kmkat and her kneedles

A meme! A meme!

Bold the ones you have done/used.

Techniques:
Bind off, any extra stretchy one
Bind off, I-cord
Bind off, sewn (photo, left)
Bind off, tubular
Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cables (photo, right)
Cast on, any extra stretchy one
Cast on, backwards loop
Cast on, long tail
Cast on, provisional
Cast on, tubular
Colorwork, intarsia
Colorwork, slipped stitch
Colorwork, stranded
Darning
Double knitting, reversible
Double knitting, tube (photo, left)
Drop stitch (anyone who has knit a Clapotis, stand up!)
Entrelac
Felted (accidentally)
Felted (on purpose! yay!)
Garter stitch
Graffiti knitting, aka knit tagging
I-cord
Kitchenered a sock
Kitchenered something larger than a sock (photo, right)
Knitted a sock using two circular needles
Knitted and purled backwards
Knitted Continental style, aka picking
Knitted English style, aka throwing
Knitted Portuguese style
Knitted two socks on two circs simultaneously
Knitted with beads
Lace (photo, left)
Magic loop
Short rows
Smocking
Steek
Stockinette
Swatched
Thrummed knitting
Twisted stitch

Knitted with any of these fibers:
Alpaca
Bamboo (photo, right)
Banana
Buffalo
Camel
Cashmere
Corn
Cotton
Hemp
Linen
Milk
Quivit
Silk
Soy
Synthetic (acrylic, nylon, etc.)
Wool


Projects:
Afghan (photo, right)
Alice Starmore pattern, any
Armwarmers
Baby items
Gloves
Hat
Holiday-related knitting (photo, left)
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies, etc.)
Knitted a gift
Knitted for a pet, garment
Knitted for a pet, toy
Knitted item for a bride
Mitts, fingerless
Mittens, cuff-up
Mittens, tip-down
Moebius band (on purpose!)
Purse or bag
Scarf
Shawl
Shrug/bolero
Slippers
Socks, toe-up
Socks, top-down
Stuffed toys
Sweater, cardigan
Sweater, pullover
Sweater, top-down (photo, right)
Toy/doll clothing


Designed:
Dress
Hat
Lace garment
Mitts
Published a knitting book
Scarf
Skirt
Socks
Stitch pattern
Sweater, cardigan
Sweater, pullover,
Sweater, top-down


Other:
Dyed yarn or fiber
Knitted for charity
Knitted in public
Learned a new technique on YouTube
Participated in a KAL
Spun your own yarn
Taught a child to knit
Taught a male to knit
Wrote a knitting blog (duh)

Adapted from a meme on CanaryKnits.

Ten lights, the meme.

I was tagged by Jen, who didn't actually explain what the meme was. Judging by her post, I think it means ten things that make me light up with pleasure. So I will go with that.

1. When Hannibal The FluffBall Of Doom realizes at 2 a.m. that he is cold and decides to

come snuggle my head and sleep on my ear and purr. And give my nose or temple the occasional sleepy lick.

2. When I remember, whilst lying in my cozy warm bed in the chilly, chilly bedroom in the morning, that if I get up and get dressed I can have... COFFEE!

3. Noticing that I have a bunch of tabs open and remembering that two of them concern my

registration for the 2011 Yarnover. Ah, the exquisite joy and pain of narrowing my class choices down to just two! Or one, if I decide to take an all-day class instead of two half-day classes. So far I have it narrowed down to three all-day classes, three morning classes, and five afternoon classes. Decisions, decisions...

4. YouTube. By searching YouTube I found video tutorials for Japanese short rows and double knitting in colors. This means I can eliminate those two classes from my Yarnover list. Now to search for Bavarian and Austrian twisted stitches. If I can learn those from YouTube I will have eliminated the all-day class on my list.

5. When Smokey says, Hey, ya wanna do some quizzes? We have done the Asimov Superquiz on the Star Tribune website for years but now he has found a website with a seemingly infinite number of trivia quizzes. Yeah, we are nerds, but we are happy nerds.

6. Casting on a new project. Binding off a finished project. Which is better? Yes.

8. Turning the key in my car and having it start right up. That may not seem like much, but when the temperature is somewhere south of zero degrees Fahrenheit, it is a downright miracle. Definitely smile-worthy.

9. Super-cold weather. It means I can bundle up when I venture out -- Dimorphous mittens on my hands, Noro striped scarf wrapped around my neck, Calorimetry to cover my ears, double-thick wool socks on my feet. Plus the bedroom is extra chilly so we both sleep better, snuggled down under a couple-three comforters with a dog and/or cat(s) for extra warmth. I'll be tired of it by March, but for now I am enjoying it.

10. How pretty the world is when the weather is this cold. The snow is pristine and

white, like the frosting on a cake. When the sun shines the world is brilliant and sparkly.

 

 

 

40 days and 40 nights. Mememe.

1. Do you like bleu cheese? Love it. I live in Wisconsin; there is no cheese I won't eat.
2. Have you ever smoked? 1969 - 1974. Not since.
3. Do you own a gun? A .22 that was my dad's and was the gun I used for rifle training in sixth grade. Also a couple antique-ish shotguns/rifles, don't remember which. Dad was a hunter and kind of a collector. I think he had 8 long guns (no hand guns). The rest went to my cousin, a favorite of Dad's and also a hunter.
4. Favorite type of food? Edible is good. Chocolate is mandatory. Anything with garlic and/or shellfish is good. Gravy. Mashed potatoes. Mexican, Italian, Thai. Very rare steak. At a traditional meal I tend to eat my vegetables first, don't know why.
5. Favorite type of music? Hard rock. Other rock. World. Classical.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Good right off the grill. Otherwise, meh.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Love Actually.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? A glass of fresh orange juice and a 4-shot grande latte.
9. Can you do push ups? Have never been able to except once in a dance class, age late 20s. We were doing swing-through push-ups with coordinated breathing, and I did one, no problem. Totally amazed myself. Had never done one before, haven't done one since.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Opal engagement ring. I lost the original about 15 years ago and have replaced and subsequently lost it twice. Time to replace it again.
11. Favorite hobby? Three faves: reading, knitting, surfing the web. (Sorry, I don't do non-compulsory rules very well.)
12. Do you have A.D.D.? Nope, but Smokey and #2 son do, so I am can recognize it at 100 paces.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Yes to both.
14. Middle name? Marjory, after my mother.
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: I wonder where I put my iPod? I need to find my iPod so I can finish listening to the book for Monday night book club. If I can't find my iPod should I go to book club anyway?
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink: Water, coffee, beer, wine. (See "compulsory rules", above.)
17. Current worry? Sustainability in everything -- energy, food, economy, etc.
18. Current hate right now? People who lie to win elections.
19. Favorite place to be? Right here.
20. How did you bring in the new year? Asleep in my bed.
21. Someplace you’d like to go? Tahiti, the Louvre, Italy, Greece.
22. Name three people who will complete this.
23. Do you own slippers? No, but I need to make some for myself to wear when I go to knitting group at others' houses.
24. What color shirt are you wearing? Red.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Have never done it so I don't know.
26. Can you whistle? Yup. My mother gave me a really, really hard time when I was a kid trying to learn. "A whistling girl and a crowing hen / Are sure to come to some bad end."
27. Where are you now? In my home office.
28. Would you be a pirate? Nope, too much of a coward and law-abiding.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever earworm is currently occupying my brain, typically some pop song from the past 30 years.
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Kathryn (yeah, that's MY name).
31. Favorite boy’s name? Don't have one, but when I was growing up I loved the name James.
32. What is in your pocket right now? Nothing.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? No idea. I laugh way too often to keep track.
34. What vehicle do you drive? 1998 Isuzu Oasis (think Honda Odyssey; they were made in the same factory and are identical except for the name on the outside).
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had?That broken ankle in 2008.
36. Do you love where you live? Absolutely. Smokey and I both give thanks to our luck several times a week that we are fortunate enough to live on a clean lake in the woods in a beautiful rural area.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Don't know. There is the one we watch. There may be others hidden in storage areas.
38. How many computers do you have in your house? Don't know. In use are two desktops and a netbook. Smokey's laptop died last week. He has at least half-a-dozen to-be-rehabilitated laptops.
39. If you changed your job, what would it be? Empress of the Universe as long as it was a part-time position.
40. If you had three wishes what would they be? That each of my boys finds a good woman to spend his life with, that Andrew makes it through med school without a nervous breakdown, and that Smokey's and my health maintains. Yeah, that's probably more than three. Whatever. I'm greedy.

* * * * *

And now a public service announcement.

Thanks to Heather for tweeting this.

Memememe.

1. Explain what ended your last relationship.  I’ve been married for 35 years. Next question.

2. When was the last time you shaved?   What is this "shave" you speak of?

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.   Same thing as every morning at 8 a.m; sleeping. 

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?  Reading blogs.

 5. Some things you are excited about?  Spring!  #1 son coming home for spring break in a few weeks. Spring! My multicolored striped raglan. Spring! Our 4-week camping vacation this summer. Did I mention spring?!

6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?  Sorry, don't have one.   

7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?  I remember my date, John; my dress, kelly green bodice, white skirt; and the dinner we had before, steak. My date and I and two other couples were treated to the steak dinner at one parents' house before prom; after prom we all went back there to stay up all night, play games, and walk on the beach. Thinking back on it, I realize those parents were being preemptive and very smart.

8. Do you have any famous ancestors?  One of my great-grandfather's brothers, Preacher Joe, was a well-known traveling preacher in southern MN in the late 1800s. I seem to remember reading a very old book about him at my uncle's house. Paraphrasing what I remember, "When Preacher Joe was preaching, nobody could fall asleep." Not exactly an ancestor, since he is from a branch of the family, but this guy was famous.

9. Last thing received in the mail?  Junk mail, bank statement.

10. How many different beverages have you had today?  Orange juice, a latte.

11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine? Doesn't everyone ?

12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? Nope. Haven't been to a sandy beach in nearly ten years. See #14, below, re: Wisconsin.

13. Any plans for Friday night?  Nope.

14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?  What is this "ocean" you speak of? I live in Wisconsin.

 15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?  Sure, every year, and I eat some of it, too.

16. Do you re-use towels after you shower? Duh. Of course.

17. Describe your keychain(s)?  It is a ring with house and car keys, a large brass replica of a Japanese/Okinawan coin, and the remote for my car locks.

18. Where do you keep your change?   In the zipper compartment of my wallet. Whenever I find change around the house I put it into a jar on my dresser; every five or ten years I cash that in -- last time I had $17 of change.

19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?  Probably at the January county board meeting. I am typical in that I dislike speaking in front of groups.

20. What kind of winter coat do you own? A boring navy blue jacket and a boring but very warm dark brown down jacket. My mid-length red winter coat that I loved died earlier this winter -- both pockets ripped, lining shredded, and zipper broken.

Mememememe.

Still cleaning out my drafts folder. Originally written May 8, 2009.

True: I was doing this meme just because I like it, without having been tagged, when took a little break and clicked over to Jen's blog only to discover she had done it, too, and tagged me. Clearly, this was meant to be...

* * * * *
What are your current obsessions?
Knitting. Blogs. Blogs about knitting.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
My Merrell clogs. Every day. (Must buy another pair. These are starting to stink.)

What's for dinner?
Dinner? That is hours away. Well, okay, spaghetti with Italian sausage and sauce from a jar, just because that was what was going to be for last night's dinner until we decided to go out instead.

What's your greatest fear at the moment?
That the economy will tube so badly that Smokey and I will have to retire to subsidized housing, eat mac'n'cheese for the rest of our lives, and never, ever get to travel ever again.

What are you listening to?
My iTunes playlist, "Singalong Rock." Right now CSN&Y are singing Woodstock; the last few songs were Don't Look Back by Boston, Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly, Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, Rag Doll by Aerosmith*, and Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers.

If you were a goddess what would you be?
But I am a goddess...

What are your favorite holiday spots?
Right here in my house on the lake is my favorite. If I have to go somewhere, it would be the Florida Keys. Or maybe Tahiti.

What are you reading right now?
The Waters of Babylon by Nelson DeMille. Hey, I may be a goddess but sometimes I read total crap just like everyone else. Oh, and The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices. That one is NOT crap.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Heh. I realized about a year ago that my guilty pleasure (and those are exactly the words I used) is George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Smokey and I are going to see them in concert in August at the Grand Casino in Hinkley, MN.

Who or what makes you laugh?
Smokey, Matthew, our dogs, our cats, people in general, lolcats. I like to laugh.

What is your favorite spring thing to do?
Inhale. Look for wildflowers blooming in the woods. Listen to the spring peepers.

What is the best thing you ate or drank lately?
The fresh pasta with vegies, including ramps, at Common Roots restaurant at 26th and Lyndale in Minneapolis last week. Although the chocolate chip muffin I just ate was pretty darned good, too.

When was the last time you were tipsy?
That night last week when I had two glasses of wine (instead of my usual one) at bedtime.

What is your favourite ever film?
The Big Lebowski. That one has been amusing me for at least ten years. Dude.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned from your children?
How much fun they are and how much I enjoy their company. I didn't expect that.

What song can't you get out of your head?
My head is totally empty. No songs in there at all.

What book do you know you should read but refuse to?
Love in the Time of Cholera and Gravity's Rainbow. I have tried numerous times with both, haven't gotten past about page 20 in either one yet.

What is your favourite color?
Red. Blue. Jewel tones.

Where's the best place to get decent Indian food within 10 miles of Northbrook, IL? (in case you can't tell, this is the question Jen added).
I have no idea. Sorry, Jen.

What do you like to think about while you are waiting to fall asleep?
Duh. Knitting.

* * * * *

Later today I will head for Minneapolis for the annual 2-day tax conference, aka 2-day knitting retreat with CPE credit. I should be able to knock out a couple-three hats for the homeless.

Tomorrow is the big day.

Tomorrow is my birthday. It is one of those n-zero birthdays, and the one that officially takes me out of middle-aged and into old. Phooey. How did this happen? Oh, I remember now -- I kept having birthdays and continuing to wake up in the morning. Funny how that works...

I have never had any trouble with getting older, maybe because people generally didn't believe how old I was. Vanity lurks, no matter how much I try to suppress it. The only birthdays I had any trouble with were 17 (I liked being 16) and 58 (that's the one that mentally tipped me over into old).

True story: A couple weeks ago I was in a drug store, the kind that stocks everything under the sun. There were some 10-yo boys playing in the toy section, bouncing balls around and back and forth. One ball got away from a kid and rolled between my feet. Because I am being extremely cautious since my last disastrous falls, I managed to stay upright. Gave the kid a dirty look and walked on. But a store employee, and a middle-aged one at that, told the kid, "Be careful! Keep those balls away from the old people!"

That hurt a bit. But when I told Smokey about it, he reminded me that we ARE old. Sixty is the beginning of old age. (He is a year older than I am and so has had longer to get used to this. Although given his everlastingly sunny outlook on life, I doubt that he has ever worried about it.)

I know some of you will say that a person is only as old as they feel/think/act. There is some truth in that, but one aspect of good mental health is to have a firm grip on reality. And my reality says that sixty is the beginning of old.

So be it. I intend to continue to feel (mentally, at least; I certainly have my share of physical aches and pains), think, and act like I am much younger.

Not that I have much choice in the matter; I keep remembering hearing older people say things like, "How did I get old? I feel like I am still 40/30/20/16!"  Funny, no one ever seems to want to be much younger than that. In our inner selves we know that childhood wasn't necessarily the best part of our lives, and that growing up was A Good Thing. We just don't want to continue the process that inevitably follows, and we certainly don't want to think about its unavoidable conclusion.

Anyway.

In honor of tomorrow's monumental significance I think I shall have a contest. Don't know yet what it will be or what the winner(s) will get, but the latter will probably involve yarn in some form. Perhaps there will be chocolate, too...

The never-ending meme, now with pictures.

I was tagged on Facebook for this meme by Beth, but I prefer to do it here on the blog.

1. What time did you get up this morning? Which time? I got up several times. The one that stuck was 11:30 am. But I couldn't get to sleep last night until nearly 3am because of knee pain. [/whine]

2. How do you like your steak? Rare!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The latest Star Trek movie. The last one before that was the last Star Wars movie (I fell asleep), before that was a Harry Potter. We don't go to many movies.

4. What is/are your favorite TV show(s)? TV? What is TV? Oh, I remember... Law & Order (any of them). Twin Peaks. Northern Exposure. Mystery! The Office. Lost and Grey's Anatomy, although I never watched them on TV, only on DVD.
  

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? It might be right here. It's too much work to think of somewhere else.

6. What did you have for breakfast? A quad latte.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Food, especially Mexican.

8. What foods do you dislike? Beans because of the texture. Liver because of the taste.

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Anywhere I don't have to cook or clean up. Beyond that, Hog Wild (local barbecue joint with really good barbecue), Paradise Landing (upscale place on local lake), and the Thirsty Otter (beer & burger kind of place with an outdoor deck overlooking a lake; it always amazes me that we can go there and just sit down -- no reservation, no waiting. Such is life in a rural area.).

10. Favorite dressing? In restaurants I always order ranch. My real fave is a home-made vinaigrette with fresh rosemary.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Depends on the day. Generally a bright yellow 2008 Aveo, sometimes a blue 2000 Dodge conversion van, occasionally a 19xx Jeep Wrangler (Da Yeep).
  

12. What are your favorite clothes? Clean ones. No pantyhose, never heels. Winter, jeans, mock turtleneck, hand-knit sweater (sure wish I had one), hand-knit wool socks (check), and my Merrill clogs. . Summer, loose skirt, t-shirt, and Crocs,

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? The Louvre in Paris; Florence and Rome, maybe Greece and Switzerland.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? ::waggles cup to see:: half full.

15. Where would you want to retire? Right here. That's a view from my deck earlier this summer.


16. Favorite time of day? When I can sit in my favorite chair, cue up an audiobook on my [currently MIA] iPod, and knit.


17. Where were you born? Moorhead, MN

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Watch sports? Why on earth would I do that? Oh, wait, figure skating and gymnastics.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?

22. Bird watcher? Yep. That's why I have a couple birdfeeders right outside my window.
 

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Hmmm. Could be either. Right now a morning person, but not early morning.

24. Pets? 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 husband.


25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share? Nope. I already told you all there was to know about my knee.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher (duh), nurse (duh x2), ballerina (duh x3). Once I got past those, a computer programmer.

27. What is your first childhood memory? Standing in the kitchen in our house on the farm. I was 4 or so.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cats all the way, but really, any animal with fur is good. Younger son sent me this video he took in Petco yesterday just because he knew I would like it.
Download VID 00045 

29. Are you married? Yup, coming up on 35 years.

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yup.

31. Been in a car accident? Several, but never seriously injured. (See #30.)

32. Any pet peeves? Yeah, but let's not concentrate on the negative. They are mostly auditory.

33. Favorite pizza topping? Sausage and mushrooms.

34. Favorite flower? Any that smell good -- lilacs, lily of the valley, old roses, Stargazer lily. Also daffodils, bachelor's buttons, pansies, monarda, annual poppies.

35. Favorite ice cream? Wells Blue Bunny Homemade Vanilla. Actually, anything by Blue Bunny. If it has chocolate in it or on it, I'm in heaven.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco John's or Subway. Hardee's if neither of those is available.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None. Passed first time. I am a really good test taker.

38. From whom did you get your last email? Jeff.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I would hate to max out my credit card. Put a gun to my head, though, and it might be a fancy grocery store like Lund's or Byerly's in the Twin Cities.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Gave Smokey a hug.

41. Like your job? Yup, both of them.

42. Broccoli? Yum!

43. What was your favorite vacation? The one we took to the Florida Keys right after I finished my accounting internship. It was the first time I had worked really, really hard and then had a tropical relaxation immediately after.


44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Smokey, last night.

45. What are you listening to right now? The cat giving himself a bath.

46. What is your favorite color? Red. No, blue. No, green. No, pale rosy peach. Actually, I just like color.

47. How many tattoos do you have? Zero.

48.How many are you tagging for this quiz? Three: Jocelyn, Cookie, and Diane. Go forth and spill your guts, ladies!

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 12:52 pm CDT

50. Coffee Drinker? (see #6)

Memememe.

True: I was doing this meme just because I like it when I took a little break to read a few blogs. And discovered that Jen had tagged me for it. It's karma, baby!

* * * * *

What are your current obsessions?
Knitting. Blogs. Blogs about knitting. Knitting about blogs. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
My Merrell clogs.

What's for dinner?
Dinner? Dinner is hours away. Well, okay, spaghetti with Italian hot sausage and sauce from a jar, just because that was what was going to be last night's dinner until we decided to go out instead. And asparagus. We have lots of asparagus in the refrigerator.

What's your greatest fear at the moment?
That the economy will tube so badly that Smokey and I will have to retire to subsidized housing, eat mac'n'cheese for the rest of our lives, and never, ever get to travel ever again.

What are you listening to?
My iTunes playlist, "Singalong Rock." Right now the Dead are singing Truckin'; the last few songs were Don't Look Back by Boston, Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly, Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, Rag Doll by Aerosmith, and Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers. My musical tastes are heavily influenced by the 70s.

If you were a goddess what would you be?
But I am a goddess...

What are your favourite holiday spots?
Right here in my house on the lake is my favorite. If I have to go somewhere, it would be the Florida Keys. If I cannot go there, I'd go to New York to visit Andrew. And if I only have $20 to spend I'd go to Minneapolis and visit Matthew.

What are you reading right now?
The Waters of Babylon by Nelson DeMille. Hey, I may be a goddess but sometimes I read total crap just like everyone else.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Heh. I realized about a year ago that my guilty pleasure (and those are exactly the words I used to myself) is George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Smokey and I are going to see them in concert in August at the Grand Casino in Hinkley, MN.

Who or what makes you laugh?
Smokey, Matthew, Andrew, our dogs, our cats, lolcats, people in general. I like to laugh.

What is your favorite spring thing to do?
Inhale. Listen to the spring peepers.

Where are you planning to travel next?
Camping in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming in June.

What is the best thing you ate or drank lately?
The fresh pasta with vegies, including ramps, at Common Roots restaurant at 26th and Lyndale in Minneapolis last week. Although the chocolate chip muffin I just ate was pretty darned good, too.

When was the last time you were tipsy?
That night last week when I had two glasses of wine -- instead of my usual one -- at bedtime.

What is your favorite ever film?
The Big Lebowski. That one has been amusing me for at least ten years.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned from your children?
How much fun they are and how much I enjoy their company. I didn't expect that.

What song can't you get out of your head?
My head is totally empty. No songs in there at all.

What book do you know you should read but refuse to?
Love in the Time of Cholera and Gravity's Rainbow. I have tried numerous times with both, haven't gotten past page 20 in either one. Yet.

What is your physical abnormality/abnormal physical ability?
Sorry, don't really have one.

What is your favourite color?
Red. Blue. Jewel tones. Hate pastels.

Where's the best place to get decent Indian food within 10 miles of Northbrook, IL? (in case you can't tell, this is the question Jen added).
Sorry, Jen, no idea.

If you were a day of the week, which would you be?
(Seriously, this was one of the essay questions on Andrew's college application for the University of Chicago. He wrote eloquently about why he would be Wednesday.)
I would be Sunday evening, the time of the week when everyone else has to leave their lake cabin and drive back to the Twin Cities and I get to stay here. Neener, neener.

* * * * *

The rules of this meme are as follows:

• Respond to and rework the meme.
• Answer the questions on your own blog.
• Replace one question and add one question.
• Tag 8 people as many people as you think appropriate.

I tag Erika, SheepishAnnie, Chris, Diane, and Ann. I think at least one of them doesn't do memes, but I cannot remember for sure so I will tag them all and let them sort it out.

The job. Kathy needs. Candy bars.

soxanne beat me to this. Yesterday.

* * * * *

I saw this over at Dr. Mel's blog, where it cracked me up. Go to Google, type in "[your name] needs" and see what you get. Here's what I need (my comments in red):

1. Kathy needs to give herself some credit. Okey-doke. "Yay, me!"
2. Kathy needs more attention. [/whine]
3. Kathy needs to be back on the red carpet. Yes! ::pumps fist::
4. Kathy doesn't NEED E! and their Red Carpet. Another country heard from.
5. Kathy needs love. We ALL need love.
6. Kathy needs a liver and miracle. Ruh-roh...
7. Kathy don't [sic] need to be with anyone who looks like he takes more time in a mirror than she does. Hear, hear.
8. Kathy needs a Komb. Huh?
9. Kathy needs your spooky stories. Hello, blog fodder?
10. Kathy needs a lobotomy and therapy. No comment.

Lisa beat me to this. Yesterday.

A day late and a dollar short. Story of my life. ;-)

* * * * *

However, I am (I think) the first to post this quiz.

Name that candybar. (Link fixed.)

I got 4 on the first page and 2 on the second, for a stunningly mediocre score of 25%.

One word. Frog.

Stolen from Facebook.

USING ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Charger
2. Your significant other? Sleeping
3. Your hair? Graying
4. Your mother? Dead
5. Your father? ditto
6. Your favorite? Smokey
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your favorite drink? Vino
9. Your dream/goal? Health
10. What room you are in? Office
11. Your hobby? Knitting
12. Your fear? Underwater
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
14. Where were you last night? Here
15. Something that you aren't? Barbie
16. Muffins? Blueberry
17. Wish list item? Warmth
18. Where you grew up? Minnesota
19. Last thing you did? Blog
20. What are you wearing? Jeans
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pets? Furry
23. Friends? Yep
24. Your life? Happy
25. Your mood? ditto
26. Missing someone? Nope
27. Car? Yellow
28. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
29. Your favorite store? Kowalski's (It's an upscale grocery store in the Twin Cities.)
30. Your favorite color? Red
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? September
35. Who will resend steal this? Helen
36. One place that I go to over and over? New York
37. One person who emails me regularly? Mickey
38. My favorite place to eat? Computer

* * * * *

Remember that double-stranded super warm sock I bragged about finishing? Yeah, I had to frog it back to just before the heel flap. I had gotten to the heel flap on the second sock when I realized that I was gonna run out of the STR right about when I finished that second heel flap.

Damn.

I dug around in my sock yarn stash and found some light green Opal that would also work in this sock. My plan is to use that, double-stranded with the tweedy Online yarn, for the heels and toes. If all goes well, I will then have enough of the STR for both feet.

Wish me luck.

I'm a [morphine] nerd.

Hey, guess what? I found my morphine pump pics. I took them with my phone, that's why they were not there in iPhoto when I looked for them and why the quality is so poor. Here is the pump with my finger on the trigger:

and here is a close-up of the screen:

IIRC, when I felt the need for pain medication I could press the button for a 1 mg dose, then the pump was locked out for ten minutes. Research has shown that patients demand less pain medication AND report feeling more comfortable, i.e., feel less pain, when they have one of these pumps. A win-win proposition.

Except when the staff do not know how to set them up. The nursing staff at this hospital knew how to do that, probably because they have been using these pumps for well over a decade, but when I had a C-section for #2 son in 1989 they were still pretty new. My night nurse at the time didn't know how to make it work, and she spent AN HOUR -- after  I had already asked for pain meds -- trying to get it to work. Argh.

* * * * *

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Science/Math Nerd   (Absolute Insane Laughter as you pour toxic chemicals into a foaming tub of death!) Well, maybe you aren't this extreme, but you're in league with the crazy scientists/mathematicians of today. Very few people have the talent for math and science, and it is something takes a lot of brains as well. Thank whosever God you worship, or don't worship, so thank no deity whatsoever in your case, for you people! Most of us would have died off without your help.
Literature Nerd
Drama Nerd
Social Nerd
Musician
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Well. How about that? Thanks to Heather for the link.

Why I do not shop on Black Friday.

Boise Town Square, Boise ID, 1 am

In my many decades on this planet I have only shopped on Black Friday twice, both times in Chicago. We were visiting my husband's family for Thanksgiving one year, and certain others in the family wanted to go downtown to Water Tower Place on the day after Thanksgiving. It was sheer unadulterated hell, and to this day I still cannot figure out why I agreed to go along. Overdose of turkey, probably.

The other time we were in Oakbrook for another relative's wedding and decided to take advantage of Best Buy's sale. We studied the ad, decided what we wanted, marched in, bought a TV and a Palm, and marched out. We most certainly did NOT attempt to be there at 5am or whenever BB opened, and we did not browse around the store. It was not nearly as crazy as the Water Tower Place disaster nor the scene in the video.

If I never shop on Black Friday again it will be too soon.

* * * * *

This guy articulates -- in a hilarious way -- some things my husband has often said.

Thanks for the link, soxanne!

The food meme.

It is Thanksgiving, that American traditional holiday of gratitude and gluttony. What better time for a food meme?

This is the Omnivore's hundred list of foods the gastronome Andrew Wheeler thinks everyone should try at least once in their lives.

The rules of the meme: bold those you have tried, strike through those you wouldn't eat on a bet.

1. Venison My dad was a hunter. We ate venison steak most nights when I was growing up. The roasts were icky, the steaks and chops were good, the hamburger and sausage were excellent. In addition to venison, i.e., deer, I have eaten antelope, moose, and bear. And squirrel and rabbit.
   

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare I sneak bits of raw hamburger and raw steak every time I prepare them. But I have had the real thing -- once.

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue I lived through the 70s and have the fondue pot to prove it.

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari The calamari we ate at various places in South Africa was excellent. #1 son and I both decided we liked calamari.

12. Pho Huh?

13. PB&J sandwich Duh. I am an American of the 20th century. I especially like to eat pb&j on tortilla, rolled up.

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart Can you say "state fair"?

16. Epoisses Huh?

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes Does dandelion count? Oh, wait, I think I have had elderberry. And Annie Green Springs.

19. Steamed pork buns Maybe. Don't remember. We go to a lot of Chinese buffets.

20. Pistachio ice cream Just last week, in fact.

21. Heirloom tomatoes The upper Midwest is largely devoid of heirloom tomatoes -- growing season too short. Damn.

22. Fresh wild berries Many times -- strawberries, red raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, usually eaten within seconds of picking.

23. Foie gras Yuk, liver.

24. Rice and beans Yellow rice and black beans, a Key West favorite we brought home to the Great Frozen Tundra.

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters Smoked in a can only, never raw or in oyster stew.

29. Baklava Too sweet. I'm not a big fan of honey.

30. Bagna cauda Huh?

31. Wasabi peas Yum. I just discovered them a couple months ago. Too bad I have to drive 50 miles to buy them.

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl Probably. This is not something so distinctive I would necessarily remember it.

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut Sauerkraut and ribs, mmm. Although I could do without the sauerkraut.

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar I had cognac once. It gave me a migraine. Skip the cigar... forever.

37. Clotted cream tea Sound disgusting but is actually delicious.

38. Vodka jelly

39. Gumbo Only if Campbell's Chicken Gumbo counts.

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat There was goat in the dish, don't remember if it was curried or not. It very well might have been; it was a Chinese restaurant.

42. Whole insects Never on purpose. Once I grabbed a can of Coke that had been sitting on the floor. Where the ants found it. Ants taste sour.

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin We kept one in a pail of sea water once while camping in the Keys. You can eat them?

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal See #13, above, re: American, 20th century.

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8%

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores See #13, above, re: American, 20th century.

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin I thought kaolin was the kind of clay used to make porcelein. Apparently not.

64. Currywurst

65. Durian No, but I do know what it is.

66. Frogs’ legs Tasted really, really fishy.

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake State fair, hello?

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain In the Keys, I think.

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost, or brunost We used to have a house mate who relished her Norwegian heritage; she often had gjetost in the fridge. It wasn't bad, as I recall.

75. Road kill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie College vending machines.

78. Snail Eww, have you ever stepped on a snail and smelled the resulting stench?

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum WTF is that?

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky (or something similar).

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant I have never been IN a three-Michelin-star restaurant.

85. Kobe beef Not only have I eaten it, I ate it in a teppanyaki steak house in Japan.

86. Hare

87. Goulash In rural southern Minnesota where I grew up, every hotdish (that's what we call casseroles in the Midwest) made with macaroni, tomato sauce, and hamburger was called goulash. I'm guessing that is NOT what this item is referring to.

88. Flowers Violets, nasturtium, nasturtium pods.

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam In our family, pancakes and fried Spam is considered the ultimate camping breakfast.

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish Blackened. Yum.

95. Mole poblano I have a dandy WW recipe for chicken mole poblano; I have eaten authentic mole, too.

96. Bagel and lox Yum!

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake

Have a great Thanksgiving!

A cap and a lesson.

I finished the first hat for Connor's Caps.

Pattern: House Hat beanie  from Charmed Knits by Alison Hensel; I made the smallest size, 18-1/2" circumference.
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish (superwash merino) in Ocean, Coast Gray, and Gold.
Needles: Knit Picks Options US#6 (ribbing) and US#7 (rest of hat).
Mods: none.

You may recall that the requirements were that the hat use Connor's school colors of cobalt and gray with a little touch of gold. After I finished the first hat I weighed it and compared that weight to the remaining balls of blue and gray yarn. (Scale was $20 plus shipping on eBay. A useful investment.)

 

Yes! Definitely enough to make a second hat in a larger size; exactly as I planned. Hell, yes, I'll take credit for luck.

As I cast on for the second hat, a daring thought crept into my mind. Perhaps I could use this as a teaching opportunity! Never mind that I am a perfectly ordinary knitter who seldom ventures beyond her comfort zone of stockinette, garter, ribbing, and cables and hence has little to teach in the way of techique. Never mind that some really good knitters (you know who you are)  occasionally read my blog. Never mind the hubris inherent in the whole effort. I seem to have established a track record of giving a knitting tip or lesson about once a year. It's time. Here goes.

I always cast on over two needles -- actually, over both ends of the circ held together, since I always knit on circs -- to ensure that my cast-on is not too tight. Instructions often say to cast on over a needle a size or two larger than the one you intend to use, but that means I have to go hunt up another needle. My way is easier, i.e., better for the lazy knitter. Me = lazy knitter.

Although stitch markers have become an accepted art form, perhaps even attaining the status of knitting bling, I have resisted the temptation to buy any cute ones because I lose stitch markers like kids lose mittens. Here one second, gone the next. For a long time I have instead used scraps of yarn looped around the needles. They tend not to slide off the needle when I am not paying attention. If I do drop one it doesn't bounce once and disappear from the face of the earth. And they are free.

Long hard experience has taught me that I am incapable of consistently and accurately counting to any number larger than twenty. So I use my [free!] stitch markers to delimit groups of twenty stitches each. This hat requires a cast-on of 96 stitches, hence, the group of 16 at the end.

Okay, this one is my favorite. I can estimate how much yarn I need for a long tail cast-on when the number of stitches is less than 40 or so (about a yard). But that estimation gets harder when the cast-on is for 72 or 96 or 168 stitches. It is intensely annoying to run out of yarn before reaching the number of stitches needed, and I hate to waste the long tail of yarn if I overestimate. So I tie the two ends from my ball of yarn together loosely and cast on with those two strands. When the cast-on is done, I cut the strand that comes from the outside of the ball and continue merrily along with the center-pull strand. A couple things to remember: the initial *stitch* is not a permanent stitch, but will disappear when you untie the knot, and remember to leave all the ends long enough (6" or so) that you can easily weave them in.

Wait. I just remembered another thing that an accomplished knitter from the fiber guild taught me last spring. When you are going to knit something in the round, don't bother to join immediately after the cast-on. Knit a couple rows back and forth, then join. It is a lot easier to avoid twisting the work, and you can use the tail of yarn to sew up the little seam where you were knitting flat. It doesn't show. I have done this on the last five pairs of socks I knit and on the first hat, above. Trust me. It.Doesn't.Show. (But be warned that I adhere to the trotting horse theory of error correction; if you can't see it from a trotting horse, it doesn't need to be fixed.)

There you have it. Your knitting lesson for the year. Don't spend it all in one place.

Ten random things.

Got nuthin; must do meme.

Ten Random Things (stolen from Knitiot Savant)

1. Magazines subscribed to:  Um. U.S. News & World Report. I have subscribed to lots of magazines -- New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Bazaar, Time, PC World, Fortune, Herb Companion, Fine Gardening, Green Thumb, Green Prints (The Weeder's Digest), Nation (not all at the same time) -- but I found that it had become a burden to read them. So I let them lapse.

2.  Aside from knitting, my favorite pastimes are - Reading, preferably with a cat on my lap/chest, playing around on the internet, hanging out with my family.

3.  If I were not an accountant (insert your own profession) I would be: Once upon a time my choice would have been dancer. Now, it would be forensic something-or-other or computer guru.

4.  I am irrationally worried about - I don't worry much. My only irrational fear is that the semi in front of me on the freeway won't quite fit under the underpass coming up, and its load will end up on top of my car. This seems especially likely to happen when the semi is a flatbed with a great whack of stuff strapped to it, like Christmas trees or huge bales of hay. How do I know the guy that loaded it actually measured to be sure it would fit under that bridge up ahead?

5.  If I were the opposite sex - I would make a terrible man. Too cowardly. Although I suppose if I were a man the testosterone would take care of that.

6.  The thing I miss most about childhood is - always being The Special One.

7.  I like to collect - I don't like to collect things, although I do seem to have acquired a collection of coffee mugs from places I have visited.

8.  Though I've never been there, I feel inexplicably homesick for - Tahiti.

9.  I've never really liked to eat - peas or beans. Especially lima beans. Or baked beans.

10.  When I have nightmares, they're usually about - being in some public situation and not knowing what to do.

* * * * *

Here's a random photo, taken at the hotel at Wisconsin Dells. I must have at least one picture in every post.



* * * * *

More nuthin'; random mutterings.

1. Spit it out :: I don't have all day.
2. Shadow :: dancer
3. Database :: computer
4. Expression :: of distaste
5. Boss :: jerk
6. Baby :: kangaroo
7. Mystic :: River
8. Kate :: McGrew*
9. Boobies :: birds
10. Raid :: bugs

* After a little IMDb research I discovered that I was really thinking of Kate Mulgrew, the actress that played the captain on Star Trek: Voyager. These random muttering things are challenging.

Dumb stuff about me.

You Are 50% Boyish and 50% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Well, yeah. I am in what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession (accounting). I began to appreciate what female friendship has to offer only in the past ten years or so.  I am stubborn and independent. But I still consider it dangerous to shoot a gun despite having passed rifle training at age 11. As an adult I have walked out of the room when a handgun was brought out for inspection.

Thanks to Nora and Angie for this.

* * * * *

 

you are lightcyan #E0FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Sorry. I don't think so.

I am more like this. Or this. Or this.

How about you?

The best thing about me is...

Intelligence

Intelligence is your strongest virtue

 

Intelligence (also called intellect) is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, plan, and solve problems. And you? Your brain shines.  All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your intelligence runs deepest.

It is likely you're a smarty-pants.  And it's likely (but not necessary) that your discipline score is high also.  It takes a certain resolve to maintain all those neural thingies.

Intelligent famous people:  Einstein, Shakespeare, Da Vinci.

Your raw relative scores follow.  0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible.  Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.

        YOUR VIRTUES

        30% Compassion

        89% Intelligence

        38% Humility

        44% Honesty

        38% Discipline

        29% Courage

        42% Passion

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy

No huge surprises there, although I was rather alarmed to see that my courage is the lowest of my attributes and that my humility outranked my compassion. Huh. Coulda fooled me on that last one.

* * * * *

Knitting update.

I finished off the Noro scarf that I started a few weeks months ago. Here are a couple photos when it was just a baby.

I shall attempt to get a better photo of it in its entirety. Instead of the usual Silk Garden, this yarn is Noro Aurora #7 (blues) and #9 (reds), which will coordinate nicely with my brick red winter coat. Its special appeal was that it has a shiny thread running through it. Ooooh, a sparkly!

Once I had finished that scarf, I decided it was time to return to the kimono cardigan I started almost a year ago. The last few days have added about 6" at the top of the back, which is nearly finished now.

Soon -- well, sometime -- I will have a warm sweater.

In the meantime, my mindless on-the-go knitting is the lacy scarf of handspun cotton to go with my jean jacket.

That's the initial swatch, which was frogged. The scarf is now about 36" long with none of the irregularities seen in the swatch. But there are no photos to document this; you will just have to trust me.

The A4A sweater is sleeping.

Since I missed the October deadline I figured I would instead work on my own sweater and save this one for later.

And that's it for the knitting. Except that I have a pile of bibs knitted, all of which need their ends woven in and a button found and sewn on. All in good time.

I'm a corker, all right.

You Are 96% Interesting

Believe it or not, you are a very fascinating person. You're probably too busy being interesting to realize exactly how interesting you are. You have a rich, full life. You are curious about the world, and you are very open to new experiences. You have a lot to talk about, and people find you to be an amazing conversationalist. And most importantly, you are truly interested in other people. How could anyone find that boring? You truly listen and learn from others. You're not self absorbed or shallow.

Are You Boring or Interesting?

Well. I am also rather quiet and not a particularly sparkling conversationalist, so I guess it all balances out.

Link found at Nora's.