My Middle Name is Patience

A Sweater in Pieces and a Smackdown

I finished knitting it! Whoo! Mind you, it still needs blocking, seaming, the picot edging crocheted on and, the way it stretched, a nice trip in the dryer but WHOOO! I finished knitting it!

Notice the elegant blocking.. .

In other news, Typepad is so slow that I can barely post. Tara tagged me and one day I swear I'll get Typepad the 40 hours it needs to let me type it. It's making me crazy. So crazy that I'm not even going to try to fix that sentence. HURRY UP AND FIX THIS.

Hez sez: "Go Bluejay! Kick his butt! Send him packing! Napping in OUR yard. The gutty nerve."

(Bluejay upper right around 2:00 by green hose. Click to enbiggen.)

Gray and White Visiting Cat says "Zzzzzzzzzzzz."

Mostly Books But Also The Possibility of Me Walking In Front of a Bus

If it's April 1st then that means that April 15th is actually going to arrive, doesn't it?

Doesn't it? Because seriously, if it doesn't, that bus looks mighty inviting. Maybe I'll just board the bus, as opposed to stepping in front of it. Terrible thing to do to a bus driver. Way too much paperwork.

Look at all the lovely Tess Monaghan's that the lovely Knitted & Purled sent me eons ago. The end of February in fact. I'd never read Laura Lippman's mysteries before, I really enjoyed meeting Tess.

For a change of pace, no quiz. A book meme! via Teabird:

1. What book are you reading right now? Science Friction by Michael Shermer.

Wow, I drafted this awhile ago. I'm actually reading The Man Who Never Missed by Steve Perry as my carry-'round and Fraction of the Whole by Stephen Tolz.

2. What was the last book you read on a plane? Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. Finally, a period of time where I just sat down and dove into it. So much better than indulging in my normal "we're all going to die" airplane chatter.

3. What was the last book you read on a roadtrip? Most of the road trips I do the driving. But I've listened to audiobooks occasionally. The most memorable one was a trip up Hwy 1 with my ex best friend listening to a Jude Deveraux romance and the book ended at EXACTLY the moment we pulled into the motel parking lot. Hwy 1 gets really creepy at night when it cuts back inland and I swear, we saw a cemetary on the coast that evening (twilight, naturally) that has never been there since.

4. What was the most unusual place you found yourself reading? Unusual? I read anywhere, any place, any time. Once, trapped in an elevator, but IMO, that's a pretty normal way to occupy your time when you can't get out of a tiny stifling place suspended nine floors above ground.

5. What books would you take to keep you occupied on a two-week vacation to the beach? Whatever books I'd take to keep me occupied on a two week vacation in the mountains, or in Europe or on the way to work or......whatever I was reading at the time. The real question is, what knitting projects would I bring?

More books to indulge in my favorite knitting stitch obsession - Annie Maloney's books at Needlearts Book Shop. And the packaging was so darling too, brown paper package tied up in ribbon. I torn it off for the books inside in a hot second though. The cables are just amazing.

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The progress on V - notice how there's only one buttonband?  (Well, maybe you can't notice, considering the quality of that picture, but there is only one. Now.)

Before? Cleverly, I'd knit one on each side.

In fact, not just knit it, I actually said "OMG, I don't have the buttonband on this!"

And dropped stitches to knit it in.

About fifteen rows later I noticed that I was knitting a buttonband on both sides. GAH. It took me most of the month to get that far too.

Hez sez: "Why are you knitting and reading when you're home when you've been neglecting me so horribly? by never being home? I refuse to even look at you, you neglectful thing."  She utterly refused to pose in the tulips outside too, even with cat treats as an incentive.

My Own Little Pitiful Party....

Oh well. Better that I'm gainfully employed. And SIL's birthday is Friday (Happy Birthday, SIL!), my parents 50th Anniversary is Saturday and Easter is on Sunday. I plan to work through all of them.

But look! Look what I did!

I have even cast on for the left side. And knit a row. Mind you, it's four stitches, but it's started. I'm just shocked I've gotten this far what with the insane hours I'm working.

There was a brief moment of panic when I held it up to me and realized how low cut it was going to be but.....there's that little thing called swatching (*cough*the sleeve*cough) that shrunk up a bit in length when I heaved it (gently) into the washing machine so I deliberately made the back longer. I'd just forgotten in the ensuing years....

From Purling Dervish:

You Are Peppermint Flavored Gum

You have a sharp mind that is always churning. You are mentally hyper. You're always thinking of something. And while your mind is always on, you're not the most physically active person around. Some people make mistake you for being lazy, but the truth is: you never relax. You tend to get so deeply into your projects that you ignore everything around you. You are creative and cutting edge. You love telling people about your newest ideas and discoveries.

What Flavor Gum Are You?

See? I never relax. Just because it looks like I'm lying on the couch staring vacantly into space, I am DEEPLY THINKING. And I do love telling people my newest ideas and discoveries! Sometimes I have to follow them down the road for several miles before it's all carefully explained to them.......

No, that's not blurry, why do you ask? I might have swatched for a ribbed pullover that I'm going to have to make up the pattern myself. Aren't the colors lovely and Spring-like? It's the tape yarn I was going to do the Joan Vass top out of before I realized how much I loathed the way I look in raglan sleeves.

And from Pick Up Sticks:

What Carrie Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Strive? I do not strive for perfection. I merely obtain it. Hahahahahahaha.

Hez, not so much playing with the giant mouse that has moved into her condo as bemusedly cleaning her shoulder. She occasionally runs by and whacks one of the crackly ears but that's about it.

So. Is it August yet?

Daylight Saving Time Is Evil

Firstly, DST is an evil, evil practice and must be abolished. Even my computer is ignoring it.

Secondly, found at chitta'svrtti's:

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Odd, you'd think they'd be used to me always being right by now....... and I love theories and dreams! But yes, it's true. I am utterly brilliant. Just ask me.

That's how far I'm at on the front - almost done! With the rightside. Then the left side to do but with any luck, I'll have all the numbers and it'll be smooth kniting. [knocks violently on wood. Well, my desk. It looks like wood. CE].

I'm not super happy where the buttonband binding ended up on the  pattern but it does have a nice big floppy collar so it's not really going to matter. And could I have taken a worse picture? Oh yes. Do not underestimate my skilz.

TV. Jericho tonight! 10pm CBS. I cannot believe who they killed off last week. Just breaks my heart. It's not doing fabulously in the ratings and I'm way sad about that but I wish they'd concentrated a little less on The Bomb and Who Dropped It and more on What People Do When The Life as They've Known it Is Over. Only in Jericho? Not so much. Nice allegory on Iraq though.

Uh Oh

The buttonhole side is the "public" side, right?

Argh. Then this is the side where I need to buttonhole band pattern to be right? Are you sure?

Rats.

Jericho on Tuesday Night 10pm CBS

Watch it. Or else.

In other news - other than one of my shows actually being uncancelled and airing again - YAY! I am going to live. Live! I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to breathe through my nose, not have my very own snot factory in full production and not be freezing and aching. The flu sucks.

Of course it's been replaced by working 24/7 but that turns out to be a better alternative. Who knew?

Hezekiah fights the evil flu. Or possibly jute covered rattling balls tied together. Her new favorite toy. [Wipes a tear away] My baby is playing with toys! She used to run in fear from them. Now she takes no prisoners.

The lovely prizes I won from Carrie at the Barefoot Cobbler - is that mint box not the cat's meow? And hey. There were

chocolates! (Were being the operative word....)

You Are a Ham Sandwich

You are quiet, understated, and a great comfort to all of your friends. Over time, you have proven yourself as loyal and steadfast. And you are by no means boring. You do well in any situation - from fancy to laid back. Your best friend: The Turkey Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Oddly enough, my mortal enemy is my go-to dinner. I'm not that fond of ham sandwiches either. Where's the peanut butter? Loyal and steadfast. Quit giggling.

In knitting news, I cast on the right front edge of the V Pointed Charmer by Lauren Devecka Sunday night. The back, it is finished! And the sleeves! I'm really in love with this pattern. I did have delusions of knitting both fronts simulataneously until I realized that the V part of the name was the fronts and also I have left/right issues.

Hezekiah says that she is an angel. Also? Keep it down. A cat needs her beauty sleep you know......

Maudlin Monday

TV: Anyone watch Mansfield Park on the Masterpiece Theater Jane Austen series last night? Anyone else have a hard time placing who the sister Maria was played by? The New Bionic Woman. Could not believe it.

I think I caught a glimpse of Adam from MI-5 in the crowd during the wedding scene.

Well. I think they caught the, ah flavor of the book.  I haven't read it and was basically flipping through the book last night double checking the scenes, it seemed to be a somewhat faithful adaption if hideously abridged, not that the nuances of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram's fondness of Fanny came through. It seemed to be somewhat added to the end. But oh well. Not half bad. How did it stack up to the book if I'd actually read the book beforehand?

And, typically, there's another good show on during the Austen series timeslot, if an entirely different century and culture. Breaking Bad on AMC at 10pm Sunday night is pretty intense. It's an interesting compare and contrast of society of 1808 to 2008 (note: blogging license with the dates) if you watch them back to back. (That link is a clip, so be warned.)

Knitting-wise:

That would be the back of the super secret not-jinxed-yet cable cardigan and another preemie cap for the K3tog Preemie Cap drive. Yes! Another! I have finished multiple caps! As in, more than one, which is normally quite pathetic but I was having one unbelievably difficult time with the first one. 

Here's a better another shot of the back of the cardigan: It's just fiddly enough to keep it interesting but easy enough to memorize. Even the shaping is easily done.

In Bad Parenting Cat news, I managed to squash Hezekiah under the automatic garage door on Saturday coming home from work. I'm fairly certain I only managed to pin her but it freaked me out and I don't think she was all that happy with it either. She immediately ran away from me into the back yard but considering it was dark and rainy, deigned to come into the house about an hour later. She's been hopping in and out of her cat tree and hasn't missed a meal yet, but she's still going to the vet later this afternoon. I keep thinking internal injuries or hairline fractures. And the guilt! The guilt! I feel so horrible.

Mt Diablo as seen from Pine Hollow Rd last week. No snow now, but there was still some over the weekend!

I have recently discovered The World of Podcasts (love my iPhone!). Anyone have any favorites to recommend? I've subscribed to

• Cast On
• Sticks and Strings Knit Science
• Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
• Hot For Words
• Berkeley Groks
• The Math Factor
• Stash & Burn

Hez sez: "How could you?"  And "Check out the 24th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering."

The Flu is not Fun

Yucko, in fact. I thought I was pretty much cured after a weekend of coughing, congestion, stuffiness and snot but since walking upstairs to my office has left me pretty much wanting to curl up and sleep on my desk, maybe not. I hate having a fever that gives you the cold shakes and why on earth is sleeplessness part of the symptoms?  The least a cold should do is confine you to bed, knitting, reading, watching TV or sleeping. Sleeping. Not tossing around alternately freezing and boiling and going through a forest of Kleenex.

Oh well. I am pretty much over it. Just not the self pitying grumpy part, evidently.

There's been knitting but I'm afraid if I show it or name it, all productivity will cease. (Oh, okay. Check this out. ) (Yes, that's productivity.) (It is too.) (I'm working under the assumption that a lot of the irregularity will block out. Which it might, you know.)

At least it wasn't as bad as knitting preemie caps for K3tog. Everything that could go wrong with the first cast on did. Moebius'ed. The cable cast on came apart. (I have never had that happen before. I've moebius stripped a join occasionally, but even that's rare for me, much less having the cast on itself unravel. I'm not even sure that's physically possible, other than it happened.) What else? The join was a mile wide. The number stitches I cast on was really off for the yarn I was using. Good thing they're tiny.

Did anyone catch Persuasion Sunday night? I'm fairly positive (which was confirmed) that no way would Anne go running down the streets after Wentworth. I have got to read the book. I'm on a PBS kick. I watched Island at War last night - part One of Five [gnashes teeth] and despite it being another Nazi flick, I was pleasantly surprised. Well, not pleasantly, the Nazis invaded the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, represented in the movie as St Gregory's Island. The story follows the islanders and how they deal with the occupation.

Tonight is Monarchy with David Starkey at 8pm. I'm on a PBS kick.

Happy Cat! Basking in the sun. Shivering on the cold deck, but basking in the sun. Basking in the sun inside too with the added bonus of having a lovely set of knitting instructions to lay on.