Of course The Girl ran outside ‘cos it doesn’t happen all that often.  Notice her hat?  One of the things I knit while I wasn’t blogging.  The yarn is that Louet Bonnie in the Cold Spring colorway.  I like the yarn but didn’t like the knots.

Later we had dinner.  Steve West cooked tilapia with mango salsa, mashed potatoes and greens.  It was delicious.

A few minutes ago, the po-po arrested three men at gunpoint on the sidewalk in front of the house.  One of them had to be retrieved from our side yard.  I betcha he wasn’t expecting our locked privacy fence to be in his way.  The cops carried his sorry ass down my front bank, right through my hibernating flowers.  I hollered to those fuckers about that one but it did no good.  I’ll have to survey the damage in the morning.  Why couldn’t they use the stairs?

Apparently the guys they arrested had been involved in stealing a car.  I don’t know where the car was but I heard one of the cops say they were doing 100 mph down my street.  The speed limit on my street is 35 mph.  Did I mention the snow has gone to rain and that’s it’s freezing?  Um, yeah.  The way things have been around here lately, I’m just glad bullets didn’t fly.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Can you tell she’s been wearing it – a LOT?  Yeah.

I’m off.  Hopefully I’ll be updating more often.  That’s my goal for 2009.

Gratuitous parting shot:

What’s that? You thought I would just get a wheel or two? No! No way. I purchased two full bundles. That would be 15 to 18 wheels per bundle. That my friends is an ass-load of wool. Have a look at this picture just for perspective

That’s my darling girl holding the bundle. She’s 5′ 3″ 5′1″ (sorry, I was growing her fast.  Good thing we went to the doctor yesterday), just for the record and that is one huge hunk o’ wool. I haven’t opened either bundle yet as I want to wait until I am ready to cast on because the bundles are going to expand. I am not sure how I am going to store them now, so I can’t deal with any expansion. What started this bit of madness? Ponchos. Ponchos on bicycle riders. In Copenhagen. Um, yeah. I decided that a poncho would be the perfect solution for staying warm on my bike in the winter. I hate wearing a coat anyway, and wearing a coat on my bike sucks balls but wearing a poncho on my bike would be the awesome so I ordered wool. Lots and lots of wool. Wool that smells like the zoo. Now I’ve got to get about deciding on a stitch pattern and casting on. Wonder if I can get one poncho done by SAFF? Here, have a look at the close-up while we ponder that last question.

I am really rather surprised I finished these and in less than a week.  I have been in some sort of knit funk lately.  I knit one lonely sock out of some Trekking but can’t get into the pair.  I started knitting the latest sock club sock and frogged it.  (You know, I’ve only knit one sock club sock this year.  One.  Not a pair, one sock.  The green one.)  Just didn’t feel like doin’ it, so I figured short socks would be the thang.  And, it occurred to me that I don’t wear tall socks so why in the hell am I knitting tall socks and tall socks only?  I think it’s partly cheapness on my part.  I don’t want to waste the rest of the hank by going short.  That’s why the Jitterbug worked out ‘cos I’ve got size 10 feet and those hanks of yarn are short.  So there ya have it.  My lazy, cheapass knit a complete pair of socks this week.  Now I am going to try and knit that Trekking match, although I do have some Shibui knits calling my name.  It’s pretty purpley too.  Maybe that’s my problem?  Not enough purple?  Onward.

It was first published in Rowan Magazine 34 but it’s been updated in Rowan 44 using Cocoon since the original yarn has been discontinued.  It’s not in the mag itself but is, or will be if Rowan ever gets the new site launched, a free download.  So imagine it in black or grey or some other dark and dreary color…you have to kind of squint or get up real close to the pic like you do with those 3-D pictures.  I have high hopes people!  High hopes!

Oh yeah – I stole the pic from here, since, well, fucking Rowan’s website isn’t updated.

Quick side note:  I think the dude across the street is totally porking the Zoo Keeper next door who, might I add still hasn’t fixed the gaping holes in her house.  Curious.

I had folded it before the photos so forgive the creases. That’s Sis posing for me. I blocked that sucker at night and it’s hard hard hard to do right with blocking wires and brown yarn so the points are a little wonky, but whatev. It’s done. FINALLY!

Next I finished the Meheeco Socks, just like, 2 minutes ago. You get pics and I gotta get my ass off to packing. I am getting pretty nervous about this whole thing, truth be told, but I am definitely in. Cross your fingers that something doesn’t eat me.

I should be casting on for my socks later this week.  I decided to do the red ribbing/heel/toe because they are so lumberjacky, which amuses me.

On our ride we encountered this piece of lovely

That would be the grown version of The Baby Jesus rising out of the earth – like Carrie reaching her hand out of her grave at the end of the movie.  It reminds me of those huge Orcas outside of those reservation casinos in Washington.  I want to know how they got their parishioners to go for that thing?  Seriously.

I’ve got a big, less whiny update coming later on.  I’ve been doing things.  Again.

I figure the aloe and jojoba oil will only enhance all the greazing up they do with a pedicure.  Anyway, it can’t hurt.  And no, I didn’t even bother matching the stripes.  I wanted to get as much out of the skein as possible and I did.  I still have 29 g left for frankensocks!

Next I got started on March’s RSC shipment, Leafling:

I really love this pattern.  The heel is worked in a semi-crazy way but it totally works out.  That gets the AWESOME ranking.  KnittingSuzanne’s toe mod gets the AWESOME rating, too.  So simple but it never would have occurred to me on my own.  I am glad she came up with it because it finishes the toe off really nicely.

I have knitted some other things along the way that aren’t really blog or Ravelry worthy, but I am producing:  hemp bags/dishcloths/towels…boring shit, that.  This weekend I’ve got gardening to do for MeMe – doesn’t matter how old Southern women get they’ve got to have their gardens – and for myself but I also need to get started on a Mother’s Day gift for Moms.  I’m thinking shawl, as in house shawl.  Something in a heavier weight yarn.  I’ll let you know what I come up with.  Leave it to me to wait ’til the last minute.

Now it’s time for cocktails and smack talkin’ on the front porch.  Catch y’all on the flip.

First, there was Saginaw where we visited Grandma. She’s doing well but doing all that death talk that old people do when they are getting ready to go. She’s old. She’s tired. She’s buried most of her people. I don’t blame her. Still, it was nice to see her. We are planning a road trip up there in the next little bit to gather her up and bring her back down. She’s not up to air travel for personal reasons but she’ll allow us to chauffeur her.

After Saginaw we shuffled over to Windsor and caught the train to Toronto.

The Girl on the Train

I hadn’t been there since 1978, but damn, has it grown. We hit the CN Tower because, well, it’s there and it’s really tall and the last time I was there it wasn’t completed and that open air observation deck was frightening. That deck is still frightening now, completed so nothing has changed. They added the glass floor which is just ridiculously cruel. I wouldn’t go near it and could not watch when The Girl went near it. We also hit the science center but otherwise we walked the neighborhoods.

Moms and The Girl

That was taken on our last day over in Little Italy. Y’all, it was so cold but after a couple of jugs o’ wine, we warmed up. Aren’t they pretty? Moms and The Girl are tight.

We did also make it over to Duke’s temporary location. They are up and running and doing all they can to keep things going while they rebuild. They are getting tons of community and city support which should make things go more smoothly. I do have one tool report, though but I really shouldn’t be surprised. You know those guys that ride in kits? Even in the city? You know, full on Tour de France gear? Those guys. Now, I don’t generally have a problem with anyone on a bike. I figure more power to you and the more the merrier, share the road, do your thang, but those kit guys are squicky. They are squicky everywhere as evidenced by the guy I encountered on the way to Duke’s. I made the mistake of calling him “Sir”. Seriously. Right in the middle of him telling me Duke’s is no more, he is obviously out of the loop, he said “and I am not a sir!” with such a whine. Dude, get over yourself. Next time I ask a question of a kit man I am just going to walk up and say “excuse me? Asshole?” and be done with it. I am from the South. Sir and Ma’am are terms we use. Especially if we don’t know your name and we are interrupting or need something. Besides that fucko was at least ten years younger than me and should respect his elders or he’ll get his ass kicked. ha!

Got home from Toronto on Saturday evening, did laundry, worked on my Camp homework and then headed out for the airport Monday morning at 6am for Sock Camp. Yow. Early. All went well. My connection was made and I arrived in Seattle where Casey – her blog is well hidden so no linkage – picked me up and carried me with her to Orcas. On the ferry we picked up Celia. What a lucky, lucky encounter. Both women are awesome and we all just sort of clicked immediately. Turns out we were all staying in the same building with Celia right across the hall from me and Casey just two doors down.

Bow to the awesome

I can’t say enough how lucky I was to meet these two. I laughed so hard and had so much fun with them but they also saved my sanity at times. Especially towards the end. Camp was interesting. I don’t think I have ever been with so many women so exclusively for such a long period of time. Stephen/hizKNITS was there too, but one man is not enough to counter all that estrogen. Really, if y’all want to see camp stuff you should check his blog. He’s got the goods. Or check The Harlot’s blog out. She’s got info, too. Most everyone at camp was great but there were some strange dynamics going on. Of course, the people that went last year were tight. They have history so it’s understandable but at times it was like being an interloper. Also, too, I haven’t ever done any sort of knitting thing. I don’t knit with people at home and have never been to any sort of even where vendors are involved or anything like that so I wasn’t aware of how fast the yarn that was for sale would be gobbled up. No idea. It was astonishing really. I bought 3 hanks, one pattern and one monkey kit and I was lucky to get them. Now I know that next time I gotta get in there with my elbows and get what I want or it won’t be there. Overall it was the personalities involved that were the most entertaining. I would have been happy to stay in a corner and just watch. Mostly though it was a good time and I am glad I did it but I am glad to be home too. Finally home that is. It started snowing on the last day of camp but I was assured that when I got to Seattle there would be no evidence of the snow and I wouldn’t have a problem getting out. LIARS! First the flight coming in from Dallas was late and then the weather intruded. After deicing we took off two hours late and I, of course, missed my connection to Atlanta and had to stay over in Dallas. I got home about 11am Sunday. I was tired and dirty but glad to be home. Now I’ma stay home for a bit and get some shit done. My yard is calling.