My Middle Name is Patience

My cousin was out on business again and while he waited for parts to show up, we went to the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda. Wow. Just wow. I had no idea. For one thing, those aircraft carriers are HUGE and this one's been decommisioned for decades. For another, it's the carrier that picked up the crew of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12.

   

Roomy, eh? Yikes.

 

Mobile Quarantine Facility. The crew of Apollo 14 spent two weeks here after their venture on the moon. Hopefully they got along.

 

Possibly the USS Hornet. Possibly the carrier next to it.

Look what Amy aka Knit Think sent me! MN apples! They actually crunch. I'm srsly contemplating moving to MN. If only I could move the ocean with me.

 

Ignore the fact that I look like I have werewolf wrists. Altho- WTH?

 

Current knitting obsession, Spinnity's Larus + Ardea. It's twined knitting, which is basically knitting with both ends of the ball of yarn, alternately, always carrying the new yarn over the old yarn. Weird that the contrast color looks blue, IRL it's a purple/black that Spinnity graciously wound off from her ball of yarn during her class. I still can't believe I brought a single project, no extra yarn or needles to a Knitting Retreat. Normally I carry a set of dpn's on me, just in case and overnight anywhere? Several projects. But if you go unprepared, go with knitters.

What's On TV:

(I think. TV and I are on the outs.) But I'm still watching DWTS Monday nights (Go Kelly! Go Louie!), Castle at 10pm, House between dances.

Tuesday: NCIS at 8pm. I want to like NCIS: LA because it has a great cast but so far it just hasn't gelled for me. Sons of Anarchy at 10pm on FX.

Flashforward on Thursdays. Joseph Fiennes character had better get his act together, the way he's moping around about his wife's future-so-far-not-actual affair would pretty much drive me into the guy's arms. Man up, dude.

September Reading Update:

Cardinal Richelieu and the Making of France by Anthony Levi (library) (bio) 2001. Started 8/26, finished 9/21. The author is known for his lit crit so I'd love to read his take on the literature of the period. Richelieu suffered from migraines, dealing with Louis XIII, his mother and their court? Not surprisingly.

1634:The Galileo Affair by Eric Flint and Andrew Weber, 2004 (library) (Alt Hist) 2004, 675 pages. Started.....? And still not done. I've been reading it in snatches of time and while I'm around 150 pages into it, they're still setting up the plot which is why I think it's been taking a backseat.

September ended up being an uncharacteristically social month between cont ed, knitting retreats, visiting cousin, ancient friends popping up from LA and oh!

I saw Carol Burnett last Thursday night at the Paramount in Oakland. It was billed as an evening of laughter and reminscences, she took questions from the crowd and showed some video clips. I'm sorry to report that when they turned the lights back on after the first clip, I was deeply annoyed I'd left my knitting at home.

Little of this, little of that

San Francisco in the dawn's early light....or 9:30am. Close enough. I went into the City via BART Saturday to meet up with Bev and Jewel, finally! and get in a yarn crawl. The yarn crawl ended up being ImagiKnit - which alone was a crawl in itself. I think we were there for three hours and never noticed the time. I found some yummy J Knit  and Jewel picked up what I think was some Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn for herself and as a gift while Bev stayed strong and bought only for others. Bev's sister in law Karin came with but i can't remember what she bought! We talked shop  - it's so much fun to for a chance chat with a fellow tax preparer. After we wore out ImagiKnit, we walked a block or two over to Dolores Street Cafe (yum) for some much needed late lunch then Jewel dropped me back off at BART, because typically when I'm out having fun, my head sabotages me. Okay, possibly it was also from staying up half the night most of the week finishing off books and then working like a fiend. But for some reason, I like the first theory.

I also finally made it to the Farmer's Market at the SF Ferry Building! It's only been there for ages. The Oakland Ferry doesn't go directly to it until noonish and for some weird reason (I commuted on BART for something like 15 years) I was leery of BART. But BART worked beautifully, I barely waited for a train either way, maybe because it was 9am and 60 degrees on Saturday morning rather than noon and 102 degrees on a Sunday afternoon? the Embarcadero station is only a block away. Some of the more crowded shops inside the Ferry Building have booths outside, Acme Breads, Cowgirl Creamery. (Farmer's Market SF Ferry Building)

(My backyard garden. Darn, I forgot to take a picture of the Mystery Vegetable Tree.)

In knitting news, I'm still knitting Mom's Stole, the SIL's cable scarf, Dad's Cardigan, my beaded scarf and the Curve of Pursuit. I'm making no discernible progress on any of them.

There is nothing on TV. Well, Law & Order Criminal Intent and In Plain Sight on Sunday, The Closer on Monday, Warehouse 13 tonight, Leverage on Wednesday, Burn Notice on Thursday, Eureka and Mental - both on at 9pm on Fridays, argh........see? Practically nothing.

The NCIS repeat about Vance's past is on tonight. Don't miss it.

Look what I got for my birthday!  Early, I admit. I just couldn't wait, especially since I crunched the numbers and can't get to Sock Summit. (Airfare tripled. That eats into my stash enhancement which is probably not a bad thing but geez). From Opalescent Jewels.  The necklace itself is gorgous but the clasp! For once, I can get it on and off all by myself.

I finished The Age of Reason Begins, 1633, The Solitude of Prime Numbers and A Taint in the Blood ( Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak) and then spent a couple of listless days trying to figure out what to read next. It's not that I have nothing to read, it's that I have so much I want to read! The short stories, Ring of Fire (which should be read between 1632 and 1633, btw), the next to last (so far) Kate Shugak book, A Deeper Sleep? Mike Carey's Dead Men's Boots? Moral Relativism by Stephen Lukas?  Any suggestions?

I ended up stacking them all next to me and knitting on the Curve of Pursuit while watching a press conference on CNN. Robert Gibbs is loosening up.

Hez sez "Why would anyone eat vegetables when there are tasty loafers like these around?"

Mary Tudor, she is finis.......mostly

Well, almost. She needs her buttons sewn on and I got bored weaving in ends before plunging her into her bath (I wove most of the ends in while knitting - except the sleeves. They have a lovely fringed effect)  but other than that? Done!!

Much thanks to Marina, who sent me a picture of a sample she knit of the mitered corner along with a chart - it turns out I'd neglected to do the picking up of stitches on BOTH right and wrong side rows. Thanks also to Joan and Lorraine for their help.

There's still one more update to come - when the buttons are on, but the knitting? She is done. I had a bump on the road to progress when I put in nine buttonholes for eight buttons - I knew I shouldn't have picked her back up Saturday night while watching Suspicion, but oh well. It worked as a swatch for the buttonholes  - typically horrid - but serviceable. Too bad the mitered corner with the buttonhole is going to be the side that shows - it's wonky, but oh well. (Second picture of the corners is the buttonhole miter.)

TV: Law & Order: Criminal Intent and In Plain Sight on Sunday nights. The season finale of 24 tonight, which I'm going to miss because I'm going to see my niece unwillingly sing opera, much better than finding out how Jack saves the world this time, don't you think? The season finale of NCIS is tomorrow (Tuesday) night. Cross your fingers Ziva doesn't die or get deported and we're stuck with that flirty chick Jules. Even Abby fell for her! Feh.

Chuck was renewed! Yes! The Dollhouse got the nod too. I really hate how CSI:NY ended, killing off one of the characters is getting so cliched. Like Lost. No one is safe.......unless it's Jack or Kate, the two I'd really like to see die. I didn't actually watch Gray's Anatomy closely enough to realize they did the "which one will die?" bit either until Opal filled me in. (Okay, I admit I was expecting Izzie to die and I didn't feel like bawling my eyes out so I basically had it on as background noise).

Wow, the big networks have dreck on their schedule for summer. Give me cable. The only thing that looks good to me is Glee, and I refuse to figure out why.

Reading: After The Periodic Table I thought I'd go for something light so I picked up Cattery Row by Clea Simon, one in the series about Theda Krakow, music journalist and Musetta's mom. Theda is on the trail of catnappers and kitten mills and it had a fabulous ending. She waffled too much about her love life - the proverbial struggle between the Good Man and the Bad Boy but that's probably aggravating just to me.

Currently reading - and loving - 1632 by Eric Flint. It's the first in his Ring of Fire series, a small West Virginia coal town is flung back in time 400 years to 1632 and smack into the middle of the Thirty Year War in the Germanic principalities. I'm sorry to report that I know practically nothing about this piece of history even with my half German descent. I love that it's unabashedly pro United States and that we're the good guys. I also love that the originally rallying cry was for the United Mine Workers of America.

Hez sez: "Geez, you're finally done with my blanket? It's been exhausting watching you all these years. Wait. You're not casting on another member of the English royalty are you? I give up."

Have a good week!

Insert Not Too Clever Title Here. Thanks for the Tip, Typepad. Gah.

  Button choices for the V pointed charmer, currently sporting buttons from [gasp] Joanne's Fabrics. I know, I know. I'm a button snob.

And because it's been a long long time:

TV: Not that' I've been awake the last week to watch much or understand any of it - was it just me or did Lost, *The Dollhouse or Battlestar Galactica make no sense whatsoever? This week the TV is going off at 10pm. Stupid Daylight "Saving" Time.

*The Dollhouse makes no sense to to me under the best of circumstances. I've grasped the concept, it's the relationships/point that eludes me.

Tonight (Sunday March 15) Kings has its two hour debut at 8pm. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Monday: 24. Finally, no one on the show that I have to flip the channel the second they appear, although the FBI couple are starting to work my nerves.

Tuesday: NCIS, of course.

(The structure is the new Walnut Creek LIbrary. Eventually) Wednesday: Life and Lost. Why are they both on at the same time? Life wins, Lost is better when they repeat it with that scroll catch up at the bottom.  I love that scroll catch up bar. (What's that actually called?)

Thursday: Bones at 8pm and then heaven help me, Gray's Anatomy at 9pm. I hate myself but there you are. Plus it looks like Izzy is actually dying! Dying! Be still my heart.

Friday. Oh, Friday. Friday is a very sad, sad day. So. Sad. Battlestar Galactica is repeating their Monday (the 16th) special at 7pm and then the very final two hour season FINALE episode at 9pm. (I think they're airing last Friday night's ep beforehand which is very very nice because I have no idea what was going on. Thank you Daylight "Saving" Time. Everyone! Run up your heating and electric bills in the morning and DO NOT SHOP in the evening. 

Somewhere in there is also endless hours of Senate/House/Congressional Hearings that I'm finding endlessly fascinating and Being Erica, a CBC show but airing in the US on  Soapnet. Fun premise. Her shrink sends her back in time to work out her issues.

There's been knitting but not much progress. I finally took Mary Tudor's sleeves off the two circs and onto dpn's thus decreasing the time it took me to knit one row from 30 minutes down to ten. I still can't believe it took me thirty minutes to knit one row of a sleeve. Practically at the cuff. Mind you, I'm a whole five more rows since last photographed but considering I'm working day and night and still actually reading some blogs (in the most haphazard manner EVER), not half bad.

Brigitte sent this darling thing to Hezekiah.

Hez sez "I know it's not a real mouse but it is fun to carry around and torment. Never in front of a camera though! The Oath of the Hunter, y'know" (which is very annoying, let me tell you - The Blog Photographer).

Photographic Evidence

Evidence of Lace Edged Elegance aka Golden Gate aka That Da**** Orange Thing (and I don't really like the back but that could be because it's freezing today.) (43F/6C)

Evidence of the Cable Cardigan aka V Pointed Charmer (all I have left to do is the picot crochet edging, already started) (Crochet is kind of fun. Who knew?)

Evidence of the continued (but stalling) progress on the Curve of Pursuit - Hez is actually under it under the covers but I'm not sure you can tell.

Evidence of my Nana Sadie Rose custom made Grace:   Further evidence that I think a purse must be able to do is hold my wallet, a book, lipgloss and a cellphone. This holds all that and more and is a really sweet, light backpack yet elegant purse to carry.

Evidence that good intentions don't necessarily make for a good system: You tell me. How do you get anything out of that shed?

Oh! I thought I'd posted this awhile back, it's the Hub Cab restaurant on Bonanza after a car went through the front door.

Hez sez: "It's cold out there! I advise you to sit home, stay in front of your television set and make good use of any available lap [Knit if you can. Attention hog. Er, cat] Sadly, other than Cold Case and Leverage [Not half bad. Two Words. Christian Kane] there isn't much on Sunday nights. Okay, cheesy multiple episodes of The Librarian, [which, if I'd listed to my mother, I'd be today. A regular librarian. Probably not THE Librarian.] NCIS on Tuesday, I think Leverage will be 10pm Tuesday nights on TNT  Bones is going to be on at 9pm this Wednesday. Why is Gray's Anatomy the only show on Thursday night?  If it wasn't for Kevin McKidd, I could have a TV free night. Mom will watch The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Heroes tonight, but unless I find out who and what Sylar really is, Im boycotting it in favor of a nap."

[Yeah, really awful picture, even by my standards, but she refused to cooperate or for that matter, get out of my lap most of the weekend.]

It Had Better Be Friday

Because I am DONE with this week. (Well, it was Friday. I'm good with it being Saturday. Can it stay Saturday?)  I've spent the better part of the last three weeks packing up the old office and unpacking in the new office (which I love. I have a HUGE desk now, most of whose surface is pretty much covered as usual but more spaciously.) But yikes, what a PITA. Not only was I having to do actual physical labor, I had no online access the first week and It turns out I had practically no work access either because most of my programs are web based. Who knew? And then new wireless mouse and keyboard were giving me fits. I was practicing a little percussive maintenance on the mouse when I finally tried new batteries last night. Oddly enough, new batteries were helpful.

Now I'm spending the better part of my days trying to get all the non profits done by next Monday and then, hopefully catching up on my blogs. Google Reader has declared that the latest shall be first. (Okay, I can actually change that, but it's handy. I lurve Google Reader. But wow, posting is out of control this month. What happened? it got dark and everyone took to their computer?).

TV: Life moved to 9pm on Wednesdays. The show might be on the bubble but it's pretty good. They can't think too badly of it, moving it to Wednesday from a Friday-Night-Kill-This-Show slot, where Fox is putting The Sarah Conner Chronicles next week. I can't say I blame Fox, while I'm still watching the show, I mostly feel like slapping John Conner upside the head and sending him to his room. Who wants to watch some mewling whiny teenager? Save the world, moron.

I hear My Own Worst Enemy was cancelled. That's another show I wanted to like and was watching but really made no sense at all. Sons of Anarchy is my new favorite show. [Warning, that page has a loading time and a really, really annoying chugging soundtrack] And LIfe on Mars is the other, although I really wish I could see the BBC version.  I'm also being forced to watch Gray's Anatomy for Kevin McKidd who was just added as a series regular.

Knitting: There's some progress on Mary Tudor's sleeve, amazingly enough.  Have I shown a picture of the beaded scarf Joan sent me? A little progress there too. (Not that you can tell by the terrible lighting and it'll need to be blocked when I'm done, but the beads!) The cabled cardigan is seamed and the collar safety pinned on while I figure out how to attach it (I want a reversible kind of i-cord). 

A mindless knit  was required for a Knitting Retreat aka Continuing Education last Monday and since I cannibalized the original Curve of Pursuit yarn for the cable cardigan, I picked up some burgundy Cascade 220. I wanted burgundy in the first place but the LYS didn't have any. [Yes, that flaming red is dark burgundy IRL]. And I'm surreptiously knitting on the super secret cable scarf for my SIL (hopefully she likes hunter green but there is no way I'm knitting that pattern in black, you'd never see the cable work).

The stupid weather is back into the 80's - I want winter! But I'm loving Standard Time.  I drove over the Benicia Bridge right around 5:30pm and the full moon was just enormous, lighting up the Mothball Fleet and the Suisun Bay. Glorious. I'd've taken a picture except for the whole life threatening aspect of it.

Books:

The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo. A werewolf with a conscience. Grittier than most but an excellent read.

The Last Queen by C W Gortner. A fictionalized account of the life of Juana of Castile, aka Juana the Mad. I knew she was Catherine of Aragon's sister and therefore Henry VIII's sister in law and that she was madly in love with her husband but I hadn't realized just how long she had lived or how her children were raised. Interesting.

The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire by Andrew Wheatcroft. I'd picked the book up to find out more about Philip, Juana's husband but they were barely mentioned. The Habsburgs? were a wee crazy.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale. I was practically halfway through this book before I realized it was non fiction. It did read a bit dryly but I thought that was a novel choice. It's the story of an unsolved crime involving a young child in 1860.  - Wilkie Collin's The Moonstone was loosely based on the crime. The beginning of the Age of the Detective and the last gasp of a man's home was his castle.

The Plague Tales by Ann Benson. The book tells the story from alternating viewpoints of a 14th century Jewish doctor Alejandro Canches (Hernandez)  in the court of Edward III and Janie Crowe, a doctor living  in a futuristic 2005 (the book was written in 1997), a post newfangled plague world where millions have already died from a mysterious flu - which makes the 2005 characters actions particularly perplexing, however they did move the plot along.  A not half bad read (thanks to Alejandro) but The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis along similar lines was far better.

Poison Pen by Sharon Lowe, the first in a new mystery series featuring Claudia Rose, a graphologist (as is the author). The book was a fun romp, after I got over Lindsay Alexander being bad, more or less. [It took me awhile to realize I kept thinking of the Alexander Lindsay Wildlife Museum that has evidently dropped the "Alexander"], Peculiarly enough, I keep trying to analyse my handwriting now.

The Optimist's Daugher by Eudora Welty Bridget reviewed this book (back in early Sept if you want to look up her original review), thought I might enjoy it, and she was right. It's a short story about a young widow dealing with her younger stepmother and her life during her father's final days and funeral. It's hard to describe (for me, coherently, like everthing else)  but I came away feeling that I knew so much more than the story seemed to say. Eudora Welty was a genius.

Okay all that and it's all TV, books and some knitting pix? Harumph.

Nothing from Nothing Leaves Nothing

Hez sez "It's what time? What? I'm not getting up now. Go ahead. Get breakfast ready, willya?"

Hez, playing with her mouse (from Mrs Pao, whose lovely coffee swap package goodies for me are on the right (possibly minus the chocolate bars - it said Emergency Chocolate so I felt I had to eat it immediately). Notice the slightly scrunched "K" on the coffee bean package - I might have made a pot with it before attempting to photograph.....

Notice how Hez can play with her mouse and keep an eye on me. Just in case I decide to take another vacation. I think  any requests are going to be denied.

And then she's taking her turn in The Chair. She's been sleeping in it at night. In fact, she's been hopping into it the second I get out of it, whether I'm done with it or not. Then gives me The Look. 

I have done nothing at all on Mary Tudor, she stays unsteeked. I did get the cable cardigan seamed - all but the collar and the crochet edging. I'm convinced I've seen a collar sewn on with i-cord - wouldn't that look so much nicer?

It's possible all my knitting mojo has been sapped by The Fairy Godknitter who sent me this  and that is all I've been doing. The winding of the skein (I really, really need to pick up a ball winder one of these days - the yarn is Heather by Schaefer and the colorway is called Georgia O'Keefe. It was the most weirdly tangled yarn I've ever wound. It would be fine and then all sorts of fishnetting. So after an evening of ball winding I spent an evening of bead stringing.

It's possible that the reason that you're not supposed to string eleventy million beads on all at once is that you'll be shifting eleventy million beads for virtually an entire skein. Cookie also pointed out that it could be hard on the yarn. I didn't mean to string them all on, I was watching MI-5 and didn't actually notice. 

And now I'm attempting to master the art of bead knitting. It's fun, but I'll tell you, NOTHING comes easily to me. Stupid learning curve. At least I'm hoping it's a learning curve.

TV is picking up. Mad Men on AMC Sundays, The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Heroes and My Own Worst Enemy on Monday (am I the only one who thought that "driving your car and driving a wife are two entirely different things" was funny? It keeps getting dissed but it cracked me up. Besides, I like Christian Slater. The show was a little uneven but it was only the first episode, unlike Heroes whose sole purpose lately is to be confusing as all get out. The bad guys are good! The good guys are flies! Oh, Mohinder. Cocooning your neighbor is just such a bad idea. Unless he's Wilford Brimley). 

Tuesday nights, watch The Mentalist with Simon Baker (of The Guardian, Smith). And NCIS and House, which is a little harder since they're on at the same time. CUT THAT OUT.

What else was good? Hmm. Life on Mars wasn't bad. Odd, but not bad. I've got to see the original BBC version now. And Life wasn't bad either. What's this, it's second season? I thought it sounded ridiculous, a former cop going to prison and then being freed and reinstalled in his job but.....it's pretty good. Friday nights at 10pm on NBC. I think NBC does not have a lot of faith in it.

There's just been a whole lot of not much lately. I'm suffering After Vacation-itis. I just want To Go Somewhere. Too bad there's nothing around here........

If It's October Does that Mean It's Fall?

You must visit Union Purl and see her Q addition to her abecedarium [pictured at left].  Not only a *coolaphonic rendition of a Q in a cable quatrefoil but she includes so many interesting bits of information on the provenance of q's, architecture, Disney, photos, knitting, word origins, as she has on all her entries to date. Don't miss them. For example,Wynkyn de Worde? Truly, as Union Purl says, a beguiling name. Of course he was a publisher and printer, it seems almost ordained. I'm just thankful he didn't dabble in the winkin' forms of publishing.

My poor mother was in a hit and run accident last Friday afternoon. Luckily she was not seriously injured (her car was pretty slammed up, front end/side damage and the seatbelt broke. Broke and smoked. There's apparently a battery in there somewhere)and the hit and run driver was caught almost immediately. but she has the most spectacular bruise on her chest and she has refused to let me take a picture of it and post it on my blog. Can you imagine?

You Are Blackmail

You are a good detective. You have dirt on everyone you know. And instead of gossiping, you sit on information that may be useful to you someday. You love power games. Especially if (and pretty much only if) you have the upper hand. You are brilliant and calculating. No one knows what you have in store!

What Felony Are You?

From the ever felonious Purling Dervish, of course.

WHAT'S ON TV: 

Mad Men last night was creepy. What's with Betty? And Glen, who is what? 10 years old? and living in the backyard. Her reaction was so inappropriate. I was surprised she actually called his mother. 

Tonight?: Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. (Fox 8pm) I do love this show but I hope it's not going to turn into Cameron: Misunderstood Killing Machine.

Heroes at 9pm. Sylar might be good? Maybe. Maybe not. Mohinder's special power turned out to be his abs. Who knew?

Tuesday. Once again the networks hate me. I have to decide between NCIS or House? Gah. Normally I'm all about House but I flip to NCIS at the commercial break and get hooked on Mark Harmon. Thankfully by 9pm, it's all cable. Either Supernatural Science on the PBS stations or Ancient Discoveries on The History Channel.

Wednesday at 8pm Bones on Fox, of course. 9pm is Project Runway on Bravo. At this point, I'm rooting for Jerrell to win. Possibly Leanne. Maybe Korto. Not Kenley. 10pm is another tough choice. Either Lipstick Jungle that I basically watch for Paul Blackthorne (and pine for the departed Dresden Files) but Kim Raver is on it too. I hate Kim Raver. Or do I watch CSI NY where the romance between Danny and Lindsay seems to have vanished?

Thursday: Ugly Betty (ABC) 8pm. I've gone two whole seasons without ever seeing this show but nooooo, I had to catch it in Cambria. I hear it's not as good as it was, but it's pretty cute. Not to mention that Gray's Anatomy follows it which is back to being  Must See TV for me (really, Must See Kevin McKidd) (and possibly pray for George's untimely demise).

Life on Mars at 10pm (ABC) looks interesting. Here's hoping it's just as good as Journeyman and lasts longer. Oh rats. The Eleventh Hour premieres in the same time slot and looks equally intriguing.

  September Books. This'll be quick. I finished two whole books, Maureen Corrigan's Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading and Stephen Budiansky's Murder, By the Book. I enjoyed both. I couldn't help but think that Maureen Corrigan would love Budiansky's mystery novel as Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey and his wife figured so prominently in it.

September Knitting No, I didn't finish ANYTHING. No steeking, not done seaming the brown cable cardigan (but closer). I may or may not have started some Christmas presents...

Hez sez there are no new pictures of her since she's basically glued to my arm whenever she deigns to come in the the house. She missed me.

* (You may blame Bloody Hell It's a Book Barrage aka chartrooose for that term.Cool wasn't enough. Now I'm using coolaphonic and I am positive I am #1 too old and #2 the wrong crowd to be using that term

We Are Not Amused

LOLcat says:
more animals

Seriously, thank you for all the help, support and suggestions! Also now I know who to call when I want to go on a bender.

I already knew to call Marina about all things Starmore. (Not to mention Latitude 61, Lorraine, The Knittin' Brit, Brigitte, WIP Insanity. Unraveled Again.....and pretty much everyone else.) 

I bit the bullet and frogged.

The hard part was making the decision to frog it.

The easy part was frogging it. It was only ten rows, after all.  I'd managed to be off by not just four stiches but six - on each front - at the center front. The row gauge was still correct but the slope of the collar would be a bit extreme - not to mention the 12 short stitches.

I'll say one thing for Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift, it was really simple to pick up and restore all 900 million the stitches and stitchmarkers to their correct placement. Shetland wool really does 'stick'.I think it took me 15 minutes and that's only because I was obsessively counting the 42 stitch chart repeats.

Just for clarity (and hilarity), all that lovely orange and pink was what had to be frogged and was my Saturday knitting. Wasted Days and Waaaasted Niighhts.

Notice the careful notation of the decreases every other row on the side of the chart.

How could I have missed that? No idea. But look at my carefully (and ingeniously, if I do say so myself) wrapped "rows".   I've to date, reknit just one of those rows.  

Amusing/Possibly Insightful Wordles from Crooked Timber on the Presidential and VP's campaign speeches. (Not so much the comments)

TV: Fringe premieres tonight at 8pm on Fox. I think I'm going to skip it. Fox has a terrible track record (did I mention The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiered last night? Whoops - it was pretty good) and it [Fringe] looks like it going to be an incoherent mess.  Eureka is on at 9pm on the Sci Fi Channel and Evolve: Communication on the History Channel at 10pm.

Wednesday Nina will be back on Project Runway. Yay! Bones at 8pm. I missed the premiere.

Hez sez "First of all, quit taking my picture. And yes, I do love my Dream Curl. I like it better with catnip but I see someone mistook MY catnip for their oregano (True. For the record, grilled corn on the cob is quite delicious with catnip seasoning.) Secondly, I tried to get you to stop knitting her wrong but would you listen and cuddle me? No."

Hallelujah! I hope

KNITTING  I think - I really do - I think I've managed to knit one of the sleeves of That Da****d Orange Thing. It's been entirely knit top down style and attached to the body of the sweater without any horrible rippling and bunching - it needs to be blocked, no question about it and I can't keep a consistent gauge to save my soul but it looks like that top is going to have at least one sleeve!

Which is good because I have to finish it before I can start my next project and it is whimpering and pleading and carrying on so I'll start it. Not to mention the three pairs of socks I have on the needles. 

TV - I think tonight is Mike Logan's last appearance on Law & Order Criminal Intent. [sob]

At 10pm, Mad Men's new season starts, the final episode of Who Will Be the Next Food Network Star (I'm hoping that they all are forced to share a show. Lisa is a wee bit pretentious,  Adam is occasionally far too goofy and Aaron freezes) and In Plain Sight  just to make sure I miss something.

Monday: 9pm TNT The Closer.
Lost Royals on the PBS station at the same time looks good too.

Tuesday: Eureka's back! Eureka! I can hardly wait.

Wednesday: Project Runway (Blayne can stay. For a bit. He was so cutely apologetic when he was caught mocking Cheroin's Leatha mantra. It's such a change of pace to find someone in the wrong who doesn't go on the offensive but actually prostrates himself before her.)

Thursday: Burn Notice, baby! I love this show.

Friday - Monk & Psych will have to wait until Dr Who and Stargate Atlantis are done with their season. (Really, until Saturday when they air sometime during the day)  Dr Who was Part One of Two and - [gnashes teeth] I will be SO MAD if David Tennant is"regenerated" off the show! I thought I couldn't get over Christopher Eccleston (I can't do it twice. Shut up.) But the next season of Dr Who doesn't air on BBC until 2010.Two -oh and freaking TEN.

Shhh. Hez is stalking two birds hopping around the rose bushes. The better pictures are on the other computer, along with the pictures of Lambtown week ago Saturday.

I finally downloaded Firefox and solved all my problems with slowness on Ravelry and Typepad. The only thing I can't do is comment hallf the time at Musings of a Bookish Kitty. It endlessly loops on the word verification.

Oooh, I shifted Princess Hezekiah off of my hand (I like the blood to circulate, oddly enough) and she bit me. Not breaking the skin biting, but scraping teeth to indicate displeasure. Also the keyboard is too noisy.

Cross your fingers for me that I have an actual finished object soon! With SLEEVES!

And that I can get the claws out of my thighs.