How to Adopt a Human

For Memorial Day weekend, I went up to my mother's house with THB, where we drank wine, watched Megamind (hilarious), hung out with Waffles the Cat

and dug around in the garden. THB was moving cement pieces for my mom and he found all kinds of interesting Garden Denizens, including these two fellows:

You know you wanna kiss it...

Sharp-Tailed Snake. Never around when I need him.

I was tempted to keep the snake as a pet, but that particular breed eats slugs, which I am not willing to forage for. Eeeeeuch.

It's a good thing I didn't bring home a new pet because when I got here there was one waiting for me.

Let the Right One In!

This is the as-yet-unnamed back door kitty that some of you may have seen me complaining about on Facebook. He's very sweet, loves to purr and hug, has extremely amusing fangs that remind me of being in high school drama class, and is at this very moment sleeping on a towel outside my back door. Aside from finding a dry place to sleep in the Very Unseasonable Rainshower Weather that Sacramento has been experiencing, he's been there for a week.

Today I let him inside the apartment to see how he and Mr. Prissypants Darcy got along. Darcy was better than I expected; he only hissed once and meowed in an annoyed fashion while Back Door Kitty showed him his belly and purred as loudly as his little purrbox was able. But after I put BDK back outside, Darcy actually took a swipe at me! Little bastard clearly knows who let the interloper in the door...

He vaaants to saaaack your bloooooood! Or eat Greenies. Either one, really.

We'll see how long this goes on for. I printed up signs that I'll be putting around the neighborhood and at local pet shops tomorrow; hopefully someone will come claim him. He's too sweet to be a feral, and while I wouldn't really mind having another cat I think that Darcy REALLY would. I'd hate to have to start shutting my bedroom door again; Darcy's method of expressing his displeasure at being a member of a more-than-one cat household is to shit on my bed, which is charming in the extreme.

And then on to the knitting! I'm back in Garter Stitch Country with the Rock Island shawl; I fancy that I can sense it getting smaller every right side row, but I know it's just my imagination.

It's going to be lovely, though, and I managed to turn a couple of my Ukrainian immigrant girls back onto knitting today by whipping this baby out and showing them how awesome knitting has become on the internet.

I'm highly amused that I just typed that last sentence. But not as amused as I am by FINALLY having captured this little trick on film (possibly quicker loading link is here):

It's Freestylin' Friday!

At least, that's what my freshmen announced to me this morning. They quickly followed it up with a request that I rap, whereupon I pointed at my pasty skin and replied that I would be doing no such thing. Being a teacher is hilarious.

As I am apparently following trends of Stuff White People Like today, I poured myself a glass of Wine Cube Cabernet/Shiraz and decided to post on my knitting blog.

Two bottles of wine in one 6" cube; 100% effective. 

It was a total impulse buy from Target when I went to get gardening tools earlier this week, and since I cracked it open I've learned an important lesson: it doesn't feel like you're refilling your wine glass if you're getting it from a spigot on your counter. Also, you don't know how much is left because the container is obviously opaque, being made of cardboard. For people (like me) who tend to judge when they should stop by how much wine is left in the bottle (half-ish when you have to get up in the morning), this is very. dangerous. Teenagers can smell a hangover from a mile away.

Oh, what's that? You saw the reference to gardening tools? Ahhh, internets, if you only knew. My mother is a consummate gardener - I may have mentioned this before - and this year since I have a back "yard" I broke down and asked her to help me plant a few things.

You see, since I moved to California I've spent my summers subsisting mainly on Caprese Salad and beer, and tomatoes ain't cheap. Mom promised to help me plant a few tomatoes of my own this year, along with some basil:

L-R: Sun Sugars, Sweet 100's, and 4th of Julys

We calculated that I needed 3 types: the Sun Sugars are now a family tradition and often don't make it out of the garden; the Sweet 100's are for the salad; and the 4th of July's are for when tiny tomatoes just won't do. It was a herculean effort not to get more plants; after all, they're so small and I love homegrown tomatoes so much! But I restrained myself with a mental picture of every other blackened, shriveled plant I've ever tried to grow.

Peppermint, basil, lemon thyme. oregano, Greek thyme, and an asparagus fern for inside

Once we got into the herb aisle, it was all over. I absolutely LOVE fresh thyme, and I figured I'd need the peppermint at some point for tea. So where I had no plants I now have 9, and Mother Nature promptly put me in my place by sending a 3-day hail storm. To Sacramento. In MAY. But my plants and I weathered it, and now the tomatoes are edging their way past the second round of the cages. I'm cautiously hoping that my prodigious Black Thumb will begin to turn green around the edges.

Also there has been knitting! The blogging today represents a break from said knitting; I'm on repeat #54 (of 77) of the edging of my Rock Island Shawl; I might even finish the edging this evening. AND my blocking boards came in the mail this week! I am super-stoked about them; they're each 2' square and 1/2" thick, and I have 9 of them which is more than enough to block pretty much anything I can imagine. I tested them out last night:

YES.

I recommend this company and set up without reservation. Each tile cost me $3.96, which is 99 cents/square foot, and they use solar energy! Definite bonus.. (In comparison, Knit Picks charges $20 for 9 square feet in 1' tiles.) It turns out that blocking boards are, while not absolutely essential, a much appreciated resource when one lives in an apartment with all wooden floors. I pulled it off the mats today and tried to photograph the scarf, but I ran into a bit of difficulty:

He insisted upon laying on the scarf for a few minutes, then when he was sure he'd won, we negotiated a truce.

Aria Scarf, Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Composition Book Grey. 420 yds.

I added the yardage to my 11-Mile Quest total back when the actual knitting was completed, but I DO get to take the progress bar for this one off the side of the blog, and I'm chuffed to pieces with my restored ability to pin stuff out. Next up on the blocking boards: the Hera Shawl! And maybe at some point even the Honeybee Shawl that I finished almost 2 years ago...

Blah Blah Title Here It's Late I Don't Care

I'm back from derby and my butt hurts. This kicking ass on skates is totally working because I can feel the definition starting to come back in my quads. YESSSSSS!!! And then someone mentioned a "skater butt," and I got chills. The one thing I do not need more of is junk in my trunk, thank you South American family. I guess you can't win'em all, right?

Y'anyway, Darcy is trying mightily to get me to go to bed using his tried-and-true technique of pushing everything remotely mobile off of my desk and looking at me like, "did you see that, bitch? Go to BED!"

And since I just pay the rent and am clearly not in charge around here, that's where I'm going.

Tomorrow I have stuffs for you to hear about! Including knitting and future spinning. Oh, what's that? You forgot that this is mostly a knitting blog and not a catalogue of which days I am sore*? So did I.


*Lately the ones that end in Y.

Still On The Run

If your name begins with an S and ends with -hannon, you need to stop reading this RIGHT NOW. Come back after you've received your birthday present which is pictured here and would thus spoil the surprise I have worked so hard to create. Also, happy birthday!

Okay, now that she's gone, I can tell the rest of you about what's been going on lately. I finished the Vanilla Rib Socks and then plowed through Anne Hanson's Elm Row scarf for the above-mentioned birthday girl. Apparently I am one of those knitters who likes to give things away because I'm constantly putting off my own projects in favor of those for someone else. This is not, however, a bad thing. I have wonderful friends who deserve to be wrapped in beautiful things, and if those things come from my hands, all the better.

For Shann's scarf, I pulled out the Panda Wool that I got from Jasmin and Gigi's very first goodie bag back at Stitches '09. Yes, you heard me right - I didn't even go buy anything! In fact, to tangentialize for a minute, I haven't bought yarn since the game-changing trip to Babetta's with my mom back in September. Well, I did buy an extra skein of Malabrigo Lace so I can finish up the Very Happy Scarf, but that's because I didn't have enough yarn to finish the project. And I'd like to point out tangentially (of course) that I started the project originally with what should have been plenty of yarn. Damn those inaccurate yardage requirements in VLT!! But anyway, I haven't bought yarn since mid-September. That's nearly 8 weeks, people! And in that time I've been to Lambtown, the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat and sundry other yarny places. Obviously I am awesome and have the proverbial Will of Iron.

Okay, back to the real point. The yarn I used is Crystal Palace Panda Wool in Ultramarine, and while I like the pattern - it was interesting to knit and I never got bored, which is a good thing for a scarf! - it is really the color that just makes this piece. The yarn is 51% bamboo, which adds sheen in addition to drape, and I am in lurve with the whole thing. Feast your eyes on this fairly color-accurate and also fairly artistic blocking shot:


Yep. It's a great color.

Underwater Trees Scarf, "Elm Row" pattern by Anne Hanson Panda Wool "Ultramarine" - 386 yds.

Currently I'm finishing up a Pretty Thing for another friend, and also working feverishly on a scarf for myself - having been informed today that the weather in Portland is not 70 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze like it is in Roseville. And also having left my favorite purple scarf at Crazy Sarah's last... was it New Years? Dang! But yea, I haven't needed one since then, and I obviously need one now. I'm using the same pattern as the purple one (Rav link), but I think I will crochet chain the edges so the scarf doesn't stretch as much as the last one. For this project I broke out the Noro Cash Iroha that I bought at the Commuknity closing sale last year. This is the only Noro I've ever encountered that feels like its price point to me, and I'm liking it immensely. Now I just have to finish about 3 more feet before the end of the day...

I spent Halloween weekend with my mom up in Penn Valley and we had a lovely time watching Firefly and crafting. I took the opportunity to photograph Violet nee Jezebel, whose recovery from her former abusive situation is, as previously titled, progressing apace.
I love the China blue of her eyes, especially against the quilt my mom made. Doesn't she look less... vacant than last time? I do think, however, that she's progressed about as far as she will be able to without being in a one-cat household. Poor dear is still afraid of the other kitties and slinks around as if she's about to be kicked. But when I picked her up and put her on my bed, she purred next to my face all night and followed me around for the rest of my time up there. If I weren't certain that she'd be bullied by my own precious feline, I would have brought her home with me, especially after she chased another one of our cats away from me in a fit of ownership. Honestly, who could resist that little face?

Here's another little face for you to not resist:

Things I've Been Hiding

I have a confession. I have been keeping some things to myself lately because I, well, I wanted to. But now everything is here and photographed and uploaded and I want to share!

First, while I was at my mom's a few weeks ago, I came across a cabinet sewing machine that I think is from the 1930's, complete with a box of feet and the original manual. ManCandy and I wrestled it into the car and took it to the local Vac & Sew place to see if they could get it in working order again.

Yesterday, I picked it up, all oiled and clean and purring like a kitten.

There are some parts that are a bit problematic. The connector from the motor to the flywheel is, well, old and I'm on the hunt for one that's not cracked with age, as F-W isn't in business anymore.
But I just love the hardcore industrial look of this hunk of steel. Back before plastic sewing machines came out, they were made to last a lifetime and beyond. No one really conceived of having more than one machine, and they certainly didn't imagine having to take the thing in every time one little thing went wrong. This baby was made to last, and it shows. Even the light still works.

The mechanic did make an adjustment for me. Originally, this model had a knee-press to run the machine, but when the electric block was replaced (1930's wiring is not super-safe, who knew?), he changed it to a foot pedal instead. The only thing that's missing on this machine is a zig-zag stitch, but since I don't anticipate sewing a lot of jersey fabric I think I'll be okay.

I anticipate many happy hours of sewing straight lines on this new addition to the family. I spent some time at JoAnn's on Sunday and picked up a 60mm rotary cutter and some 8" Gingher dress shears, along with pins, thread, and woven fusible interfacing. I also dug out the box full of fat quarters I've been collecting for who knows how long, and hopefully soon I'll have a bit of a quilt to show for it.

The quilt may have to wait awhile, though; yesterday Jasmin and I picked up my graduation present at Carolina Homespun:

a 40th anniversary edition cherry wood Schact Matchless. It is... well, words fail me so here are some more photos:



But here's the best part:

Now no one can ever say they didn't know it was mine.

And lastly, Mr. Darcy helped me wrap up the Super Secret Project in monkey paper last Tuesday and I sent it off into the ether. I hope it arrives at its destination soon; I'm sort of dying to show you all the pictures!

Progressing Apace

Hmmm, let's see.

I am done with school except for the waiting-for-grades part, which is the real bitch of the matter. I will know my fate on the 28th, but until then I am going to assume I'm done for reals this time.

ManCandy and I spent the Memorial Day weekend at my mom's house, where we ate ourselves sick twice in a row. Delicious marinated steaks, corn-on-the-cob, ice cream cake, lemon tarts and (with the exception of the corn) nary a vegetable to be found. While we were up there, my Aunt C showed up with her ex-daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and a cat. The last was a "gift" for my mom; back when my mother was trying to qualify for a cat from the Ragdoll Rescue Shelter, she couldn't because one of our kitties snuck outside - it's a FARM for chrissake! - and got bit by something or other, abscessed and died. So the shelter, instead of giving a cat a loving and honest home, rejected my mom because she occasionally leaves the house door open. Aunt C responded by applying and lying through her teeth about how she never lets cats outside and would never feed them anything except fresh meat or some such nonsense, and of course was rewarded for her falsehoods with Sugar nee Nicole.

Since then, my mother has acquired a purebred Ragdoll named Pierre, of whom I like taking silly pictures. Anyway, all of this happened about 3 years ago. Since then, Sugar has been an inside/outside cat and perfectly happy, until about 6 months ago when Aunt C got a second miniature pinscher who thought of Sugar as her own personal chew toy. Sugar promptly moved out of Aunt C's house and has been MIA up until last week, when she arrived bedraggled and half-starved. Aunt C brought her to mom's this weekend because she knew that Sugar would have a home where she was safe and cared for and unmolested by dogs the size of a small Doc Marten boot.

Mom put her in the room I usually stay in for the introduction period, and within a day she was grooming her fur - or what is left of it after removing all the mats - and cuddling with me and ManCandy. On Sunday night I stayed in Rocklin with THB while Sugar worked her wiles on both ManCandy and my stepdad, earning her the new moniker of Jezabel.

I would have brought her home myself, but the dynamic of the house is shaky enough between Darcy and Panza, and I'm afraid that another kitteh - even a sweet, timid loving one like Jezabel - might permanently disrupt the balance. Mom is worried about the same problem, but she got stuck with the 9/10ths rule. Ahh, well - ManCandy can visit the little hussy when we go to see my mom.

In terms of knitting, I have nothing to show. The Super-Secret Project is about 3 hours from being done - I blocked it this weekend and need to add the embellishment, then send it off an wait for it to be received, then I can show you all pictures. I'm really quite proud of it, and it'll add a hefty chunk to my 12-Mile Quest.

In addition, the Girasole is also nearly done. I have 10 more rounds until I start the knitted-on border, and just a hair over 2 balls of yarn left. I stopped by Fibers up in Grass Valley this weekend to see if I could match the colorway, but decided against any yarn at all in favor of just hoping I have enough. If worse comes to worst, I can always have them ship me a ball of the current dyelot, which isn't different enough that it will matter much. I am simply trying to avoid ending up with extra yarn, and who knows? Those 2 balls might be plenty. Snerk. Also, it currently looks like a gigantic cherry red sea urchin. I'm hoping it blocks out.

Did you notice what I said up there? I got out of Fibers without buying anything. There is no bank record whatsoever that I was ever even there. How impressed are you? Mom was so impressed that she told everyone at the bbq that afternoon. Aren't moms great?!?

I did, however, get my KnitPicks order just before I left for The Farm. In it were 3 packets of stitch markers (lace, here I come!), 2 pairs of size 7 needles, and a few skeins of lace yarn. Four were the Gloss Lace in natural so that I can kettle-dye them (the colors only come in solids), and 3 skeins of Shadow yarn in Cattail Heather:

It's a weirder green than in this picture - I've been having color trouble with the snooty camera lately, but in this case it's just because this particular green is so awesome it defies photography. I'm going to knit it into a something-or-other in time for a Very Awkward Conversation that's coming up - something from the deep dark past that needs to be exorcised (and nothing to do with ManCandy, so don't worry). Come to think of it, you guys might have some good ideas. I need a stunning, gorgeous-yet-simple "oh, yes, I DID make this, and yes, I'm very talented" sort of stole. It should also say "oh, this old thing?" if at all possible. Perhaps something by Anne Hanson? Something in which I can wrap myself against any emotional onslaught - self-generated or otherwise - and be safe. Suggestions are welcome, although I begin to suspect that a well-cultivated air of je ne sais quoi might help immensely. I'll get right on that.

In the mean time, I'm going to go finish the Super-Secret Project so that it can be revealed!

Vacation Recap, Episode 2: All the Other Stuff, Plus What I Forgot The First Time Around

Let's see. We flew into Ontario airport, met up with The Rest of the Fam and headed straight for Disneyland. I don't really have a huge amount to say other than we had a great time, enjoyed ourselves immensely, and that if a picture is worth 1000 words, then my Flickr set is worth about a quarter of a million.

Highlights? Well, if you insist!

Doing our time

The Three Alexanders (yes, three Alexanders, they say they are birds of a feaaaatheeeer)

Self-portrait

She was very perplexed by my existence.

THB's best girl-catching face

So yea, Disney was awesome as usual. Plus I got a bunch of crying baby pictures, which is a double-bonus. What can I say, I've been to Disneyland a bunch of times, and it gives me something to do!

OH! Guess what!!! Take a look over at the sidebar of WIP's and tell me if you can see what's missing. I'll give you a hint - it's something that has been there pretty much for-ev-er. And it's donedonedone! A virtual cookie for the first person to figure it out!

Also, I finished my Papa Socks. They're sort of unphotographable (Mozilla doesn't think that "unphotographable" is a word, but phooey on Mozilla!), but I'll try. For now, I'm claiming my yardage: 361. I'm going to bundle them up to send to Alaska tomorrow.

And I've been working on my Scarf #21 (Rav link for Cathy!). I'm thisclose to having the bloody center repeat memorized, and I'd say I'm about 1/2 way done with the body. Once I get pretty close to running out of yarn, I'll just graft the second end piece on, and block, and voila! Done! I have noticed, however, that it's difficult to judge how many inches I've put on the stole in a sitting. I've reached that interminable point in the ball of yarn where it doesn't seem to be getting smaller - even when I've been knitting steadily for an hour or more. So I've taken to putting a locking stitch marker on at the beginning of my knitting session, and now I can admire how much I'm getting done with perfect accuracy. I'd take pictures, but it really looks exactly the same as last time I showed it to you - only now it's a bit longer.

Let's see, what else? ManCandy and I have spent the last week scratching our heads as to how Panza is getting off of our netted-in porch. We pushed on all the slats, wired the outer door shut despite the fact that Panza won't push open a regular door (he's a bit of a wuss), and used IKEA technology to secure the netting even more.. securely... to the stucco wall. Meanwhile, the litter boxes are in the living room and neither kitty can go outside without direct supervision. Tonight we opened the porch and let them outside to see if we could figure out how the little pooper is getting outside - there had to be a cat-sized hole somewhere!

And there was. The netting leaves a space about 1.5 feet between its top and the porch roof. He's been climbing the porch support posts, hauling all of his 15 pounds over the netting, and jumping down onto the concrete. Now I know I should have probably thought of this before, but I've never had a cat that climbed things. I know they like to go up trees and such for fun, but none of my felines has ever been inclined that way, including Panza. But apparently the lure of the Great Outdoors was enough, and now we need more netting and an industrial staple gun before they can go outside again. Bloody cats!

Mr. Darcy, I feel it necessary to add, has made no attempts to climb fence posts. He says it might wreck his nails.

I came home to a bunch of presents! And then I opened them, and it was just like Christmas without the turkey and the quiet contemplation of the tree in the middle of the night and the gifts you don't really like. So I guess it wasn't like Christmas much, but I did get to unwrap stuff!
Can you guess what these are?

They unwrapped to become this:
You're looking at the aftermath of the Crown Mountain Farms sale I mentioned before I headed to Mom's, and it completely erased any vestigial sadness I felt about spinning up more of my CMF stash. Now all I need to do is spin thinner so I can get 1000 yards out of 4 ounces like Miss Alice Faye! I think I just need to dedicate 4 ounces of nice stuff to get better at spindle spinning. Maybe I'll go digging and do that now instead of school work...

A Snort of Reprieve

I had a crappy night. My boss assured me that I would indeed be needed at 8am sharp tomorrow - groan. You may recall that the cat food ran out (see yesterday under barrel, bottom of)  and when I tried to go buy new, they had 2/3 of the kinds of cat food I need to keep my petit chats digestive systems in working order. Believe me, petless people, when I say that changing the mixture of a cat's food and then leaving for 3 days will almost guarantee that you return home to a newer, smellier and more textured floor covering than you left behind. It's practically begging for it. And the nice guy at the pet food store helpfully informed me that the shipment of the 1/3 I need will be coming in - you guessed it - tomorrow at 8am. ARGH. 

So I bought 2 30-pound bags and one 3 pound bag and mixed myself up a mere 9 pounds of cat food - enough to last for the next couple of weeks, but mama doesn't mess with a working recipe. So 9 pounds it is. And then, to add insults to my pile of heaping coals and quickly degenerating mood, when I tried to change the litter out of the boxes on the porch, I did it wrong and got used cat litter all over my (rotting) porch. More on the rotting later, but it doesn't really fit into this story. I haven't fallen through... yet. 

I staggered back inside after cleaning everything up to find Panza scratching at a suspiciously wet spot on the Red Futon of Undying Ugliness. Oh, yes. While I was cleaning his toilet, the little bastard pissed all over my futon. 

I got so mad I bundled the whole thing up and dragged it to the trash. 

Then I called ManCandy in Illinois to inform him that we are now two seats/one bed short in our living room, and what did he intend to do about it? Because clearly if he hadn't left and had been sitting at his computer, Panza would never have christened the futon. The fact that he likely would have christened my bed instead was something MC was wise enough not to bring up. 

Lastly, I cracked a bottle of Ravenswood Old Vine Shiraz - smells like chocolate and black cherries - and sat down to watch my new obsession: Smallville. Surely packing could wait until I was calmer.

Then... my boss called to inform me that she does not, in fact, need me tomorrow, Merry Christmas, and she'll see me on the 5th. Next, ManCandy called to say that I shouldn't worry about the weird smell in the fridge, that it'll keep (HAH!) till Saturday, and that he'll clean it when he gets back home. Plus he loves me even when I blame him for things that aren't his fault (or so he claims). And lastly, my mom called to tell me that my grandmother isn't coming to Christmas after all due to the horrible weather in Portland - which makes me sad, but also means I have all the gifts finished for Household #2. 

I think I'll have another glass of wine, oogle Lex Luthor while contemplating why a girl with 3 feet of hair is attracted to a bald guy, sleep in tomorrow morning, and then leave for family, hearth and home for Christmas. All in all, it turned out rather well, I'd say.

Our County Fair is a Great County Fair

Last Sunday was the wool auction at the Monterey County Fair. Mom and I headed down to our favorite coastal town early in the morning and met up with some local-to-us celebrity podcasters, bloggers and of course their hangers-on.

Now, Jasmin and I had been planning this little jaunt since we became friends back in February, and of course she'd been planning it for even longer with people she's known forever, like her mom. It was the one event that occurred after the inception of the Social Pressure Experiment that we grandfathered in, and boy am I glad I did. It was an absolute treat.

Mom and I met up with Krista of the illustrious Pigeon Roof Studios and Aija of both sockpr0n and zer0 stitch markers, dug through a bunch of fleeces to choose our favorites, and settled down to figure out how much money we could possibly spend on raw fleece. I took some fleecepr0n pictures a la Gretchen:
Pretty, eh? I like my camera!
I also fell in love with this one:
It's an oatmeal merino from Terry Mendenhall, and it went for more than I had brought with me in cash - this little beauty netted Ms. Mendenhall over $140, and more power to her, I say! In what might be considered by some as a stroke of luck, Terry and my mom are acquaintances and the Mendenhall farm is only about half an hour away from my mother's house. I'm not sure I fall into the "how lucky is that?!?" category, since I assuaged my pride by winning these two lovely fleeces instead:

A variegated oatmeal merino from Patti Sexton, and

a grey California Variegated Mutant from Fredine Johansen.

Jasmin and I are also going to split another of Patti's merino fleeces, giving me 16.5 POUNDS of raw fleece to add to my already overflowing closet of proto-clothing. Perhaps I'll wait until spring to pay Mendenhall Farm a little visit, hmm?

Sherri of Morro Bay Fleece Works was there with her trailer, so most of us simply left our raw fleeces with her.
Among the three of us, we walked away with 17 fleeces - enough to keep even the most industrious spinner busy for a significant amount of time.

After the auction was over, we wandered the fair, split the requisite funnel cake 3 ways, found some adorable alpacas,
and made a friend:


Mom and I headed down to Pacific Grove to see if the quilt shop was still open, but it wasn't. We also drove by the little house she lived in Back in the Day; oddly it was standing empty with no For Rent sign on it. Every time we go to Monterey, my mother waxes a little rhapsodic about the lovely times she had when she lived there. I suspect she may have been a bit of a rebel when she was young, which explains where I get my ornery streak.


And speaking of ornery streaks, it has come to our attention that while Mr. Darcy is perfectly happy to vamp for our neighbors' pets and chin scratches through the porch netting, Panza is of a more territorial character. According to several of our neighbors, he has been hissing and growling as people walk by, earning him the nickname around the complex of "Dragon."

Where did we go wrong?

That's It, I Swear!

It's time. On Tuesday, I sent my resume to a local nanny agency after Bella's dad cut my hours again. He's so excited lately to have re-discovered how much he loves being a father, which I think is utterly wonderful, and I wish him the best of luck, but with summer coming on, 15 hours/week won't cut it. Especially if I want to do things like pay rent and pay off my car, not to mention going to SOAR or really anywhere ever. Yesterday I met with the nanny agency and the lovely lady there said she would begin sending my resume to families in her database, so I might hear something back as early as Monday.

I'm trying to get over my feelings of guilt about leaving Bella. We were just beginning to get used to each other and pound out a rough set of guidelines, and the drama was cooling down considerably (despite the occasional Bella Family Crazy Dance(TM)). I feel like a strange mix of mercenary and Mary Poppins - leaving because the money will be better elsewhere, and leaving because the family is beginning to heal. However, another position would probably suit me better and cause less stress in my life, not to mention that with gas at $4/gallon here, driving ~50 miles every day is getting damned expensive!

Anyway, here's some pretty fiber!

Crazy Monkey:

4 oz. SW Merino in White Peaches

4 oz. merino/soysilk in Golden Summer
(These two are destined to be plied together and maybe form a Bee Fields Shawl)

Dragonfibers:

4 oz. BFL in Blackberry Truffle

4 oz. BFL in Rosehip

4 oz. BFL in Innocent
(The Rosehip and Innocent will also intertwine their as-yet-undetermined destinies)

I haven't bought anything since last week's fall from grace at the Fiber Festival; everything listed above was ordered before hand. You see, May is one of my 3-paycheck months, so I splurged in April (hey, any reason is better than none!). Yesterday I spent most of the day with Jasmin and Chloe just hanging out and watching Auntie Mame. Better Than Yarn tried out this fiber and wasn't feelin' it, so I became the beneficiary of Jasmin 2008's "Less is More" philosophy:

4.1 oz. merino/soysilk in Easter Egg from A Girl on the Rocks

~4 oz. merino/soysilk in Mystery Colorway from A Girl on the Rocks


(I like it!)

But before I began that new project, I finished one. See how I'm getting better?

233 yds. 3-ply, SW Merino in Buffalo Soldier from Crown Mountain Farms

I'm quite proud of this spinning. It's the first 3-ply I've done that I could call a true sport/light worsted, which means that I could actually make a pair of socks out of this and have enough to graft the toes together. But maybe I'll do them toe-up just in case. It also puts me within spitting distance of completing Mile 3 of the 12-Mile Quest.

I haven't had many knitting finishes lately, so the yardage isn't adding up very quickly, but there are several things on the needles that are nearing completion. I've definitely been in more of a spinning place than a knitting place; the Tangled Yoke is still in the Time Out Corner, and the Stutter Regia and Wussy Wolverine socks are on hold as Public Knitting until the Juno Regina wedding shawl I'm working on is finished (June 13 deadline). Maybe things will pick up in the knitting department soon, but I think it'll be after the shawl is delivered and the two pairs of Stutter Socks are done. Deadline knitting is kind of the anathema of multiple-project progress.

I'm off to write papers - or maybe play video games. Here's a kitty.