kmkat and her kneedles

Pay it forward. With a twist.

  

I was just over at Norma's and read about her Pay It Forward thing. You can go read about there; to quote her most excellent summary:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days. That is my promise. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

My personal twist is that the winner may, if s/he so desires, designate that I knit something for their favorite charity/cause instead of for them personally. The actual objet d' knit will be of my own choosing after due consideration of each recipient's preferences with respect to color, fiber, care, etc.

So…go for it!

* * * * *

Is it really December tomorrow? I guess that means I did the NaBloPoMo with only one missed day, and I didn't have real Internet access that day. So I am patting myself on the back and saying, See, Kath, you really can talk that much.

Whether I actually had anything worthwhile to say is a question for another day...

Anybody wanna buy a flea?

Editor's note: I wrote this in September. Why didn't I post it then? No idea. Here it is, a slice of rural life on a beautiful fall day. My thermometer reads today the same as it did t'other day -- cold. Icy cold. This post is a breath of warmer air. Since I am packing for a weekend trip to visit a couple of old friends, it was serendipitous to find this post ready to go.

* * * * *

The weather is cool and I wanted to make vegetable soup, so a few weeks ago I headed to the flea market on Saturday morning. There are always some produce vendors there so I figured I could get some fall veggies, no problem.

Unfortunately, the season is nearing a close. Lots of empty tables.

In July there would have been tables of stuff all the way back to the trees. I once bought a couple bakery-quality sheet pans at a stand back by the trees for practically nothing. Ah, good times.

\

Even in the few stands that were open, I found some interesting sights.

Tires, cheap:

Coca Cola, although somewhat less than fresh:

Decorative buttons for your Crocs:

Spinners! Only $1! Wanna go fishing for walleye?

Flea markets and estate sales are excellent places to acquire yard and garden tools on the cheap. You know your brand-new shiny $25 rake will look like these in a couple months anyway:

I have no idea what these are for. They are about four feet tall and have some kind of hinge or mounting thingies on the back:

Need a generator or some luggage?

How about some not-so-gently-used bowling pins?

I have no idea what this flag is saying:

nor even what country it is. It resembles the flag of Egypt but is not exactly the same. Anybody know?

Finally I found the produce stand, but it was strangely lacking in anything resembling local produce.

Pineapples and Red Delicious apples? Nope.

We already have about 20 pounds of tomatoes. Kiwi, no thanks, not in vegetable soup.

Bananas? I repeat, not in vegetable soup, thanks.

This looks like it might be local:

Well, the honey and maybe the jams, but not the cinnamon. And it still isn't what I'm looking for.

This stand  had the only local produce I found:

The proprietor didn't speak English so he could only wave his hands over the many varieties of peppers (more than in the photo) and say, Hot! Hot! which I already had guessed.

The woman in the photo was from the stand next door but was determined to get into a picture. So I obliged her:

I left the flea market tragically veggie-less. Supermarket to the rescue.

But it was a lovely day and even with imported veggies the soup was delicious.

Knitters needed!

       

The Soaring Eagles Project desperately needs kids' mittens, socks, and slippers. 236 pairs of mittens and 69 pairs of socks or slippers by the December 17th deadline. There is a also Ravelry group.

To quote RachelH, a fifth grade teacher and organizer of the project:

Holiday charity knitting project for disadvantaged elementary school aged children in Oklahoma. We were so wildly successful last year, let's give it another go!         

Last year a group of about 200 knitters came together from all over the world to give 425 children a wonderful handmade Christmas gift, a stocking cap. This year we will be helping another school in Oklahoma where I teach 5th grade. The details are not all together yet, but you can check us out over at http://soaringeaglesproject.blogspot.com and ask any questions you need to here!

We will be adopting a low-income, high poverty school in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Jane Phillips Elementary Eagles!

I made a couple pairs of worsted weight socks (4th sock OTN) and plan to make some mittens this weekend. Anyone else up for a pair of mittens or slippers or socks?

You can contact RachelH at theprocrastiknitter@yahoo.com.

Today is a twofer.

Two posts today. I am rockin' the NaBloPoMo!

After seeing Norma's photo of wintry mix this morning, I checked my thermometer. Yikes! It's cold out there!

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I decided about six months ago that this thermometer reads a full 10º F. colder than actual. Be that as it may, it is still darned cold.

But the sun is shining, and really, it IS a beautiful day.

There was ice against the far shore on a couple mornings last week. The lake froze over completely on Friday, I think. On Sunday there was still no snow on the ice, and there was a fault line that ran diagonally all the way across the lake. Today there is no sign of it.

I was particularly taken with that curved pattern of snow on the ice.

No idea why the snow does what it does.

While I was outside taking these photos (and shivering; I had to use the tripod to avoid camera shake) I heard the strangest sound. If you turn up your speakers you can hear it, too. I think it must have been the ice groaning. It sounds like the wind in the video, but in real life the day was still so I know that wasn't it.

Perhaps it was the Abominable Snow Ice Man.

* * * * *

This is the first video I have ever uploaded to YouTube. Zounds! it was easy. The raw .avi file from my camera was 11.2 meg, way too big to expect anyone to download just to hear the ice groan. I tried to edit it in iMovie to compress it or maybe just to strip out the sound into a separate audio file, but three minutes of dinking around produced no results. Enough of that. I am all about the instant accomplishment.

Then I had a thought: Typepad automatically reduces the file size of photos (My originals are generally 900k-1mb in size; after I upload them they are more like 200k.) -- maybe YouTube automatically compresses video, too?

Yes, they do. I don't know what size my 11meg .avi file is now, but it downloads pretty quickly on my not-blazingly-fast DSL.

Catnip by any other name.

What is it with cats and shoes?

Hannibal making love to Smokey's stinky shoes.

Tabby loves Desenex powder-flavored feet and/or shoes. This works out well because I love to have her lick my toes. It tickles.

What turns your cat on?

Souper Sunday.

On Sunday I decided to try out a new soup recipe. I had no more than gotten started than I decided to make a second soup that Smokey had been asking for. And while paging through my 3-ring binder of recipes, I came upon another one for which I happened to have all the ingredients. Mmmmmm, soup...

As the butter dish looks on,

I throw three medium potatoes into the oven to bake, and cook some bacon for two of the soups.

Two others require carrots and onion. (See the new iPod clock radio? My Mini has a new purpose in life, replacing the big-ass stereo that is taking up space on the counter.)

Sauté the carrots and onion with the crumbled bacon:

Dice some potatoes. The cutting board gets…crowded:

Cook some wild rice in chicken broth:

Measure out two cups of cooked wild rice. The kitchen gets…messier:

Smokey and Matthew were outside working on cars and such. Matthew stopped by to show me his hammer.

Throw the sautéed carrots and onions and bacon into a big pot with lentils, tomato paste, the diced potatoes, and some seasonings.

Add ~10 cups variously flavored broths. Oops, need a bigger [crock]pot.

Peel and slice the baked potatoes. Grate 1/2 cup carrots. The counter becomes…problematic.

Peel and slice the baked potatoes and add to the stuff that has been simmering that I haven't shown you. Simmer some more. This is potato soup.

Later I'll stir in some sour cream and the rest of the crumbled bacon. Mmmmmm.

Dice some of the ham left over from our Thanksgiving dinner. Voila! Creamy wild rice soup:

Later I'll stir in some sherry, and some evaporated milk to thin it if necessary. Mmmmmm.

The best one, though, is the one that needs to cook the longest. Happily, this is the recipe that makes the biggest batch, too.

This is Al Quie's Lentil Soup, the recipe found in his campaign literature from the late 1970s when he ran for governor. In the second photo I have diced a package of smoky links and thrown those in with a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. I chanced to meet Al Quie in the early 1990s; I introduced myself and thanked him for the soup recipe. Mmmmmm.

Recipes are here:

• Potato soup
• Creamy wild rice soup
• Al Quie's lentil soup

I got an 84%.

That shames me because science was always my favorite subject. In my defense I must say that 8th grade science appears to be a lot harder than it was when I was in 8th grade.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

ETA: I originally took this test back in July. Just took it again and got a 92%, A-. Guess I've gotten smarter in the last few months :)

CSI: Chez Kat.

Like most of us, Bear has her favorite spots around the house in which to relax. These spots tend to follow me around the house, as she considers herself to be My Guardian. If I'm in the laundry room, she is in the laundry room. If I am reading in bed or napping, she is next to the bed, between me and the window. If I am knitting and watching TV, she is blocking drafts from the sliding glass door to the deck and protecting me from anyone who might try to break in. Her strategy seems to be effective: no one has yet managed to break in and attack me.

Since I spend a lot of time at the computer in my office, she tends to spend a lot of time there as well.

A few months ago we noticed that she often lies in the same position in *her spot.* Behold, Princess Brindle Bear of Antler:

See the outline?

 

We wanted to perform some CSI-type tests over time to test our hypothesis that she always lies in the same position in the same spot.

Careful measurement has revealed, however, that although she appears to be in the exact same spot and position, she actually positions herself differently each time.

Paws askew:

Sometimes, in fact, she really mixes it up.

May I present Bear the daredevil:

Livin' on the edge.

More penguin fun.

Sign by the parking area where we left our car while we stalked the mighty penguin with eyeball and camera.

Eye candy Friday.

This is one of my favorite photos from our 2005 trip to South Africa. It was taken at a place called (I think) Boulder Beach; we pulled in there on impulse because there was a highway sign indicating that there were penguins there. Indeed, there was an impressive colony of them. What I love about this photo is that I took a shot of Matthew, who was videoing the penguins, while all the time the two nice suburban-type ladies were having coffee and chatting on their balcony and ignoring all of us.

LOLTurkeyDay.

...and we did, last night. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Knitting update.

I won another contest! This one was at Big Alice's -- look at the great sock yarn she sent me! Thanks, Carrie!

And look at the sock that someone in Ravelry (wolldruide) is making from a slightly different color of this yarn -- I don't know if I will ever make these socks, but wow! aren't they something to aspire to? Pattern is from Charlene Church's More Sensational Knitted Socks.

I bought some yarn from Webs. (They keep sending me e-mails, tempting me with their sale yarns -- I refuse even to click on the yarns that are not on sale; not that their non-sale prices are bad, just that I Don't Need More Yarn.) This is Noro Aurora (wool/mohair/silk/polyester), enough for a striped scarf for me a la Jared. You may not be able to see it in the photos, but the 5% polyester in the yarn is sparkly :)

I finished another Calorimetry for myself:

That's Paton's Soy Wool Stripes, cast on 96 st on size US#6s. I've been wearing it and loving it.

But we are not totally about the mememe! here at Chez Kat. I knitted three squares for Kay to include in her afghan for Oliver's Fund. It proved to be impossible to get the colors right in the photo; the red is tomato, the darks are more subtle:

I'm making a couple pairs of kid's socks for the Soaring Eagles Project using Plymouth Encore Colorspun (hair added because... it's everywhere):

Wait, what is that weird tube thing I'm using?

It is a keeper for projects on circular needles. Invented by The Tsock Tsarina and available here. The place where I really, really need to use this is on the kimono sweater -- I cannot count how many times I have grabbed the sweater out of my knitting bag and pulled the needle out of the fabric. Arrgggh. No more, though :)

* * * *

For those of you who were freaked out by yesterday's serial killer post, let me assure you that Matthew's remark was made in jest. It was last July so I don't remember the full context; not to worry, though, no living creatures were harmed in the making of the funny.

Seriously, is this the face of a serial killer?

Really, it's a Wisconsin thing.*

"Well, I'm trying to skin him alive. That's why I think we should tie him up."

-- Matthew (#2 son)**

*Ed Gein. Jeffrey Dahmer. 'Nuff said.

** Who is most definitely not a serial killer, despite that one photo of him that totally freaked me out a couple years back.

I can has sweet potato. A post for dog lovers.

The funniest and most accurate description of a dog's thought processes ever.

Thanks to my friend Katherine for the link.

Why I am not an entrepeneur.

I knitted some stuff for the library Friends' booth at a recent craft fair.

 

None of them sold. Nada. Zip. Zero.

The objects on the right hold purse-size packets of tissues. I made one for myself last winter from some leftover sock yarn.

I still think they are all cute, especially the korknisse done in Green Bay Packer colors.

* * * *

ETA: Y'all can Google for for Korknisse pattern if you want to make some. For the tissue holder *recipe* , find them in the 2007 FOs (link in the sidebar).

Funny.

From Alice's blog, found from blackbird's blog. Internet = rabbit hole.

And a soul in ev'ry stone.

Zapatista Sand Animation

"...The training standard of the two Zapatista education promoters I know in Zapata is one of those things where I’ve gotta step back, take a little breath, and remember that these people are exactly one inspiringly rebellious generation out of plantation slavery, and any grandfather here just might bear the mark of the lash on his back and certainly never saw the inside of a classroom as a child...Cassius has never been to school a day in his life and can’t read or write so much as his name. He’s thin, short, and leathery like most Tzeltal peasants I’ve met, and especially in the firelight’s flicker, something in the gaunt lines of his face reminded me of Howard Zinn, and, hmm, I’m not sure how to say it. There’s just something about the guy, a sort of deep inner wounding and bitter memory that manifests as moral authority and scarred wisdom, there we go..."

Andrew's latest dispatch: And a soul in ev'ry stone.

Eye candy Friday.

I am going to enter this one at the fair next year.

Thanks, Deb!

Awhile back I won Deb's happy hour contest. Forgetful as I am, my winning slipped my mind until she apologized a few weeks ago about not sending my prize(s) yet. No problem, Deb!

Then she posted this on Monday. Go read it; it will make you laugh. I'll wait.

Okay, back now? Here is what arrived in yesterday's mail (as I was opening the box I kept thinking about how I really should take photos of the unopened box, the partially opened box, yada, yada, but since I am all about the non-delay of gratification you will have to use your imagination to fill in the intermediate steps):

Well, well, well; clearly this is not the kitty that the menagerie at Chez Kat were hoping for. Hannibal and En Esch were planning to teach that new kitty how to dash out the door when Kat lets the dogs out; Lucy was wondering if this kitty knew about the "no claws" rules when batting at her nose. All does not appear to be lost, however. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

We have a kit for making felted flowers:

Those funny-looking pins at stage right are the glass-tipped stamens for the flowers. Somebody used their creative imagination to design this kit.

A keychain sock blocker, plus instructions and yarn (STR, yay!)  to make a tiny sock for it (crayons added by me for, um, color):

Was there yarn in the prize? Yes, there was yarn in the prize -- dyed by Deb's own hand during one of her [in]famous Saturday dyeing sessions with Chris and Jeanne. I'm a big fan of jewel tone colors, so I was thrilled with what she sent.

There was yummy Henry's Attic Treadsoft (100% merino superwash) for a pair of socks:

and gorgeous Henry's Attic Pony laceweight (100% fine merino), perhaps for a scarf:

Tragically, my camera refused to capture the true colors of the sock yarn. The darker bits, which look teal-gray in the photo, are actually much brighter, some of them bright teal. I love the look of contrasting heels and toes on my socks, so I'm thinking I will search out some suitable teal yarn for those parts. I was able to tweak the colors in the second  photo so they are fairly accurate. Yum. Do I detect Chris's [purple] influence in this one?

But it's not all about the yarn. It's really all about the love...

Thanks, Deb! (And doesn't she have the coolest handwriting on the planet?)

* * * * *

Knitting of the kimono sweater was interrupted yesterday by the opening of an eBay package that arrived while I was at the tax conference earlier in the week. Four skeins of Noro Silk Garden, 2 each of 244 and 251, for yet another Noro scarf Christmas gift:

Say it with me now: Mmmmm!

Hallelujah!

But the cat sock came back the very next day year,
The cat sock came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat sock came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea.

So where was it? Darned if I know. I found it on the stairs one morning last week. Smokey and I had each been up and down those stairs perhaps half-a-dozen times in the five or six days previous and would have seen the sock had it been lying there. It just appeared one morning. Best guess: the kitties found it somewhere and dragged it out. But I'm not questioning; I'm just planning to wear them tomorrow.