Merry Christmas!

I know…two posts in two days…can you tell I can’t get out?   lol

When I came home Wednesday evening I put the car in the garage and was prepared to stay in all day Thursday.   As with most of us, I didn’t dream it would get this bad.  14 inches of snow!!!????   I used to experience 8 or 9 or even 11 inches of snow in Tulsa but those types of snows came in February or March never in December.   Anyway, since I can’t get out to see anymore than what is out my doors….here is what I see: 

The drift out my front door……this is before the sun did some work on it although it is still there…just not so close to my door.  

As of right now only the pickup is left in the intersection.   The white car was moved some time this afternoon and then the black car disappeared before sundown.   I opened the garage door and threw some salt on the driveway….the part that was slick ice.   Funny about half was covered by thick ice and the other part is covered in snow drift.   I noticed also that the snow in the street is curb high.   Once the sun came out you could see more of what happened.   The wind blew the snow into a deep drift right down the street and I guess the intersection is lower so with the build up of ice and then the drifting snow that is why the cars couldn’t drive through.  

I was in an organizational mood today.   With that in mind, I decided to tackle my stash.  Oh My God.   What have I done?   A couple of years ago I could dump it all on the sofa.  Not anymore.   I need to organize it and grouping it by fiber was not the best method.   I know by visiting yarn shops that have their yarn displayed by color… that is not good.   So then I realized if I am ever going to knit from my stash I need to know organize by weight.  I started around 11 this morning and ran out of steam around 5.   The sad thing is I only got to half of it.    I am embarrassed that I have two larger bins of fingering weight yarn and there is much more.   I have two larger bins of worsted weight and there is much more of that also.   I was surprised that I’ve filled two regular bins with aran weight.   I didn’t think I had that much.   Oh well…this is what reorganizing your stash does….screams at you that YOU HAVE TOO MUCH YARN!!!!!!!!!!  Sigh.   

My first inclination is to state I will NOT buy any yarn in the coming year.  Ha ha ha.  I know better than to make an all or nothing statement like that.   I can say that this past year I did not buy yarn as much as I did in 2007.   I did make two trips to The Loopy Ewe though…..I think I could fill a couple of bins from those trips alone.   lol   Oh and Marjie and I did go to Stitches South….so there is quite a bit of yarn from that trip also.   Hmmmm ok so I bought a lot of yarn in 2008  also.   Sigh. 

Ok, I can make this statement.   In 2010 I am going to knit more from my stash.  Ok!   I feel like I made some progress.    :-)

I  have a scarf I started on the way home from the February St. Louis trip.   I am going to finish that tonight.   No pictures as of yet.   Don’t know why but I never have taken one.   It’s a semi solid Koigu and a coordinating variegated Koigu garter stitch scarf knitted lengthwise.  I saw it knitted up in one of yarn shops we visited in St. Louis.   It was so simple but so nice looking that I had to knit it.   As is with most of my projects it got set aside while I jumped into something else.  So that was another task I did today as I sorted through yarn.   I reclaimed needles!   lol   I believe I frogged 3 or 4 WIP’s that I no longer have any interest in.   I did run across my striped stocking cap I started a year ago and fell in love with it all over again.   I will finish that. 

Oh that reminds me.   When serving oneself crow…..is it better with salt and pepper or with A-1?    I have to confess to a couple of my friends that I found something I thought they had.   I discovered those items when I was sifting through yarn today.  Maybe I’ll just admit it here and see how long it takes them to find out.   I found fish stitch markers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   lol  For months I thought Karen and Terri still had those markers.   I loaned the markers to them during a knitting class.   I’ve made digs at them for months now that my fish stitch markers are still missing.   Oh well…..don’t tell them….let’s see if they still read this blog.    

Christmas Eve

The weather outside IS frightful!  I don’t think I’ve heard the wind blow like this in forever.   This picture was taken out my front door around 10:00 am. 

And this picture was taken around 1:30 PM.   Note the angle is different.   Also note that the afore seen pickup was parked.   The same pickup is now STUCK at the corner outside my house.   The drive abandoned his effort and went back into his house.   I just hope those who have to drive around this corner are able to avoid hitting the pickup.  

Oh and this picture….yeah can’t tell what it is?   Well, it is my sidewalk from the front door……..see why I can’t/don’t get out??  

Mmmmmmm, I cooked a turkey breast 2 weeks ago and then used the carcass to make some broth for soup.   Today was the day!   I enjoyed a mug of turkey noodle soup out of my favorite mug.  

If I’ve already shown this forgive me.   But this is supposed to be my current project.   Girasole by Jared Flood.   I looked it up.   It is Italian for sunflower and is pronounced jiruh-so-lay. 

I am participating in the KAL at L & B for this.   I say that sheepishly because I haven’t touched this in a month!   I made a fatal mistake and was tinking back slowly but surely one Wednesday evening.   Vanessa offered to repair my mistake by dropping down and fixing it.   I let her and she fixed it but I haven’t touched it since.   It is a very fun knit.   Looks intimidating but is really easy.   So why did I put it down?   I wanted something MINDLESS like this:  

This is the Merci Scarf by Susan Rainey of the blog The Rainey Sisters.   I’m using Charles Tahki Tweed Alpaca.   When I saw that yarn the first time I knew I had to knit something with it.   So the Merci Scarf is it!   I’m about half finished.  

It has been crazy time at work.   I am now supervising a program I detest.   I thought when I retired I got away from it.   That’s what I get for thinking.   Sigh.   Anyway, that is what has been consuming me and my time for the past 3 weeks.   It is a good thing our family switched to drawing names this year as I have not even had time to shop.   The name I drew was easy peasy.   Land’s End online shopping, thank you. 

Anita, the reason I don’t post often is I think besides Michelle in Amarillo, you and I are the only ones who read this blog.   Maybe someone will prove me wrong.   Tap-tap-tap…anyone out there?

Lexi has settled in for a warm winter’s nap…..

And I think that sounds like a wonderful idea!!  

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas! 

Ten on Tuesday

Ok, this was not my idea for Ten on Tuesday.   I read another knitter’s blog this morning and this was her idea.   Ten people you’d like to have over for  Thanksgiving Dinner, living or dead.   That started the wheels to turning so here is my list:

1.  My paternal grandmother.   She died when my dad was two and I would like to meet her and talk to her.

2.  Nancy Wells who is buried here in Norman and was my great great great grandmother.   I’d like to know what her life was like here in this part of the world a little over 100 years ago.

3.  Sarah Palin.   And for those of you rolling your eyes, I feel so much compassion for this woman.  It makes me ill because she has been attacked and vilified and most of all by her own gender!   And she can say bullcrap all she wants.  

4.  Elizabeth Zimmerman.   Wow.   I would LOVE to knit with this woman.  

5.  Barbara Walker.  

6.  My dad.   It has been 10 years since he passed away and every day I wish I could see him and talk.

7.  Clint Eastwood.   I fell in love with him as Rowdy Yates.  

8.  Aunt Vicie.   She was a great aunt who died long before I was ever born.   I was told I look just like her.  

9.  Don Draper aka Jon Hamm from Mad Men.  

10.  Ann Richards.   I always liked what I saw of this woman.   She had more grit and spunk than I thought possible.  

I’m sure I could come up with many more given time but this is my list for now.   Who is on your list?

Ahhhhhhh

Stella made with Ultra Alpaca

Knitting with Knit Picks Zephyr needles is like cutting butter with a hot knife.

Some things on Sunday….

I never would have dreamed that some handy item from the kitchen would be such a handy tool in knitting, but it is.   I cannot remember where I read about using a salad spinner to rid a knitted item of excess water when blocking.  I am guessing I read it on Ravelry but it has been so long ago I forgot.   I know I looked at different salad spinners in the store but most had a point in the center bottom or along the sides and that would not work with knitting.   I had it in my head that my salad spinner had one single point at the bottom center and I was wrong.   Yay!   I first tested it while blocking Ostrich Plumes.   It worked like a charm.   I would highly recommend using this on your next blocking project. 

Speaking of Ostrich Plumes:

The pattern is Ostrich Plumes by Anne Hanson.   I promise the pictures do not do the item justice.   (Most pictures of knitted items don’t, IMHO.)  The yarn is Prism Saki in the Tumbleweed colorway.   I bought it at GYC in OKC.   Don’t go rushing up there to buy that colorway as they are out.   I was knitting on this in L & B one Sunday a few weeks ago and two customers wanted to know the yarn and name.   One did rush up to GYC and bought the last two skeins.   lol   But they do have many other gorgeous colorways in stock.  The yarn is a joy to knit with.   I loved the way the colors pop and did not pool.   This pattern is so easy to memorize.   There is one ‘working row’ and 3 simple rows.   I counted my stitches after each ‘working row’ and didn’t have to worry for 3 rows.   Easy to knit on while talking with other knitters.   No deep concentration or constant searching a chart or lines to keep your place.   Easy Peasy.  

I also picked up a long forgotten UFO, my Bubble Bag.   I’m using 15’s or 17’s with a strand of 220 along with one strand of Kureyon.   I think I last knitted on this a year ago.   It is into the portion where I’ll knit forever to get it long enough.   I cast on 2.5 as many stitches as the pattern called for.   I wanted a bigger bag so we’ll see how that goes.  

I bought a set of the Zephyr needles from Knit Picks.   I haven’t used them yet but I will soon.   I bought them for the express purpose of knitting with darker yarns.   I also bought two packages of the blocking pins.   Ugh.   Tried to use them today when blocking a scarf and I do not like them.   I have some dressmaker pins that are rustproof and I’ll continue to use those as they are much easier to push in and remove.  

Welcome Charlie!   Charlie is my betta fish.   He was given to me by my co-workers.   Believe me, he was a complete surprise.   And surprisingly to me, I really enjoy him.   As I am prone to do since I’ve been on the internet, I’m researching care of  betta’s and realize this bowl set up has to go.   It is inhumane in my books and while I am trying to find the better tank for him I am doing frequent water changes.   There is so much information out there and much of it conflicts with what you just read.   I finally got a book on betta’s published by Animal Planet.   I know the new tank needs to have a heater and filtration.   The pump is the big question.   A pump with too much current is not good for Charlie but one with a light current could be fun for him.   Decisions!   Decisions!!  

I walked into the living room last week and there was Lexi….lounging around with one paw draped over her favorite mouse.   Good thing it is covered with sisal rope.   Believe me, she gives it some rough treatment.   lol 

I really loved the fall weather we had last week.   Today’s heat spell is too much in my books.   I’m so ready for fall!  

Hope all of you are knitting and relaxing on this Sunday afternoon.

Stuff…..

Question:   Why is it when you walk into many restaurants you can’t smell the cooking anymore?

Question:   Why is it when the media reports a GOP protest it is a mob and when it is a Democratic protest it is a grassroots protest?

On the knitting front:   I am plugging along on the Anne Hanson’s Ostrich Plume Stole.   I’m using Prism Saki in the Tumbleweed colorway.   I originally bought 2 skeins as that was 860 yards and the pattern calls for 700 yards.   I am at the 30 inch mark and only have a row or two left of yarn from the first skein.   I picked up a 3rd skein Sunday because I was afraid two skeins would not be enough.   Now I’m thinking if I get 30 inches from one skein, 60 inches from two surely when I block it I’ll gain 12 more inches?   Oh well, if I don’t need the 3rd I can always use it for something else.   It is a very pretty colorway.

Is anyone else addicted to Farm Town on Facebook??   I am in need of neighbors.   Hint hint.

Stay cool and knit on!

Ten on Tuesday

Today’s theme is ten sounds you love to hear.   Ok, this should be easy peasy. 

1.  Sometimes when Lexi is napping in the chair next to me, she’ll wake up, make this trilling kind of meow and raise her head to me.   She wants me to pet her for a second and then she lays her head down and goes back to sleep.   Hearing her do that warms my heart.

2.  I love the sound of her paws/claws on the carpet when she is playing.

3.  I love the sound of my friends’ laughter.  

4.  I love hearing a shower singer.   I don’t hear that often but when I do it makes me smile.

5.   This is old but when I was a kid I couldn’t go to sleep until I heard the Johnny Carson theme playing.   After it was over or during I’d close my eyes and go to sleep.   Daddy always watched Johnny Carson every week night and I didn’t realize until I was 11 or so how hard it was to go to sleep on the weekends.   lol  

6.  This is another old one.  I can remember riding in the back seat when I was a kid and hearing the clop clop clop of the tires when we’d go over a seam in the highway.   I guess there were bunches of them between Tulsa and Sapulpa because I would drift off to sleep hearing that sound.  

7.  This is a brand new one….but the video on You Tube of Jill and Kevin’s wedding.   I’ve watched that video at least 17 times now and I love the music and it becomes an ear worm.   It makes me smile just thinking about it.

8.   This one voice.   It calms me and is soothing to hear and I feel all is right with the world when I hear it.  

9.  A baby’s laugh.   It is infectious.  

10.  A song I can sing along to.   Sorry….way too many to list just one.  

What sounds do you like to hear?

Gotta see this….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

 

This has to be the best way to start a wedding….Enjoy!!

Ten on Tuesday

Ok, so I’m a day late.   Tuesdays are usually difficult but easier than Mondays…anyway here goes:

Ten Favorite Places to Eat:

1.  Wildfire in Schaumburg, Illinois.   Marjie and I had the best steak I’ve ever had last August.   We tried Wildfire in Atlanta and it was not the same.   The Illinois location had steak that was butter smooth and melted in your mouth.   Yum.

2.  Lou Malnati’s Pizza again in Schaumburg, Illinois.   (Someone told me Chicago had some great food and they were not wrong.)   I grew up on cracker thin pizza and that is my preference.   This is not cracker thin pizza.   It’s deep dish in all it’s glory.   Butter seemed to permeate the crust.   Lordy, was it good.

3.  La Hacienda in Lewisville, Texas.   I have only eaten there once but it was the best fajitas I’ve ever had.   From what I’ve read online, this restaurant is owned by the same family who had the old Mariano’s restaurants in DFW area.   La Hacienda is a steak house with a few Mexican dishes.   The building is a huge log cabin with a spacious porch and at least one nice rocker.   We had to wait for quite awhile but it was worth every minute of it.

4.  Exit Coneys!!!   Ok, that isn’t the real name but that is what we’ve dubbed them.   Coney I-lander in Tulsa.   Please make note of the name.   There are many others who try to ride on the coattails by using a similar name but this is the place with no S in the name.   There are several locations across Tulsa.   My fave is off 41st and Yale BEHIND the Barnes and Noble.   One of my earliest memories of Tulsa was in the original location that used to be on 4th street.   I remember my Daddy picking me up and putting me into one of the old school desk seats and asking me what I wanted on my coney.   Needless to say that was many years ago.   Daddy used to joke that the downtown location was THE BEST because the elderly man who made up those coneys had bad vision and had to breathe on the coney in order to fix it.      (No offense…..)   Anyway, all these years later and I’ve managed to hook some OKC folks (you know who you are) on these delicious gems.   Try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em.  

5.  Ron’s Hamburgers.   Another Tulsa chain.   And I will tell you not all are created equal.   The best location for taste is 15th and Lewis.   It isn’t easy to park nor easy to get a seat (counter seats only) but damn those burgers are good.   The Spanish fries are good also.   Hand cut not frozen.   Yum.  

6.  Pappadeaux’s.   I’m sad to say Oklahoma does not have this chain.   And that is our loss.   I ate at Pappadeaux’s in Atlanta.   I ordered the chicken breast and Marjie ordered fried shrimp.   We split and shared.   The chicken breast was very good but the shrimp was to die for.  

7.  Pappasito’s Cantina.   I’ve eaten at two of these now, one in Atlanta and one in Richardson, Texas.   This is a Pappa’s family chain.   Again the reason I say it is one of my faves is because of the shrimp.   Order fajita’s with the brochette of shrimp.   Jalapeno stuffed inside shrimp wrapped in bacon.   Need I say more?

8.  Paradise Bakery in Denver.   This is the only store I’ve visited.   We ate breakfast there when we did our massive yarn crawl across Colorado in May of 2008.   Get the oatmeal.   Yes, the oatmeal.   They serve steelcut oats in a freshly baked oatmeal cookie with a spread of sliced strawberries on top.   Oh. My. God.   It is good.   Again no locations in Oklahoma. 

9.  Elmer’s.   It Be Bad.   This is a bbq joint in Tulsa.    I highly recommend the Badwich.   It is a bun topped with bbq bologna, chopped brisket, one hot link and a rib on the side.   It also comes with two choices of sides.  Elmer passed away a few years ago.  Honestly, I haven’t eaten there since I moved to the OKC area but I remember it fondly.  

10.  Ok, here’s one for the OKC folks.   Bricktown Burgers.   It has a great onion burger.   The sad thing is it is only open for lunch Monday through Friday.   Needless to say I haven’t enjoyed one since I started working in Norman.  

I know this list would be different at a later time….but for now….that is it.

Knit on!

Sunny Sunday

Since the announcement that Paul McCartney is coming to Tulsa, I started thinking about all the concerts I’ve attended.   My first was The Monkees back in 1967.   My last was Alabama probably in the mid 80’s.   In between I’ve seen John Denver, Mack Davis, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Turtles, Lionel Richie, Helen Reddy, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley.   I’m sure there are few more (I wasn’t really into attending concerts).   I think  Tina Turner’s show was  hands down, the best I ever saw.   That woman put on the THE best show I’ve ever seen in person.   Why not Elvis?   Back when he came to Tulsa in 1976, ‘in the round’ concept had not really come to Tulsa.   Let me preface what I’m about to say with this:   I was not a big Elvis fan.   I appreciated that he was a great singer and entertainer but I didn’t get excited and giddy like I would for others.   I knew that I may as well go and see him so I could say I saw Elvis in person.   I had a coworker who was a HUGE fan and she was going to spend the night outside the ticket doors the night before tickets went on sale.   I decided what the heck…I’ll stay with her.   And I did.   It was chaos at best.   Long story short, the sellers refused to let us see a floor map and we ended up with about 12th row seats.   Unfortunately we were on the almost back side of the stage.    That part of the stage was stacked with coils and coils of hose/line of some type.   Elvis had to carefully pick his way over these coiled cords so that he was facing us.   Needless to say he didn’t spend most of this time on that part of the stage.   Big disappointment.

So I have this question for everyone, what is THE greatest/best concert you ever saw?

I guess the other huge news of the week was MJ’s  memorial service.   To me, it was more like a show.   When Jennifer Hudson had dancers swaying around her while she sang, it became entertainment.   I was thinking earlier while seeing some memorial type service on tv this morning….back in the early 80’s when his star was really on the rise, my then brother in law (who had his own graphic arts business) was approached by MJ’s people.   He was asked to do the art on the album cover for MJ’s next album.   I cannot for the life of me remember if it was for what would be the Thriller album or the one after.   My brother in law turned it down.   Why?   Because MJ’s people had one request:   that my brother in law do the work for free.   I guess they felt the mere honor of being asked and doing it for MJ was payment enough.   Tacky.

Knitting news:   I bought some Prism Saki yesterday in the Tumbleweed colorway.   I LOVE this color.   Being the fickle knitter that I am, I wound it and cast on last night for Anne Hanson’s Ostrich Plume Stole.

I had a great afternoon yesterday meeting with a bunch of knitting friends.   We always have the best show-n-tell when it comes to yarn, bags, implements and WIP’s and finished objects.   I guess we are also a bunch of enablers…..it sure does send us into a frenzy of writing down patterns and websites…that is for sure.

I took these pictures of Lexi earlier this week.   These were taken first thing in the morning when the east sun is pouring in through the windows.   This little kitty watches to see when it hits the floor and she lays in the beam.  Smart girl.

Stay warm and knit on!