Projects and Progress

I'm a little house bound this morning, waiting on the neighbors cable guy while he takes his fam to lunch plus the impending visiting of a friend. So I figured I would just clean up a little and show you what I've been up to. For starters it was veg week for us half box CSA people, and we got WATERMELON...

After I consumed most of that I had some knitting to do. I might be moving slowing on it but I can't wear it for a few more months any way, I finished the back of Basic Black.

Of course this is just the shoulder shaping.
I've kinda lost my knitting mojo these since the summer has arrived. I've been trying to stay away from the tv and when I do watch I'm at home so my knitting has suffered. I figured I could do with something more engaging then basic black for my evening knitting. The sweater will be my "take to work" knitting.

So I rummaged through the stash, and pulled out some magazine. The Stork's Nest Scarf from Piecework was perfect. Plus I had yarn!

Tomorrow after I clean the bathroom, I'll start some sewing.

Thanx Jeff

While my Mom visited when got manicures and pedicures from the great ladies over at Gist. One of the ladies is a TN/KY boarder native and gave us the skinny on some of the stranger and cooler things around this parts. One of these strange things is a huge ass monument to the one and only confederate President.

So we drove out, I took some pic's and we went to Hoptown for lunch at a kickin' little place called Lic's.

Well this all comes back to Jefferson Davis because today while I was cruising along highway 41A after drinking a whole soda and having frozen groceries in my boot (trunk for non-mini drivers). I came to a full stop. All of us where forced to turn around. I was dangerously low on gas and was forced to return to Hoptown. Now I'm stuck, the little highways were full up with big ass trucks and mini vans. MMMM Wait! The monument! I just drove back there and then home. If I had never ventured out to see the old guy I would have spent an hour in first gear. Instead I zipped home with the windows down and the AC off listening to my music very loud.
Thanx

Great Big Diet Adventure!

Hi everyone out there in blog land! Tomorrow begins day 1 of my great big diet adventure. I'll weigh in and measure up tomorrow and then we'll get this thing started. I've got to get down to about 135lbs. So you're all going to help to keep me honest. We'll start this in the morning for now its bed time.

Welcome New Friend

I've always loved odd old things. 1963 Chevy Nova's, single stitch Singer Sewing Machines, Sets of vintage red bakelite kitchen canisters. While out on a mission to find a new pressure cooker sealing ring (long story that has nothing to do with me) and while on company time I found this.....

A 1935/36 Royal Touch Control, in its original case. Still works too,

No idea what I'm going to do with it other than type poorly, but it'll be fun. Plus its very photogenic. Smile!

'Maters

Yumskie....

I couldn't wait any longer so off the little guy came, and into the house.


I chopped it up with some fresh basil and popped it into my pasta dinner.


I've got plenty more on the way.

In other news, I finished a little project..

Un-tagged MEME

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
OOOO thats a good one. I was like two weeks out of my sophomore year of high school. My best friend had just graduated and I had met the man (then teenager) that would become my husband. More importantly than all that I was recovering. I was 16 and had just had a breast reduction. I had given up buy new bra and started wearing two, a sports bra and a regular one. This might be the strangest and bravest things I've ever undertaken. I've had the new ones longer than the old ones, but I still have some back problems. I can say that I've inspired more than one friend or family member to follow suite.
2) What are 5 things on my To Do list today?
-Make Brownies, for the ice cream fun extravaganza at afternoon break tomorrow.
-Pick up Veggies from the CSA! Yummmers
-Water the plants, basil, tomatoes, egg plant, pepper and the budgie plant
-Run the dishwasher, yuck its stinky, it takes a lot of dishes and its just me
-Mildlessly read my book on the back porch, which leads me to wonder why the neighbors lawn furniture has moved.

3)Snacks that I enjoy
- Chips (kettle chips), sugar snap peas, cookies, cheese and crackers, cheese and apples

4)Things I would do if I was a billionaire
Pay off the college loans, the house, and the cars
Pay for the cousins to go to college
Quit
Start my own yarn/art/fabric store
Spend the next year traveling
Buy my parents a place on the beach and in the mountains

5)Places I've lived
Baton Rouge, LA
Bellevue, WA
Moscow, ID
Lawton, OK
Clarksville, Tn

6)Jobs I've had
House Cleaner
Clerk @ Nature's Pantry, a health food store
Office Girl/ Yard Manger - neighbor's Repo Lot (best ans crazy job I've ever had)
Waitress Lefty's Cafe (started as a short order cook, and moved to waitress, my boss said I was "bubbly"
Sub Teacher in Lawton OK
Office Worker for the Red Cross
Waitress at the now closed Cafe 541
Medical Technologist (lab girl) Horizon Hospital
Microbiologist Breathitt Vet Center

There you've learned something about me

oops!

Well sorry about that. I have been here this whole time but a combination of busy, nice weather and friends have prevented me from sitting down for more than like 10 minutes. In fact on Monday I was taking out my garbage and before I new what was happening I was at Cheese Burger Charlie's and going to see the new Adam Sandler movie. When did I go back to college?
So now then, The Budgies who live in my plants has two babies! I bought fabric and a purse pattern. One tomato is quite red and very salmonella free. I finished up and started some projects. Had a great weekend and plan on having another.
Here are some pictures of the fleece project that Bluebird and I worked on two weeks ago.

Pre-wash (and kinda out of focus)


Mid wash


Final wash


All done out in the sun

I was amazed at how little work it was to wash the wool but we have a ton of it and its going to take a while. Sunday afternoon might be carding day.

Happy Blog

So I was ready a rather well known blogger who just celebrated her 3 blog-birthday. Which got me to thinking, I've had this blog for 3 years too. And I'm not near as cool. I did take a huge chunk of time off to spend with my vox. Oh well kept trying then shall we.
Happy blogging. and happy fridays!!
ps Beer, friends and a nice evening are a great combo.

Down the Rabbit Hole

At 2:55 this morning I rolled over, opened one eye and looked at my super large digit'ed clock. "ahh good, he got a ride home and I can sleep out the last few hours in peace" as soon as I rolled back over and found the cool side of the pillow my phone rang. DRAT! Even if you know that a mid-night phone call is coming it still scares the piss out of you, and you can never not sound like you're stuck in a watery cave. The Hub and I make a rule of making sure friends never have to go to post by themselves or return from the international date line alone. So up I was at the ass crack of dawn. This was were while driving in the dark I slipped down the rabbit hole. I didn't notice it had happened until the morning light.
All seemed normal, but as I was driving in to work happily drinking my french press coffee a guy starts waving at me from his jeep. WAVE WAVE WAVE, window down. Mmmmmm this is worth the laugh lets see. After a brief stop light conversation with a man who thought "he knew me" and wasn't sure "I was from around here" both answers were NO! The light changed and I nearly wet my pants laughing. All was going well at work until my mid-sixties bossman came into the lab and stood there by my bench and stated for all those who could here (he talks very low) "I need my ears swabbed" WHHHHHAT, "Claire does that human stuff" was the boss lady's reply. So there I was swabbing my bosses old man ears. The man is a PhD is Micro I sure as shit hope he knows how to collect a sample on his own. It only went down hill from there. The bursting out in laughter for no reason from lack of sleep and strange events. The fact that we ran clean out of usable blood plates, followed by my clinching of the May Quality Star award.
My advise to anyone is, take the beer. When someone offers you a beer at 4am take it. Say "work sucks, I'm calling in sick" and drink the beer and maybe another one. Go home get back into bed and tried to start the day all over again much latter. Because if something as strange as beer before breakfast is offered you know its not going to be a normal day.

Fiber Fair (not Prunes)

When asked last week, "soooo Claire what are you doing this weekend?", "Fiber Fair" I say. By bench-mate goes back to her work "Really?", "yeah". Streak a few more e.coli. "Fiber, like, fiber?" , "yeah fiber, like alpaca, and sheep". BUSTS OUT LAUGHING. My dear bench-mate was a little confused. She was thinking prunes and dates, not wool and sheep. Now I can't stop a giggle when I say "fiber fair". I see a bunch of little old ladies trying out the newest in prune ice cream. But enough stories about peristaltic action, PICTURES









We followed the fiber with plants and a quick trip to Boobies Diner in Charlotte.

A wheel I could Love

I've been resisting the urge to buy a wheel, hell to even spin. I have a drop spindle that I bought a year plus ago and it was used about twice and then stuffed away. The sheer cost of wheel has kinda put me off, and that I really didn't want to pay for something I wasn't thrilled with. Either too busy, too big or just down right ugly I have never seen a wheel that combined usefulness and beauty (the way I see it). I grew up with a cabinet maker for a dad, everything from the bedside tables to the bathroom vanities where custom and beautiful. This weekend at the Fiber Fair I was smitten. The Schacht Matchless, but at the cost I nearly fell over. To my joy there is a little baby Schacht much like the MINI Cooper. DB is all BMW under the hood and affordable fun on the outside. The Ladybug will be mine by the end of the summer.

Why Hello!

While watering the tomatoes and the pepper...





They've grown since I took those pictures last night.
Tomorrow, The Dickson Fiber Fair, and we're not talking Prunes.

OH Baby!

We've got a cases of the babies around these parts. I can count 4 mama's to be, and 2 more who just popped. Baby knitting is one of those great things, little cute projects that don't use much yarn and don't require a soul sucking amount of time. Recently the draw of the Peaches and Cream was just too much for me.


Winterberry, Fiesta ombre and Earthtone. The Fiesta Ombre will become a shopping tote so I may do away with my sad plastic grocery bag turned lunch box.



HeartBreakingly Cute Baby Kimono, from the Mason*Dixon Knitting Book. Finish products plus their recipients to come soon.

The spoils of war

Its been a busy week. Since we last spoke I've gotten lots done. Nothing really important, I haven't replace the broken mirror or saved any animals but just the little things that make you feel like you really, just really are getting some where. Saturday was to be the neighborhood block party but it was canceled due to the threat of inclement weather. Bummer. This at least freed me up too work on the floor beds that where in dire need of attention. Weeding and new plantings did the trick. Fresh mulch arrived today to finish things off around the grass patch. The inclement weather, I hope you didn't forget about that, it came. The wind blew ALL sunday. Not joking. My freshly freed, from little white packages, tomatoes spent their first full day battling the wind.

They came through and are happily soaking in the sunshine on the back deck as we speak.

DB had his appointment on tuesday. We needed down to the Nashville to stake our claim to a comfy chair. You'd think that when you own a car that can only be serviced in one place that they'd have more seating for you, and all the other nut jobs who bought german auto's too. After spending most of my teenage years aboard the public metro I love a good wait, so to spent the afternoon knitting and drinking free starbucks until my bladder bursts is like old times. I was not disappointed. For starters there was a fellow who was slumped over his clutched briefcase snoring. If this wasn't a strange enough sight for you, another guy was giving me the "ewwwie" eyeball about every 10 minutes. The rich white kid next to me with rasta dreads followed closely by the two blond girls who fell out of MTV's The Hills. One who's pants were so tight she had to walk funny. Now I adopted DB, a lost orphaned MINI abandoned by his owner for a VOLKSWAGON. While at the BMW place I have to contend with brand new buyers. The kind of people who order their autos. I applied all of my charms and just about lunch time, the MINI guy snagged me and stuffed a loaner key into my hand and told me hit the road. I lunched, I shopped, I cookie-ed (lemon ice cookie). I returned to claim my little DB and go home. And back to work.

Thursday brought a new ID card and my new shoes!

Thanks to a big ankle sprain in the 7th grade I have a issue with supination. As I'm getting older I'm begin to get heal pain and well no one wants that. So in steps the "old lady" shoes. The Dansko's are a nice combination of old lady and cute that I can live with.

The final arrival of goodness this week, a little envelope in the mail, with chicken scratch handwriting. I made out my name and address, and the senders. MIKEY! The Hub has know him since he was 14, me since I was 15-ish. He went to high school and college with us. My spoils from a war zone.

The lapis I think will become a necklace, the bracelet is already on.

The rest of friday brings, five yards of bark, baby knitting for the some 4 pregnant women I know who are going to pop in the next two weeks, and the adult beverage of choice on spring evenings.

Working away

With the Dickson Fiber Fair just days away, like 14 or something, I've been working away on my "Something Red" sweater. I really don't need a red sweater but I really need a black v-neck. And I know that knitting in black seems to defeat the purpose and all that jazz but I'll wear the crap out of it.



With just a few more inches on the body, I'll be working on those sleeves very soon. Mostly while I'm waiting for the front bushings on the Cooper to be replaced. They call us "waiters" and we get lunch and all the coffee we can drink while we wait for them to fix our over priced german (or British in the coopers case) autos. We mini's are the red headed step children of the BMW world.

I love bugging them.

Budgie Bribery

I wanted some bird pictures so I got out the big lens and sat at the dinning room table....

Lab Week Wrap-Up

We had a great Lab Week. Almost everyone in the building helped out and had fun. Monday started with "MEGA" break goodies. I should have taken pictures but forgot until it was too late. The food went very fast. We handed out contest rules and got our first look at the baby pictures. Wednesday was the Bake-off and birthday BBQ. Super good food and some super creative birthday cakes. My Pear Custard Pie didn't get eaten, but I wasn't expecting it to. Next year I'm not going for fancy, but creative. As we waited for Friday's sack lunch exchange all the labs worked on the Door decorating contest. While we didn't win for our door, we had the most lab produced art. In the end it was great, we all had so much fun and we're ready for next year! Oh and Friday was the 50th anniversary of the Double Helix, at least so I heard on NPR.

Other than that, I've worked on my lawn and planted some things. Working away on the "something red" sweater. Also trying to will my yard to stop looking silly. I mowed it just to get the weeds down. I then patched it with this funny green blanket stuff. If this doesn't work I may pull it all up. Next week BARK!!! I'll be ordering my 5 yards some time this week. After all this its time for pizza.

HUMMINGBIRDS

I have Hummingbirds!!!!! I didn't think they had made it TN yet. I still put up my feeder up on the first warmish day of the year, but knew that the little buggers wouldn't be up until we had warmed up. I guess we have some early visitors. I hope that sugar water isn't really nasty, its been up there a while.

Budgie-man says...

see more crazy cat pics

A long time coming

So I started my leaf tie cardigan last year. I was hopping to wear it while we were in Las Vegas. That didn't happen for either of the trips. I finally got around to finishing it completely.

PATTERN: Leaf Tie Cardigan, "Fitted Knits"
YARN: Deddie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK, Celery
NEEDLES: US6 Knit Picks Options
MODIFICATIONS: -Longer, -2x2 Rib, -No leaf lie.
I even wore it to work this week. Wow it was a week at work too, we had a major outbreak which needed instant results. Well instant doesn't exist is my line of work. I spent 13.5 hours at work on Thursday.

I ordered some Ultra Alpaca from the big WEBS sale.

My weakness, Lion Brand, shows up again. I was in Nashville at a Michaels and there it was and I needed yarn for a project. I know you don't want to hear it.

FINALLY, I said give me a week and I'd show you some results.

Its very small but very cute, and it only took an hour or so to whip up. You make your own pattern for this project so I think I'll make a larger one next. Up next PILLOWS!

Sew Sew

I've been knitting, in fact I've finished two projects this weekend. I've order two sweaters of yarn, thanks to some really good sales. I've also been sewing. I broke out the little sewing machine that the Hub bought me for my birthday *Cough* um that was the last birthday, not this one.

Its a good little machine, I'll see how I feel about it when I really get going. I've got my eye on a little fancier one. I would fell a little guilty about buying a new one, seeing as this one was a gift.
Sooooo while we were in Nashville one night to blow through a mess of gift cards that the Hub had accumulated from various gift giving holidays I found this book.



Its like the "Stitch and Bitch" of sewing. If you already have a wee knowledge of sewing (thanx mom) its really good at getting you up and running. So here it is, my first project since high school. Back then I made a mess of super ugly purses out of some lime green wide whale corduroy.



After getting that done, I searched town for pattern paper. This mythical thing doesn't seem to really exist. So I just bought big graph paper and stuck them together with tape. I also got some fabric for my next project.



Give me a week or so I'll show you the results.

Snip

Snip, snip went the scissors. On Saturday I went and had my hair cut. I needed shape and well its hard to not trim too much off. I would have liked to have kept some of the length but I'll go with it.

Send happy thoughts to.....

An APO in one of those countries that end in 'STAN. The Hub packed up and headed out this week. Budgie and I send our love. On the plus side, while he packed and packed, and packed, the hub said "you know you could knit me a blanket" YES!! Finally something that he might use and actually wants. Long long ago I began a pair of red socks for him, this is long FA story and I might reward a reader with some sock yarn if they can relay this story. Well he said "they're too girlie" somewhere around the heel flap. Those went in the frog pile. Before he left in '05 I got out the old measuring tape and found what size sweater he'd wear, but promptly lost those measurements and was reminded that he is a human space heater. There went that knitting gift. Promises of handknit gators and helmet liners have be received with "mmm I'm ok" loosely translated "I don't wear the one they issued me, why would I want a fancy one", there goes that one too. But finally something asked for, something I know will get used in the sometime sub-zero high dessert of the 'stans. I picked a nice crochet pattern because a knitted blanket is akin to hot wax and leg hair. I'll be starting that beauty tonight after pad-thai and "The First 48". Honest if you want to send anything over seas to any one please let me know, we have many guys who need support.

We'll do lunch

Girls often say funny things to each other like "I'll call you, we'll have lunch" however we rarely mean these things. Oh we mean them at the moment, but it never really happens. We forget or something comes up more important. Sometimes cell phones are crushed under car wheels other times we just plain don't want to ever speak to, see, or be bothered with these people ever again. Well when I told my blog, "I'll call you" I actually meant it, but I kinda got side tracked. To begin with the mother-in-law came for a slightly un-asked visit. I managed to stress about the 48 hour visit to a zit inducing level and have remained in this pimply state of being for the past week. The Hub is packing and repacking to hit the not so friendly skies. But on a much happier and knitty-ier note I've got some finished things and some started things.

Pattern: Eyelet Cardigan, Lion Brand
Yarn: Lion brand Wool-ease 2 balls, some bluish cooler
Needles: Knit Picks Options
Size: 2 YO
Made for: Co-workers Daughter

I've also started the dread, brain sucking THERMAL!!

It's slow going but I love it, the yarn is so soft and silky. I get tons of compliments on it and I'm no were near finished. Can't wait until I work up enough gumption to finish it in a timely manner. All is well, but check this shit out....

Thats like 3 inches that has fallen since 5pm in Clarksville, and its going to keep on falling all night.

Vegas! A week late.....

Here just a few pictures from our trip.....

The Fountains at night


Old Town


Not really Paris, but it'll do


Hub


Our room looked right out on the sphinxes ass

A short re-cap.....

Before I launch into anything new, lets recap everything from the Super Bowl out.....
That was a sunday....I drank too much, ate too much salty food and went to bed too late. I just kinda was there on monday. Tuesday we had another storm, this time no power outages just a few Tornadoes. Wednesday Ross came home from bragg so I skipped out on work and puttered around the house all day. Thursday was nothing special that I remember. Friday we sent the neighbor off with a far well dinner and beer. Saturday I loaded up the mini and drove to Nashville with Tom to send him back (he made it safe) and went straight home to to continue with the post Bragg laundry. Saturday we had the not so usual suspects over for BBQ chicken and what have you. This puts us into the pre=trip preparations which are all dull.
So its tuesday night, Shonday has stopped by to get the keys to watch the Budgie, and its snowing. Not only is it snowing there is this layer of ice on the porch. Do we drive to nashville now or wait until the morning? Oh hell live dangerously and leave in the morning. This turned out to be the right choice, there was no ice or even water on the roads. The fact that there had been ice since the night before was lost on the airport which took an hour to de-ice our plane causing us to miss our flight out of Denver. We used every once of luck for the day, which was alloted for slots and black jack, to hit a pair of stand by seats on the next one out. I would have liked to see the Airline-esk melt down the Hub was planning if they couldn't get us out of there. Then we hit Vegas.......

BURN, BURN, BURN....

In a lake of fire, Tom Brady. My dearest wish has come true, Tom Brady has died. Ok figuratively but I'll take what I can get. I have no voice left, and don't ever what to see a chicken wing again, but I'm happy. I didn't spend all season watching football at other peoples house not to watch the hell out of this game. So we screamed, yelled, jumped around the room and when it was all over we ran across the street to celebrate with the neighbors. There we rehashed the game, much to the shame of the one New England fan, and then talked about it some more. It was a good clean win, without any New England bullshit, not cheap shots, no close calls. it was good

"there is a great disruption in the force"

Not to give away my super-geekie-ness. My chi, wah, zen, what ever you want to call that great leveling factor that guides my universe is so out of whack that I can't remember what day it is. To start off the Hub is in NC, and he must be having a hell of a good time blowing the hell out stuff with the last remaining 155 in north american because he hasn't called to check on me. My normal work pattern has be thrown off since I've started to visit DNA three days a week and was also pushed into conscripted chicken-killer service on tuesday. You don't want to know, but yes I had to kill them. Then the power went out ALL NIGHT. From about 6:30 um til like 10, no power, plus rain, plus not at the house with any food. That equals a hungry claire. To further disrupt the universe those who should not be here are, ie neighbor Tom. Back for two weeks of paper work fun, and getting muddy foot prints on my clean floors (I'm currently staring at one right now wonder how best to seek revenge). Then as the kindly voices of nashville public radio told me there was a chance of snow, I looked out me window and then got right back into bed. SNOW DAY!!!!! Thinking I might be a huge snow driving wussy right? Nope my other TN dwelling co-worker called and side not to even try, the cops were turning people around at the KY state line. yippie!

Scarf Seasons

So for x-mas/birthday, leaning more toward birthday, Amanda got me a big ol'ball of yarn from Woodstock Wool Company. The yarn is called EGO and in the Lake Hill colorway. This is rather funny and she doesn't know it but I grew up in the Lake Hills area of Bellevue, Wa.



I'm making a 1X1 rib scarf mainly to give my fingers something to do while I get motivated for the year.



After much looking and looking I went to the MALL, the sole sucking mall to find new shoes. I've been nursing my pair of Dankso clogs for all they are worth and at two years they've about had it. They may be supper comfy but they are super ugly. I picked these


All the comfy and little of the cute.

Goodness, me

Well then, Since we last spoke I really haven't been up to much. We had a great New Year with Evan and Amanda, we enjoyed Krug with popcorn. To make sure they had a safe trip home we celebrated the new year a wee early, Chilean new year in fact. The following weekend, 4th, 5th and 6th the Hub and I headed north. Upstate New York, for a friend's wedding which was in great need of uniformed folk. It was a surprisingly fun time. I spent all week playing catch up from laundry and cleaning. This weekend was a complete waste with football and neighborly house cleaning plus a few minor home improvements. I did get a chance to make this.....

I wear it alot, a while I look like a knitwear muffin I LOVE IT. so poooo
Send a happy birthday Jen's way today too.

Ummm

Yeah I have no good excuse for my delinquent-ness. Nothing. I've just been lazy and boring, but still here.