More on the Muster

I forgot to say, in my haste to post about the Muster, that a newsperson stopped and made inquiries about spinning wheels and got our names, both Ray and I when the muster was about to begin.

From the Jackson Citizen Patriot, Sunday, August 30, 2009: Quote "Just before the battle Tenna Sutfin of Lansing sat in the shade feeding thread into a spinning wheel. Sutfin was dressed in a long purple dress and he companion, Ray Croisant, wore plaid pants, a navy blue coat and a navy blue kepi-style hat.

The re-enactors greeted curious muster-goers , and Sutfin spouted knowledge about all things knitting from the Civil War era. "All it takes is just a smooth motion," she said as a spool of thread spun into a bobbin.

Not far behind Sutfin, women in hoop skirts and bonnets ordered roasted chicken from a stand alongside families in jeans ant t-shirts." Unquote.

No picture, but I am so excited about it that I can bearly contain myself.

This, after my spin group decides it's more convenient for them to meet on Monday afternoons than Monday evenings making it impossible for me to go. I am the only one of the group who isn't retired. So while they have fun Monday afternoons--I still have to work! So I reconnoitered my every two week doctor appointment to Monday at 11:15, and then I will just go home afterward, and have the rest of the day off so I can go. This works out a little better for me, as I won't feel like I'm abusing the privilege of having vacation days.

In the meanwhile, scared to death about my upcoming surgery. Scared to death about my interview tomorrow for a promotion--especially now that Granholm has approved Layoffs if the budget doesn't get done! It's just a "I have good news and I have bad news" sort of day. And it's Monday. Nuff said?

As Promised!

The day of reckoning! As promised, the Path of Flowers Stole Progress!

I had to take the picture on our bed so that the lace would show up. I REALLY need a white sheet. There is just so much cat and dog hair on the bed. So next time I knit on this, I'll have to pick off a bunch of hair, but--them's the breaks of having animals in the house.

Speaking of animals, I fed my snakes this morning and watered them. I think it's odd that the females pretty much stay where they're put, but all my males escaped. I wonder about that, and considered getting another male, but it would have to be big enough to breed right away, and those can be expensive...so perhaps not. Besides, my husband has finally come to an agreement with my snakes...you stay in your box, we get along just fine. Get out of your box and you're a dead snake. They seem to understand the idea.

Beyond the stole, I have also knit another dishcloth. Here's the August Mid Month Dishcloth for the Monthly Yahoo Dishcloth group:

I think everyone else did theirs in a rose color, well, I decided to do mine in pink, and since I was at Meijer's when I bought the yarn, I ended up with Sugar n Cream, instead of Peaches n Creme, and the cloth has a definite bias to it, that I don't usually get with Peaches n Creme, so I think from now on, I will only use Peaches n Creme for my dishcloths. I think the bias may be caused by the twist in the Sugar n Creme yarn.

Bad news, though. My Monday Night Spin Group has decided to move to afternoons, and since I work, I would have to take time off work in order to go. So I don't imagine that I will be able to go anytime--unless I just take a vacation day and go. I can't do that very often. It's depressing me, because I'm probably the most active member, and it's rare for me to miss a meeting! I'm going to miss it.

Here's the little bag I bought at the "Muster" yesterday. Drawstring bag, with a cotton lining, velvet and lace outside. I think it's beautiful, and it goes so well with my outfit. The other velvet bag was just the wrong shade of purple.

And the chatelaine--I have to buy the rest of the pieces for it. This is a pin for a seamstress--it has a thimble case (with thimble), a seam ripper, a magnifying glass, a thread cutter and a needle case. Unfortunately, the seam ripper isn't very sharp, so I will need to take it to the hardware store to have it sharpened. Otherwise, I'm good to go. I think that Hobby Lobby will carry the other items, but if I have trouble, I can always visit an antique store...

So now that morning has arrived to greet the day, I give you, one golden morning from my back door.

Ya'll have a beautiful and relaxing day!

Civil War Muster

Held today, August 29, 2009 in Jackson, Michigan.

What an event! There were LOTS of things to see and do--and a battle to watch--stores, beautiful women in beautiful, fashionable Civil War Era garb--looking like they just walked off the set of Gone With The Wind....

Rhett! Rhett! Whatever shall I do?????????

I took my wheel, and spun a couple bobbins of yarn, but didn't take enough bobbins to handle the amount of singles I'd done, and so the spinning went very fast, and I didn't get to spin long enough to do the demonstrating I had hoped.

I believe however, that there will be a write up in the Jackson paper about me, so I have to get hold of my mother in law and sister in law to get the local paper to see if I'm in there!!

I found some really cute things--bought a new velvet purse that goes better with my garb, and a chatelaine, along with a seam ripper (very dull) and a thimble case with a thimble. They are all made of brass, and quite lovely. Pictures tomorrow...along with the spinning and an update on the Path of Flowers Stole, which I didn't work a row today! Shame on me!

Ray snapped a picture of me, when I wasn't looking, and I'll have to get a copy from him and scan it, because he took it on a disposable camera. I thought he'd purchased a digital, but alas...and the pic I took of him, is on his Facebook page--Look up Ray Croisant!

I installed my printer drivers on his machine, and printed off a copy for him. He's happy.

Anyway, I uploaded pics of the battle to my Flickr account if anyone is interested in seeing them.

The trip there began with breakfast at McDonald's, where I found this man on his way to a car show. What a car he had! And he graciously took my picture with the car!

And I thought that this guy's shop had the right idea...

Maybe I should tell my hubby to lay off the liquor?

Ray in his "garb"

So now, when you get to the pic of my hubby's new car---

You can stop looking at pics, because that's the end of the pics for the muster. Sorry that they aren't in any particular order...perhaps I'll fix that tomorrow. In the meanwhile, enjoy! It was a great day with lots of shade, breeze and just the right amount of sun. It was great that I took along the Civil War Shawl, as it got many compliments, and it helped stave off the chilly breeze quite adequately!

I promise I'll get a pic of the Path of Flowers Stole tomorrow. I am tired now, and have to get myself to bed, and put extra covers on tonight, because I hear that it's supposed to get into the 30's!!! It's only August!

Kalamazoo Highland Games-August 2009

Well, it's been more than a week since I last wrote, and so much has happened! I don't know where to begin!

Well, I suppose I could begin with the Kalamazoo Highland Games. They were fun, as usual, albeit Rainy (off and on). I was continually hiding underneath a tent trying to keep my new wheel dry.

First, Ray and I stopped at the Highland Cattle Pen.

This is a genuine Highland Steer. They have longer hair than the American Bovines--and are quite relaxed--even with all these strangers milling about them!

After this, Ray and I sought out the Grand Rapids and District Pipe Band to say hello and catch up with their doings. It was a pleasant visit with old friends, yet there is an elephant in the room whenever I show up, and I've always wondered about it. It seems that they will all talk with Ray about what happened two years ago, but they will not discuss it with me--even though I have emailed their new pipe major, there has been no discussion. I am considering the matter closed.

From there, we wound back around to the vendor tents, and I found this sweater,

that I loved, and someday hope to make it. The cost was $150 clams...no way I'm going to afford that for a sweater. (Nevermind that the Civil War Shawl cost me about $100 in yarn alone!)

From there, and because my soap maker, Pat Merritt hadn't yet arrived, we strolled around to the Sheep Herding. Now, I love sheep herding--I love everything about it. And since I love my dog, Mandy, who is also a border collie, I do love to watch these dogs move ducks and sheep

around in a pen. It's really a sight to behold..so I snapped a couple of pics...

Then there was this little girl, and she got to pet one of the puppies...so cute!!

Finally, I set up my wheel, and started to spin, but wouldn't you know it? Just as Opening Ceremonies started, it began to sprinkle, so I had to put her away, while we watched the Massed Bands.

Look at the SKY. It's threatening to rain hard! What to do?

And the Kalamazoo Weaver's Guild came to the rescue! They had a nice tent, and offered me a spot toward the back, so that my brand new wheel and I didn't get drenched in the rain that came and came for most of the day thereafter!

Here was one of the prettier wheels

Lots of good conversation from that point on--fantastic jokes (not one can I repeat), some Meat Pies (standard Scottish Games fare) and music from the field--not just bagpiping, which is always quite fine, but also harps and hammer dulcimers and fiddles, singers and the like--all for our listening pleasure, and believe me, it was.

Then came kitchen piping. I was well into my bobbin of yarn, and decided to stop a while and knit some more on the Path of Flowers Stole, which is also coming along nicely--more in another post later, because at this very moment, Ray is sitting beside me waiting to go. I won't show you the picture of his scowling, having to wait!! LOL!

I didn't get pics of the kitchen piping because I was knitting, but I did get pics of the lineup for the Closing Ceremonies, which came at 5pm (funny how the day goes so quick when you're having a wonderful time -- despite the rain..). Here's closing ceremonies.

Pipers line up...

Drummers line up...

Pipers GO!




Drummers GO!



And then, we said our goodbyes to new friends and old, and began the trek back home...The sky was still threatening to break forth with new showers, but it didn't rain all the way home.



And...



You see that little tail there in the center of that big black cloud? Well, it gave me pause to worry, but it was nothing. We arrived at McDonald's in Galesburg about 5:15, and had a quick supper, then we headed home.

Boy were we tired!

The Weekend Passes much too Quickly!

I have pictures of all my exploits on my camera phone, but I haven't had the chance to download them. Hopefully, I'll get to them tonight before Spin Night happens--but that's pretty debatable, since I have to get some groceries and something quick for hubby to eat this evening, otherwise, he will be ornery when I get home.

I also have to check out my friend's computer, to see if I can determine why it died on him quite suddenly while he was creating an email. That one I might save for Tuesday night.

So much work. So little time.

There's not a lot of time to even do my blog, but I felt that I must send in something!

My ex husband was happily NOT at the Kalamazoo Festival. Instead, there was a snake and reptile show.

My goodness, he would have fit right in!

Anyway, I took my wheel with me, and set up down by the heavy athletics before it started to rain, and I had to put my gear in the car. That's when I found out that there were several other spinners and weavers under a tent about halfway across the field, so I moved my stuff there between sprinkles, and stayed dry the entire rest of the day. There is something, though, about groups of spinners--and being underneath cover--people walking by stop by with interest, but you really don't get to discuss as much because the people who are more to the front of the crowd get asked the myriad questions.

But it was FREEZING at the Highland Festival, and I really did NOT dress for it. I ended up having to buy a zippered sweater--which has "Scotland" in a celtic knot embroidered as an emblem on it in blue velour. Very warm. It better be. It cost me $30 more than I was planning to spend at the festival--and therefore couldn't get my soaps--so Ray bought them for me. I really do like the jacket, however, and since there's a bit of chill in the air this morning, I think I'll wear it to the office, and put on a lighter shirt below--sort of layer my clothing so that if it gets warm, I can peel off a layer.

Stopping now, as it's time to go, but there will be more with pictures, later. Tune in!

Modernistic! Simple and Quick!

Well, ya'll read about my dog getting sick all over the carpet when I got home, and what a mess!

So, I called up Modernistic Carpet Cleaners. They wanted to set me up for a cleaning on Saturday, but you know, I don't think I could have dealt with the smell in the heat for another minute! So I asked if there were ANY CHANCE that they could come RIGHT NOW, because

DOG POOP SMELLS TO HIGH HEAVEN IN A HOUSE THAT HAS NO AIR CONDITIONING!

To which she asked if it was okay if they came between 5 and 8pm, and I answered with a resounding "YES!" and a "SEND THEM OVER RIGHT AWAY!"

And so they came, and it turned out to be a single fellow named Jeremy, rather than two of them, and so I helped move things, which sort of helped with the cost, I think--because I was expecting the bill at the end to be quite high, but it was completely reasonable.

Now, my house smells like Orange Go Jo hand cleaner, very citrus-y. Not a dog poop smell anyplace, and I am VERY HAPPY AND SATISFIED. And, should I ever need them again, they are the folks I'll call.

I even had Jeremy do my husband's chair, which was in pretty sad shape, and needed a good going over.

Of course, you know, that when my husband got home (yes, he knew about the dog poop), he was a tech miffed about not being able to sit in his easy chair...so we are in the bedroom with the air conditioning, knitting and reading, until it's bedtime.

And the doggie?????? She's been relegated to outside for a while...though she just barked to be let in--she hasn't gone poo yet, and I'm a bit miffed with her over that. She needs to stop pooping in my house, or she's going to find herself at the pound!!!

That's sort of a threat, with nothing to back it up with--I do love my dog. I don't know why she sometimes gets the scoots. She doesn't eat table food, she eats regularly and normally has nice firm bowels, and is able to maintain for hours. I am not sure WHY she gets so sick suddenly and without warning, and then it's loose stool and ALL OVER THE PLACE IN LIKE, 41 DIFFERENT SPOTS THAT ARE TOO FAR APART TO USE THE SPOT BOT!!!

As you can see, it really ticks me off, bad!

I could have taken a before and after, but didn't think you'd appreciate it. Just know that it was like looking at piles of dark, wet algae--all over my living room rug...my brand new, oak leaf berber carpeting. Hubby has been furious when she's gone on the rug in the past, and I knew that this time, would be a real barn burner--because it was just too much for me to handle!

And so, the call to the carpet cleaner, which was really long overdue.

And now, the carpet is quietly drying in the night, while we sleep. And the doggie will spend the night in the bathroom, where there is no carpet to clean.

But Jeremy rescued me. He did a great job. I can see the pattern in the carpet again, and the cat hair will vacuum back up in no time. I'm very happy...so I wrote about it here.

Oh, and Jeremy told me that he's a minister at a small church right there in town where I live--fancy that?

Finally Friday!

And it's a good thing too!
Wait, it's only Thursday?
Well, it's Friday for me, people, because I have a furlow day tomorrow, and I get to stay home!

Can you hear the party from here?
I knew you could!

Anyway, I get home early due to a doctor appointment, and find that my dog has been sick all over the floor again.

This is not fun.
Nor is it funny.

I'm going to start feeding the dog cheese curds. This is getting pretty nasty.

But this time, instead of using the spot bot, I opted to get the rug professionally cleaned. It's more expensive, but it's a better cleaning, and I'm thinking that this time, the floor just plain old needs it.

So I asked if they can come tonight, and sure enough, they can. I hope they get here soon, I can't stand the smell!

And my dog? She's hiding in the doghouse. Literally.

Wednesday Morning Sunrise

To greet you today!

Path of Flowers Stole Progress

Of course, unblocked, but it's beautiful...



I simply don't know what more I could say about it.

Systems are down at the office, so I'm pretty much without anything to do. I'm thinking about going home, where I can knit and not feel badly about it.

:)

Monday?? Already??

Yes, friends, it's Monday again, and I have to go to work. It's a short week though, with a furlow day at the end of it, and while I really miss the $125 that Jennie takes away from me every week, I do like the day off. It makes for a restful weekend, because the two day weekends just aren't long enough.

My husband finally decided on a new car. He's getting a Chevrolet Impala. Nice car. We may bring it home as early as mid-week, depending on how much he can get done in the next couple days.

Path of Flowers stole is coming along nicely. I'm a little more used to the pattern now, and I can whip it out a little faster than when I started. I'm also coming along on the KAL with my friend in California. We're on row 74. It's been so miserable hot that not a lot of knitting is getting done. I did, however, get quite a lot of spinning done on my new wheel.

This weekend is the Kalamazoo Highland Festival. I'll be there with my wheel, and I'll ply my purple wool--then I'll work some more on the bright neon green I got at Fiber Festival.

I hope that my Drum Carder sold, but if not, I hope it sells soon.

In the meanwhile. I'm off like a prom dress--going to the office. Bye!

Saturday

Saturday was a blast! As some may know, Saturday was the Michigan Fiber Festival (well, actually, it's been going on all week and will be on through Sunday, but Saturday is really the BIG day), and I got to go.

I left early in the morning, and forgot to take the Roberta and the Symphony--figuring that I wouldn't find anybody to buy them, and that no one would have the wheel that I wanted, but when I got there, you wouldn't believe it, but I found EXACTLY the wheel I was seeking...

Which of course, meant that I had to talk to the vendor to work out a deal...

And that I would have to make another trip.

So I went home and talked it out with my hubby. I told him that I had a deal going, and that I would be able to get some money from one of the vendors, and a trade for a wheel that I really wanted. And instead of giving me a hard time about it, he said okay.

Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my husband?

And he helped me to load things up--I took my Schact Drum Carder, too--and back to the Fiber Festival.

The woman who had wanted the Drum Carder wasn't around anymore, so the vendor offered to sell the Drum Carder for me, which was FINE with me. She sold me some wool, wrote up the trade for the wheels and I left with a brand new wheel!

And here she is!!

I couldn't wait to get home and try her out, so I stopped under the pavillion at the festival and spun a little merino top in a bright green--then I took her home in her case, and spun a bit more!

I am so happy! I finally have a wheel that I can cart around in the car and not have it take up 50% of the backseat all by itself!!!

And then I went to bed, completely exhausted.

Getting Ahead of Myself

Ah...morning sunrises...

Well, sort of ahead. Today, I'm feeling happy, because I finished another dishcloth

This is The Rooster, and I think he's just adorable. He wasn't on the Monthly Dishcloth, but he might be down the road. I think he's pretty great.

I'm working on Path of Flowers Stole. Wow, is this a difficult knit. I finally finished a repeat--and I couldn't believe it took me so long...

especially having knit on the summer scarf, which takes very little time to walk, ride or run through 16 rows because every other row is purl across....on this one, I really have to pay attention all the time, and it frustrates me a little. I might get the hang of memorizing the pattern by the time I'm 150 rows into it, but right now, it's a pain in the keester! Add to that, since the light isn't really good at home, even under an OTT light, I work on it at the office, which at best, allows for only 2 rows at a time on a break--that's IF I don't figure I made a mistake.

I have to take in groceries to work--bread for my Peanut Butter on Toast sandwiches and Cereal for my Breakfast, which I sometimes eat at the office when I am not particularly hungry when I first get up.

Today, I get to go see the Ob-gyn. Oh, I'm really lookin' forward to that! I surely hope that they can give me some direction on what I should do about my issues from last weekend. I never want to go through that again.

After that, I get a nice boring meeting.

Then I get to start on my job. (Did I say, boring before? Oh, yes, there it is! I see it!) Sigh.

And I get to argue all day with workers who either won't or can't do what I need them to do so that I can do what I have to do....I'm tired of all of it.

So I applied for a promotion in another office. I have no clue if I will get it, or even if I will be asked to interview. I think that the head of interviewing for the area where I work LIKES me, but thinks that I'm where I belong, somehow. Ever since he took charge of that area, I haven't moved anyplace, and I'm seriously tired of not being able to do my job.

But before I can go to the doctor appointment at 9, I have to shower and nap a little and all that--sadly, there's not a lot of ambition to get out of bed today.

But TOMORROW...

MICHIGAN FIBER FESTIVAL

Daily Doings

Well, I decided to go to the office, but there is literally nothing to do--all of the systems are down. So I'll have to do some filing. I'm not up to it, but I need to get it done. I did make it through the day, and got quite a bit of work done--even if I wasn't very productive. I'm considering selling my Kromski Symphony wheel and hoping to trade my Roberta electric wheel for a portable non electric wheel like the Ashford Joy. I want to be able to easily transport--without takingg up half the back seat. I would trade even up for a Joy--even though the Roberta is more expensive. I hate to let go of the Roberta--because a friend sold it to me, but I really didn't need it--and could get more use out of a Joy or Louet portable. I put a little blurb on Spin Sales--we'll see if it garners a reaction. In the meanwhile, it's another day with no systems at the office. I could get more done at home! So perhaps I'll do a half day and go home early.

Still waiting for the doctors office to contact me with an appointment. And it's hot here in the office--I'm sweating something fierce. Time to turn on the fan.

My new Path of Flowers stole is coming along --albeit slowly because it's lace on both sides

--and I don't usually do well with these types of patterns. The end result after blocking is scrumptious, but right now it looks like so much wrinkled up string!

I've also taken to making up some beaded stitch markers

from leftovers I had from the Snowflake shawl. I'll make one up in an hour or so to show you.

Beyond that, not much else going on--maybe the day will get more interesting as the day wears on?

Doubt it.

Undecided....

Should I go to the office today or not?

Having spent Friday in the hospital, and knowing that I have to go see a specialist about my troubles, well--frankly, I would really rather go to the doctor that I used to go to--even though I haven't seen her in several years. I think it merits a visit with her because we have a history.

My biggest reason, though, is because I'm having some abdominal pain again, and I surely don't want to have another episode. I can't bring myself to get up off the chair--even though I've had my shower and everything to prepare to go!

I began a new project--Path of Flowers Stole. It's a lot harder (at least for ME) than it looks. The reason is because the yarn is SO FINE and the needles are SO HUGE. Yarn not much thicker than crochet cotton on size 6 needles!!! Yee Gods! Here is a better picture of the stole, IMHO, and the reason why I decided to do it.

It took me an hour to do one row (126 stitches). Things will go smoother once I get used to the contradiction between thread and needles, but right now, it's cumbersome. Maybe if I switch to Addi Turbos? Right now, using my interchangables, and the thread is catching in the join--so it might be a better option. I'll see if I can find my size 6's in Addi--I really need the lace needles, but if I don't have them, I don't have them.

But my belly is sore. Really sore from all the "activity". I have needle tracks from blood work and IV's. I've had breakfast, and I feel worse.

I'm trying to talk myself out of going, you see? But I know that I won't be able to get in to see the doctor today. You really CAN'T get in to see a specialist unless it's a total emergency, and I feel that the "emergency" has passed--maybe I don't want to go because I want my husband to baby me for another day? Sigh. Maybe. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten 3 pieces of meat lover's pizza last night? Maybe I should just stay home and eat nothing but chicken noodle soup all day?

I am utterly undecided.

Moving On

I just finished another cloth, and just have to do the finishing on it--tie off the ends and stuff. It's a cute little fish washcloth, perfect for little hands. I might make a couple of these for my grandkids--so that they can learn to wash themselves--or if nothing else, they'll make a fun toy in the bathtub!


In the meanwhile, I just woke up and just had breakfast. Today is going to be a scorcher, and after I get my lace yarn wound into a ball, I'm going to begin the Path of Flowers Stole shown on Grumperina's website. I'm also going to use the same yarn, but in a different color, and I think that mine is going to be prettier. We'll see.

I have a bit of knitting to do on the shawl

that my friend in California and I are knitting. She takes her time on it, and so do I. We are enjoying the process, and going slow. However, when she doesn't work on hers, I have to have something to do, hence the other projects on the needles. It keeps me sane.

Well, I'm going to begin my day. Toots!

I'm Slightly Flumoxed!

And more than a little out of sorts.

I've not been feeling well for over a week, and the whole of it put me in the hospital overnight on Friday-Saturday. The doctors are pretty sure it's something to do with my "female parts", but the entire hospital stay was frightening and sleep disturbing. They've finally determined that I need to see a gynecologist to determine what to do about my "issues" with my "female parts".

I found out that I am terrified of doctors or nurses who are harbingers of pain. Not that they intend to cause pain, but because of the stress and the fear, the pain enhances, and so I try to avoid it. We finally opted for an alternative that was less "invasive", and after the procedure, I was finally able to catch a few z's.

But I spent many hours tense and afraid. I'm happy to visit with a gynecologist on Monday, after the intense emotions of Friday-Saturday, and very thankful that I'm home, and safe from prying hands. I'm tired to the bone, but still found a bit of time to do some knitting, eat a little bit, and watch a bit of television. My poor husband, up with me the entire time, was unable to sleep at all has finally succumbed and gone to bed. I am still up, only because I am thirsty and to write a small missive here about the experience.

I'm concerned that I will need to have a hysterectomy--it will be okay, since they put you to sleep for this sort of surgery, but not looking forward to the time required for recovery. I'm concerned about cancer, although the doctors didn't infer it...just that the trouble I had Friday night may revisit me one day when I least expect it, and that is why they proffered the route of hysterectomy. I'm more afraid of the pain than I am of the surgery. At least you're asleep through surgery, and as much as it hurts after, it's still preferable to the sort of pain I endured on Friday. I promise you.

And so, on Monday, I am to contact the gyno and set up an appointment to discuss the option and give her the information collected by the hospital and go over my alternative options. The hope is that I'll be able to get things taken care of over a long weekend--and have it done and over with, because I don't like pain, I don't like discomfort, and I don't like strangers poking and prodding me in private places...not even doctors!

So there you have it. I was afraid and a real BABY, and I am disappointed in myself for behaving the way I did, but there comes a time when you must take life into your own hands and I don't feel at all embarrassed about that. I just wish I hadn't had to go through the BABY part.

Well, I'll sign off for now, turn off the tube, put the knitting away, because my husband, who was very supportive, is waiting for me.

Adventures in the Household!

One last program to install, and it's giving me grief. I have to run downstairs and see if I can locate the authorization codes for it. If it's on the big puter (see, I think of notebooks as "small" computers--even if they have more space, and this one definitely has the larger space, and consider my Blackberry the "hand-held" computer...but the big computer is a monster in comparison, and takes up an entire ARMOIRE when it's fully operational--and for those of you who don't know what an armoire is--it's a tall wooden closet.), well that might be a problem. I don't know if it will run at all! I haven't used it in...hmm...five years? Imagine trying to turn something on that hasn't had the priviledge for the last 5 years!!

So I am a tad worried, because it's probably the only place I'll find the serial number.

The other place is on the book that came with the software, and well, we BOTH know that Tenna isn't usually right on top of that sort of thing aware it needs to be done while installing software, and this is very often the thing that gives Tenna a headache before she even starts! And where the book might be, at this very moment, having had no opportunity to rush downstairs and scope it out, is anyone's guess--but even if I spied it with my little eye, the possibility of getting around in my sewing room is, well, can you say DISASTER AREA? I knew you could. So, thinking creatively, I came up with this little "story".

"Adventures in the Household"

So the intrepid hunter goes into the lost world to find the rare book. But first she has many travels to make, not the least of which may be quite dangerous. After a short walk, the deep dark well of despair looms before her!








This might well be the last you see of our heroine; however, she is determined to locate the fount of "serial number". There are wild animals that frequent the area. LOOK! There's one now!



Across the plains of basement, with sparse Planter's trees, and bypassing the Beast in the Armoire, she arrives at her destination!








The JUNGLE. Dear God. How can anyone find anything in here???? Initial observation shows the book she hunts is nowhere in sight, so she abandons the hunt briefly, and passes again, the Beast in the Armoire.



She shouldn't touch it, as it might be deadly! But in a fit of desperation, she does! This may be her last ditch efford to obtain the elusive serial number she seeks and the last we ever hear of her. A touch of a few buttons, and the monster springs to life. And let me tell you, it has the roar of a ferocious lion (May need to look into that later....) And suddenly, there appears before her

WINDOWS!

And a search for files option! And what's this? A list of all her cd's and programs? Well, what do you know about that?


Serial number located, and once again crossing the plains, she's ABDUCTED AND PLACED IN JAIL!







All she can see is the way out--that looks suspiciously like perhaps she should ask Alice in Wonderland for tips.

Will our heroine escape jail and return to civilization with the serial number and install the upgrade to Adobe Photoshop?

Will the blogwriter ever determine when she can return to the jungle and clear away a few paths?

Is there no end to this story?

Tune in Next time, for adventures in the household!

Maximum Surprises!

Last night, I got about 3 hours of sleep--until 5:30am, when I fell asleep for another 3 hours, interrupted every hour on the hour by one or another alarm....

Clock
Cell Phone
Dog
Cat...get the picture?

Anyway, I ended up going to work late, because of the lack of sleep, and after my doctor appointment, I went BACK to the office again, to try to catch up on some work that has been languishing in a queue, waiting for me to return--sadly, no one else does my job, but there you go!

So at 6pm, when I left the office, I thought how cool it would be if my new cellular phone was here.

And when I got home, not only did hubby have dinner in the oven, but

The cell phone was here.
The new hard drive was here.
And some lovely, lovely yarn had arrived.

And, when I called my computer guru, he was actually available! And he was not far away! And he came over to help me install my new drive and take care of some other installations...before I know it, I am

BACK ON THE WEB!!!

YAHOO!

YAY!

I just have a bazillion gigs of software to install, because, sadly, my old drive bit the dust...drew the short straw...died a slow (really slow) and agonizing death. It will have to be sent in to a processing center to obtain the many, many files that I'd saved on it. Some of which I will never be able to replace, unless I get the drive parsed (which is a fancy computer term that means going through the drive and pulling out all the useful information that can be retrieved). Free patterns I've saved over the last 6 months from Annie's Attic, sock patterns from a variety of different sources, files which I was planning to back up, but didn't get around to it for 6 months. I was preparing to do so, when the drive died.

Cry.

It's expensive to parse a drive. Or so I'm told. So I'm going to start saving files to my husband's hard drive--which is significantly bigger AND quite a bit sturdier.

So the plans I HAD to work on my knitting, finishing up 2 dishcloths and working on a shawl with my friend in California (a KAL that we are working on) and beginning a new shawl from the realms of Yahoo Groups MMario Knits, something so beautiful that I simply MUST MAKE IT!

None of it got done--although I did get close to finishing up on ONE of the dishcloths...the one that says "Thank You". I considered giving it to my computer guru, and I may do that yet, but didn't want to not block it, take it's picture and upload to the files section for Monthly Dishcloth. The shawls will have to wait--maybe Thursday.

In the meanwhile, I have a ton of software to install. Thank GOD there was nothing critical on my hard drive that I couldn't replace!

Well, it is 11pm (almost). I need to take a sleeping pill and go to bed. The dog needs to go outdoors for potty, and I have to take my last penicillin. Let me say this about that...this stuff tastes like cow poo. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth that even mouthwash can't kill. I take it with water, because anything acid based makes it worse. But I take it so that I will get better!

And better I will be. G'day!

Another Cloth-A Completed Dr. Appointment

Here's the new cloth. I like it. It's quite pretty, but when I make it again, I will only use one of the motifs--because I think that it's a bit busy.

My doctor gave me 2 different antibiotics, 2 x-rays and a blood test. And I took both antibiotics at suppertime. And shortly AFTER suppertime, I started feeling better! So either the antibiotics worked, or it is a kidney stone and it has moved or passed on.

In the meanwhile, we are watching "Changeling" with Angelina Jolie. What a good movie with such a horrible ending about such a horrible situation! It's definitely a good movie, but so very sad! And for the police? No respect!

The only thing required for anarchy to reign, is for good men to do nothing. I know it's not a direct quote, and the original quote fits so much better. It's close though. Very close.

At the Doctor's and Another Cloth

I am finally getting to see a doctor about this pain in my side. I just hope that he doesn't just send me to the hospital! In the meanwhile, I finished another cloth--this time, the June cloth from Monthly Dishcloth called "Flag".



Pretty huh? The next cloth (June Mid Monrh is done knitting, but needs to be blocked and the ends woven in--so it's not picture ready just yet--soon, grasshopper!

Next the July cloth, which sounds interesting--Beach umbrella. This one will be red or maybe blue--i haven't really decided yet. I'm still waiting to get in to the doctor. I hope I get in soon.

May Mid-Month Dishcloth

I decided to catch up on my Monthly Dishcloth yahoo group. Here's the May Mid-Month cloth.



I hope you like it. This was actually done--I just forgot to take the picture. But I like this one better. The pain in my side is still quite evident. There is no fever, so I don't feel the need to go to the hospital, although I will see the doctor on Monday. If the pain accentuates, I may decide to go to emergency, but I'm hoping to forego that avenue.

Finally!

The long awaited pic of my Snowflake Shawl.



Enjoy!

Testing Bolt

I'm testing a new browser for the Blackberry. It' s not as intuitive as the web browser that comes with the Blackberry, but posting is a little easier--using the native text program. However, when I tried to upload a pic from my Blackberry, it didn't show the text box where I type the location or the browse box--it allows to type in the url for the pic, but as I mentioned, Flickr isn't cooperating. So I'm still stuck. Addendum--I went to Flickr with Bolt and was able to get the url and html for a pic--the native browser doesn't give the icons that Bolt provides--see?



Yay!

The Plan

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join the two unfinished ends of the scarf. You would best accomplish this by using a kitchner stitch--with needle and thread, to graft the ends together to provide a seamless seaming invisible even to the practiced eye!

First, now that the individual pieces are blocked, you should place the live stitches on straight needles. You could also use a long circular, putting one side of the needle through one half of the scarf and the other end through the other half of the scarf so that both ends of the needle have a piece of the scarf where each is right side facing you, then fold the cable in half so that wrong sides are facing each other. If you decide to use straight needles, just hold both needles so that wrong sides are facing each other and both needle tips are pointing to your right. This of course is dependent on the idea that you are right-handed. Hold one needle in back and the other in front.

The biggest thing to remember is to do this work loosely--you can snug things up later!

With a standard sewing needle threaded with a length of yarn, and using the sewing needle as if it were a knitting needle, begin by purling into the first stitch on the needle closest to you, and pull the yarn through so you have a tail long enough that you can use it to weave in the end later. Continue by knitting into the first stitch on the back needle, then knit into the first stitch on the front needle. Drop the first stitch off the front needle. Now purl into the next stitch on the front needle, and then purl in the back needle stitch and drop it off the needle. Knit into the next stitch on the back needle. Knit into the stitch on the front needle, drop it, purl into the next stitch. Purl into the stitch on the back needle, drop it, knit into the next stitch.

Notice that as you are working the stitches you only drop the stitches when you are working the same stitch pattern--knit for the front, purl for the back!

Continue in this zig-zag pattern until all stitches have been worked off the needles. Set the sewing needle down and allow the grafting yarn to hang free. Lay the work on the ironing board and, beginning at the center and working outward, snug up the loose grafting stitches so that they resemble your knitting. Weave in your ends.

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