just about broke my keyboard hitting the link and getting over there!! squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

What a soggy weekend. Yesterday was a merry-go-round of walking a dog in the rain, drying it off (hands and knees, face in wet dog fur, trying to reach the foot on the other side), driving to the next house in my wet rain coat and doing the whole thing again. Go home and put on dry clothes and just about the time I’d get over being cranky, it was time to go out and do it all over again. I had vacation walkies in the morning, afternoon and night. That means at 10 pm last night I was changing into dry clothes for the last time of the day. On some of the visits I get to scoop out cat litter boxes in my wet clothes. Fun! It’s been the same so far today. This will be my schedule for at least 3 more days and wouldn’t you know it’s supposed to rain the whole time.

One very sad thing on my morning rounds this today. As I was going up the back walk to a house, a bird came swooping out of a tree and ran smack into the chrome barbeque grill. It was completely stunned and fell to the sidewalk at my feet, kind of twitching. I could see it was a juvenile Cardinal. I was so shocked and all I could do for a moment was watch it helplessly. I kept saying I’m sorry, I don’t know how to help you. After a moment, I knelt down beside it and gathered it’s wings together and moved it over to the shrubbery. It’s head kind of hung as I was carrying it, and it sort of moan/squawked. I laid it under a shrub, where it wouldn’t be rained on steadily and stepped back. After a moment I helped it get sort of sitting up with the wings tucked in. It was kind of blinking and looking around. It was easy to tell it was young, it still had those young bird eyes, kind of some extra skin around them. It’s poor feathers were all bedraggled and I could see some left on the barbeque where it had smacked. It was still sitting there knid of blinking at the world when I returned from the dog walk. I go back this evening, so I can see if it’s still there. If it is, I don’t think it will survive. This kind of thing just breaks my heart. There is so little we can do to help wild animals. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to just leave them alone, possibly suffering…

There is so much rain falling this weekend I brought the planters and pots with my lettuce sprouts up on the porch to drain out. I’m afraid it may be too late and they may have gotten just too soggy to survive. Once the pots drained they seem to be standing up alright…between the wild animals and the weather, gardening can be very disappointing! I so had my hopes up for fresh salads in the fall…

And just to brighten up this post, here’s a picture of the Boy from May when the sun was shining:

I just checked my status on Ravelry for the second time today. Yeah, I’m anxious!!

Found you!

* You signed up on June 15, 2007
* You are #9328 on the list.
* 57 people are ahead of you in line.
* 17067 people are behind you in line.
* 35% of the list has been invited so far

Only 57 people ahead of me!!! I may get in tomorrow!!! yeep!!

Only 207 people in front of me on Ravelry!! omg weeeeeee! Just a couple more days.

My LFFCS/BOBA (Luna Flickering Flames Circular Skirt/Bucket of Boiled Ass) is progressing nicely. I’m just at the point where I increase from 320 stitches to 640. It looks roughly the same as the last picture. Since progress is really boring to report on this project, I’m going to catch the blog up on one I finished before I started blogging regularly again. I have several of these I’m holding back for blog fodder. So without further ado, I give you:

These are the Horcrux Socks that I knit for the Six Sock Knitalong. See the lightning bolt pattern above the ankle? The pattern designer was wondering if Harry’s scar was a horcrux and so named these socks. They’re knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Black Purl. I love this yarn and the socks were fun to knit. It got a little weird around row 15, but I figured it out. I knit them toe up, 2on2 circs using Crazy Toes and Heels. Finished May 15, 2007.

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Humane Society said they are receiving donations from across the country — and you’ll never guess what people are sending.

More than a dozen Michael Vick jerseys have been sent to AHS, and they are putting them to good use.

“When I first saw them, I was kind of shocked. I was like, ‘Why do they have Vick jerseys here,’ said Julie Sentner.

Vick is innocent until proven guilty, but his association when men pleading guilty to federal dog fighting charges makes the number 7 jersey an unexpected find at the Atlanta Humane Society.

“At first we were like, ‘I wonder what we’re going to use this for,” said P.J. Smith with AHS.

And the jerseys kept coming. About a dozen or so jerseys were sent from people wanting to make good from a bad situation. In fact, the Humane Society is getting flooded with e-mails about Vick.

So what are volunteers doing with the jerseys?

“We discovered like any donation we get, any shirt or towel, we put it to good use here at Atlanta Humane Society. We’re always using things to clean kennels, use for bedding and stuff like that,” said Smith.

Did she say cleaning kennels?

“We’re not showing any favoritism to these jerseys, they go into our general rotation of towels,” Smith said.

One dog is using his Vick jersey as a pillow.

“As long as they’re being used for good, then that’s great. If they’re using them to make dogs more comfortable or to clean up after them, then that’s fine,” said Sentner.

Of course, the Vick jerseys being donated mean a lot more to the people than to the puppies — they’re just loving all the attention.

Copyright 2007 by WSBTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This is my favorite part:

This dog at the Atlanta Humane Society is enjoying his bed, which is a Vick jersey donated by an upset fan.

the Boy, the job, the phones…gack!! Everything all at once.

This sums my reaction to this morning’s chaos very nicely:

(image snagged from icanhascheeseburger.com)

…book! That’s the call I’ve been hearing all morning. the Boy is potty training. Here’s how it was this morning

the Boy: I’ve got to poop! So I get him all set up on his potty chair.

the Boy: Mommy, I need some privacy. Privacy!!! He’s not even 3 yet. So he has a book on his lap and he’s sitting there (with the door closed).

me: Call me if you need me.

A few minutes later:

the Boy: Mommy, I need another book. So I bring him a couple more books.

the Boy: Fanks.

me: Call me if you need me.

the Boy: I will.

A few minutes later:

the Boy: Mommy, I need another book. So I bring him a couple more books.

the Boy: Fanks.

me: Call me if you need me.

the Boy: I will.

Rinse and repeat several times until you get this:

and a very proud boy!! He’ll be in big boy underpants before we know it.

According to my handy dandy spreadsheet, there’s only 4 or 5 more days til I get my Ravelry invite. weeeeeeeeeeeeee. I’m excited. The part I’m looking forward to the most is looking up a pattern and seeing who all did it and how it went. oh, and the needle inventory. I really, really need that!!

I got about 5 rounds done on my Flickering Flame Skirt yesterday. It’s moving right along, but it really seems slow. Plus it’s hard to see how this thing will ever stretch out to be a full length skirt…it takes faith to knit lace. I’m just knitting away and keeping the faith.

Interweave Knits mag Fall of 2007: Got it yesterday. I don’t think I’ll have to buy a pattern for anything else for years!! There are so many things in this mag I want to knit, I don’t know where to start. I love the Tilted Duster and the Place Cabled Aran and the Dickenson Pullover equally!! What’s a knitter to do?

Plus it’s not like I haven’t got 4 projects lined up already: finish the skirt, Bellatrix Socks, Fetzensocks, February Sweater!! I have the yarn for all these…well except for maybe Bellatrix. I’m going to try it in the purple Cherry Tree Hill. If that doesn’t look good, I’ll get STR Stormy Weather.

So what am I doing even looking at this mag?!!

In the immortal words of … hmmm, I can’t remember whose immortal words these are*…I just know I didn’t make it up: Lace looks like a bucket of boiled ass while you’re knitting it. Just so, immortal lace words sayer. Just so. Here’s my bucket of boiled ass:

The knitting is fun and interesting. The 10 st pattern repeat is super easy to memorize and since each round consists of 32 repeats at this point, I can work up some real speed. The yarn is like dipping my needles into butter (especially after the hemp) and feels really nice. I could complain that it splits like crazy. In fact, I will complain that it splits. And heaven forfend I have any jagged nails or dry skin patchs, cuz swear to FSM the yarn will catch on them every single time. and split. Did I mention the yarn splits? It’s cotton/rayon with oh…I dunno…maybe 276 plys. Ok, exaggerating. But you know what I mean. Still I’m really digging it. There’s always that magical moment with lace when you stretch it all out and it becomes a thing of beauty. Until then bucket. Of boiled ass.

Update: Chris kindly pointed out it was the ever amusing Rabbitch who coined the phrase here. “I’m told that all lace looks like a bucket of boiled ass until it’s finished and blocked, and I’m just going to take that at face value and keep on going.” A completely apt description of knitting lace as far as I’m concerned.

Tuesday adventure: I had just finished eating a salad in the McDonald’s parking lot when a scruffy guy came up to my open car window and showed me a piece of paper that said something about God bless love on it. I shook my head no, I wasn’t interested (I absolutely NEVER respond to begging on the street), and he turned the paper over and pointed out the lines that said he was deaf and could I spare any change. I shook my head no again. I’m not rude about it, just firm. So he points to the deaf, spare change line again and again, I shake my head no. Finally he seemed to get my message and flipped me off as he walked away. How’s that for God bless love?

Random cuteness:

Yesterday was Monday and somehow I managed not to get much work done. After all my hard work planting seeds Sunday I found that something, rabbit or squirrel maybe, had been digging in my lettuce seeded pots. GRRRRRR!! I got me to the garden center and found something called Liquid Fence. My biggest mistake was spraying it as soon as I got home, right before dinner, because the way this stuff works is by putrescent smell. After it drys, it’s not supposed to be noticeable to humans, but it took it’s own stinky time drying. I have to remember to spray it on the garden at the end of the evening as we are on our way into the house.

There was a HUGE thunderstorm last night. Thunder and lightning was fast and furious, right over our heads. I was just getting ready to shut down my puter for the night when a huge thunder shook the house and the lights dimmed and one of my monitors went out. We haven’t been able to get it back on, so it may be a goner. The keyboard was out for awhile too, but it’s working now.

Random cuteness:

the Rock Star had to work much of the weekend, so the Boy and I entertained ourselves a lot. But on Saturday we went to a friends big party/picnic at Hidden Falls Park and had a fun day.

It was hot as hell, but I set up our little camp in a shady spot and sat down to knit, and soon lots of people had come to join me. I didn’t get far on the knitting, there was a mistake in my lace and with so many people visiting, it was hard for me to concentrate to find it.

Sunday was a day of accident and injury! It started with the Boy playing his usual game of running full speed across the living room to throw himself up onto the ottoman. He does this repeatedly some days. It’s just good fun. His legs fly up behind him and he giggles and runs back to do it again. This time it was set to close to some wooden boxes we have stacked to form shelves and he ran his head into the edge of one of those boxes with all the force of his weight and running across the room. There was a sickening thud and he looked up at me with surprise for one whole long second before he started crying. I rushed out and gathered him up and after he stopped crying was able to examine his forehead where a huge goose egg had formed. His pupils seemed to dilate normally and he wasn’t dizzy so we gave him some tylenol to help with any headache and continued on with the day.

Later, in the yard I was using twine and the utility knife to bundle up some brush I’d cut down and jabbed my left index finger horribly. the Boy and I were alone and he was such a good little guy. He came into the house with me while I washed it and put a pretend bandaid on it. It bled so much I felt faint. I laid down on the grass outside with my feet up and asked him to please not wander off…I was afraid I’d faint and he’d be all alone. So he laid down next to me and put his head on my chest and talked to me. So sweet. I love my l’il guy!! I was able to get up after a while and get some cold water and a snack and I felt better pretty soon. Cleaned the cut with peroxide and bandaged it up.

After all the blood and head banging, it was a reasonably peaceful day. I put potting soil in a bunch of pots and planted lettuce seeds. There is is some hope they may actually yield before the first frost. the Rock star came home and we fixed some dinner and got to bed reasonably early.

Here’s a picture of the Boy pre-head bang:

My blog was down all weekend and Monday. I didn’t even realize it til Monday morning. But now the super responsive Candi of Nohasslehosting.net got me going again. Too bad I can’t sit here and blog…I have to get out and get 5 visits done, some cat, some dogs. Then at 3:30 I get a haircut and waxing (underarm, bikini, legs). Yowch!!!

I had no idea about Amazon.com’s sale of animal fighting videos, training books, and magazine subscriptions. I got a letter from the Humane Society of the United States alerting me to the stance they’re taking on this. They defend their right to profit on such materials as a freedom of speech issue. Never mind that there’s a federal law against this.

“the federal Animal Welfare Act expressly and specifically prohibits use of the U.S. mail service for “promoting” or “in any other manner furthering” animal fighting.” This link takes you the HSUS article about Amazon. Please be warned there are a couple of disturbing pictures in the article. It’s a valuable read, but I don’t want anyone to be shocked. There’s a link in the article to send a letter Jeff Bezos the boss of Amazon.com. Here it is: Take action against Amazon.com.

I tried to do a little research to get both sides of the story. Amazon has nothing on their site, no news release about the lawsuit or their position or anything. The best I could come up with is this news release on an Elephant Sanctuary site. The article contains the text of a letter sent to the Sanctuary from Amazon.com in response to their protest.

It’s not as if it’s difficult to find this crap on Amazon, either. I did one single search on “Animal fighting” and it came up with many hits.

It is true. They’re selling this stuff. I’m boycotting Amazon.com until they change their stance on this.

Dog fighting. Animal fighting. No way to express how seriously much it pisses me off that people use animals in such a barbaric way. That there are segments of our society that condone vicious, cruelty to animals. Not only condone it, but promote it and practice it and get their jollies from it and make money off of it. Seriously. Pisses. Me. Off.

When the Michael Vick story broke I was so angry. I spent several hours looking up phone numbers and email addresses for every one I could think of to send protest letters and calls to. I believe it was the angry outpouring of people disgusted by this that caused Nike, Rebok and a couple of trading card companies to back away from Vick for the time being.

Here’s something else you can do if you feel so inclined.

You can make a donation the Humane Society to end animal fighting here.