Drive-By Thinking.

hey dumbass. why don't you look where you're sewing?

Yah. Well, as I sit here ripping out a seam, let's have a chat, eh?

New button to the right. Why? Because this state needs a swing back to the other side of the pendulum, and Bob's the guy to do it. All you Old Dominion readers please to take note. Especially if a certain someone *coughterrymcauliffecough* gets the nod from the other side. Anyone who remembers the Clintonistas will understand why.

So anyway, click on over to learn more and be informed before mashing that button in November, eh?

you were sewing?

Yes. The Katia shirt I'm making for HSH is all knit, blocked and just needs seaming up. Ordinarily it wouldn't be an issue but this particular pattern features a faux-surplice front, and I'm trying to get the stripes to match. Which I didn't check until I was halfway across the seam.

naturally.

Weeeell… I started it out with duplicate stitch to help close up a hole, and it all went downhill from there. Shouldn't take too long to rip out. Then all I have to do is seam the shoulders, set in the sleeves, and seam up the… yeah, well… I've got some work to do.

what happened to sam?

Sam who?

sam the sock sam.

Oh. SAM. Yah. Well. You noticed that little change in the sidebar. Umm… it didn't fit.

you hadn't made it to the foot yet.

Actually, yes. I had. I'd finished the gusset and tried it on to make sure it fit. And the heel fit beautifully. The leg, however…. If I had stopped after two pattern repeats instead of completing the third (as the pattern calls for), it might have fit okay. Even if it was a little short. However, cables being what they are -- non-stretchy -- and my calf being rather shapely meant that it stopped short of full-length stretch. Add to that the fact that I was NOT going to be able to finish this pair with the yarn I had left (weighed to make sure) and I decided to send Sam for a dip in the frog pond.

It's disappointing, because the sock was great fun to work. So I plan to try again in the future, next time with an all-wool sock yarn instead of the bamboo blend I was working with. I'll also stop at two pattern repeats. Meanwhile, I've been flying through Angee -- LOVE this pattern. Talk about something fast and fun (with plenty of stretch, I might add). Just make sure you check the Interweave site for errata before starting. The changes are minor but will save you a lot of heartburn if you mark them down first.

So… happy weekend, y'all.

(Did I mention that there's a sale at the store starting tomorrow? Just sayin'.)

i'm selfish, and i'm glad.

Before I get too verbose, here's the piece that I'm referencing: Michelle Singletary in the Miami Herald. Nothing like a good piece of opinion disguised as fact to rile up the blood.

If the click-through doesn't work, here's the recap: Ms. Singletary is waxing poetic on the latest legislation to ooze from The Anointed One's pen (courtesy from the spineless, nutless wonders populating the halls of Congress): the Credit Card Reform Act. 

why does this surprise you?

It doesn't, in and of itself. What does surprise me is that Singletary has decided to use her column not to exhort the wonders of the legislation, but to instead play the class warfare card. Unapologetically and with fangs and claws at full extension.

Think I'm making it up? Here's a quote:

I know many of you feel entitled to use a credit card without any cost because you diligently and responsibly pay off the bill before the due date. … You probably never considered that the credit pushers made your access to "free" money possible by gouging the less fortunate with hideous penalty fees and wicked double-digit interest rates. Effectively, the most financially vulnerable consumers have subsidized the low interest rates and rewards programs that the more financially secure enjoy. 

I know what some of you may be thinking. "Good for me, too bad for them. That's how capitalism works."

Right you are. That is how capitalism works. And at times it's a selfish system.

Stop right there, Singletary. That's not how capitalism works. That's how responsibility works. You don't buy things you can't afford. You don't skip out on payments. And if you miss payments and run up your credit limit beyond a reasonable point, you pay a price. You contracted with the creditor to borrow money with a promise of repayment, just as if you had taken out a loan. Now you want a break. You want to welch on the contract. You want to either get out of the debt you incurred or want special treatment to get the money repaid. Sucks to be you. Rules are rules. Pay up or pay the penalty.

Someone who watches what they spend, pays their bills on time, and honors the contract they signed shouldn't be penalized for responsible behavior.

She goes on to talk about how

We live in a society where many people who do well can't sympathize with those who don't. We've created a culture where people live by the mantra, "I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps" or "I got mine, it's up to you to get yours."

Pardon me while I clear this nasty taste from my mouth.

We haven't "created" this culture, Ms. Singletary. We've always had this particular societal bent. America was founded and sculpted by people who "pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps." Time was that you didn't get anything handed to you. You struck out on your own, didn't take anything from anyone that you didn't earn yourself, and you were PROUD of that fact. Self-made success tastes sweetest and all that. 

But no -- in the touchy-feelie, self-esteem inflating, takes-a-village society we've dumbed ourselves down to, if someone actually dares to excel on his or her own they've wronged everyone and should be ashamed of it!

You, Ms. Singletary, attempt to make the class distinction again by talking about how

Certainly many lower and middle-income people irresponsibly racked up unnecessary charges, but others resort to credit to pay for medical expenses because they lacked health insurance.

Oh please. Don't start down THAT path with me. And then,

They were using credit to buy groceries or make needed car repairs so they could get to work.

I used my Discover card to put gas in my car the other day. Maybe I could be counted among the downtrodden. 

Hey -- don't tell me this sob story. I've been there. I remember being a recent college grad, making $7 an hour and trying to pay rent, car repairs, utilities and still have enough left over to put some ramen noodles on the table (or beer money). I've run up credit cards before, and paid exorbitant interest on the balance while I paid it off. But I did it to myself, and I fixed the problem myself, learned my lesson and haven't done it again.

Times aren't easy for me right now, remember? Laid off? Now working a job paying a fraction of what I used to make? I'm not exactly swimming in dollars. I'm carrying a balance now and probably will for some time. However, that's not anyone's problem but my own. What does a responsible person do in tough times?

• limit purchases on all fronts
• use cash as much as possible
• make sure that when the plastic has to come out, it's for a damn good reason.

I'm not trying to live the life I used to. I can't. Very few of us can anymore. I want new toys and to go on vacations and all that. Shit happens. Stuff has to go on hold. I have a bathroom -- okay, two -- that are in sore need of remodeling. Yeah, I could charge all the stuff I need for that, but to what end? Better to wait until I can pay for it from the money I've saved specifically for that task. However long it takes to save it up. Yes, emergencies come up and sometimes they hit harder than one would like -- but that can be taken care of with savings, too.

What? You've not heard of this concept of "savings?" I'm sorry. It means putting a little money away for things you may need it for later. Tough to do in these times, but still possible if you try hard enough. I'm reminded of the "star bank" in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn as a great example of how even the poorest people can still make it work.

in short…

I don't expect other people to pay my bills. I don't expect other people to ante up to cover where I might screw up. I do expect other people to clean up their own messes. And I completely and totally resent that other people somehow think that my responsible behavior -- mine and others', for that matter  -- is the root of all evil. "Selfish," as Ms. Singletary would have you believe. 

Wait, wait, hold your ire! Don't write me a nasty letter or e-mail just yet. Hear me out.

I've heard quite enough, Ms. Singletary. Now if you don't mind, I've got muck to clean out of my boots.

plinking.

You get to a certain point in the day where the brain just disengages, yanno? So I'll just treat you to a round of random shots, as I'm wont to do when tired.
_____

Today was a lovely, warm-but-not-hot, sunny, cloudless, day. A fine change after a weekend that quite frankly left us saying:

a: what's a cubit?*
and
b: where the hell did spring go?

To that end, the first television weathergeek that uses the word "drought" in connection with this particular region gets my size 10.5 shoe firmly up his or her ass.
_____

You may or may not know that my recent trip to MDS&W was sponsored by my current boss, proprietrix of a LYS. She closed for that weekend so that we (the employees) could all go and have a good time while poking around for the new, unusual, and can't-live-without-ooo-shiny. Well, in poking around on a site that shall remain nameless since I don't believe in promoting them here, I came upon the group for a competitor's store. I read through a few threads and happened to find one where the question was posed as to whether or not they were also closed for the festival. "Oh, no," the owner wrote back. "I would never [italics mine, emphasis hers] close my doors for a business trip. I have […] ultra-loyal employees and we will always have someone there during normal store hours unless something horrendous happens."

It took all my strength and reserve to not shoot back a message about pomposity and suggesting that she might like a medal for her dedication. (I can be controlled emotion-wise when I put my mind to it. Besides, it's two weeks past. What's the point?)

I understand what she's getting at, but loosen up, lady! It's the slow time of the year, a high percentage of your target audience was in fact on the guild bus or otherwise at the festival, and the high-and-mighty attitude didn't work in grade school, either.

/end my $.02. I'm glad I work where I do, and not just because we know how to party. Our customer base "gets it," too. They're the best.
_____

HSH had kindergarten graduation pictures today. The mom in me is, I suppose, expected to be giddy and bowled over by the cuteness of it all. The realist in me thinks that this is much ado about nothing. Is my generation scarred for life because no one made a big deal of us passing to the next grade level? Is this why we're inflicting this on our kids? In an age where preschool has become damn near mandatory (it is in some places, I understand), going from an all-day kindergarten program to first grade isn't a big deal. Nor was it in the "olde days." The little ceremony, the little caps and gowns, and the afterparty -- this isn't for the kids' benefit. It's all for the parents to feel self-important. Thus the demands for the parents to ante up $15 a family as well as supply at least a dozen HOMEMADE (their emphasis) goodies for the reception. Let's see… approximately 40 kindergarteners x $15 = $600 for what? Streamers? Punch? Little plastic cups you can buy in bulk? WTF?

IT'S KINDERGARTEN, PEOPLE. They eat paste and cram crayons up their nose. They don't care if they have a little mortarboard and tassel. They don't understand the "significance" of the ceremony, nor will liken it to the actual baccalaureate ceremony in another twelve years' time.

Am I boycotting it? No. Not without breaking someone's little heart, since she's learned her bit for the program by heart and is very much looking forward to being on stage. That I won't do.

I might skip making any more friggin' cookies, though. Maybe we'll stop for a Sonic sundae on the way home instead. I've got a week or so to figure that out.
_____

Anyone else watch the Dancing With the Stars finale? (I feel so pathetic… reality tv? Have I stooped so low?) Impressive, how that came about. Here I thought it was all but over and another hottie goes down in flames. Not a bad finish, all in all….
_____

Okay… not much else to talk about tonight. Think I'll turn in… too tired to finish the front of HSH's shirt, especially with multiple decreasing to keep track of. I'd like to get it done and blocking this weekend (realistic) so she can wear it before growing out of it (not so realistic).

Night, all.

__________

* for those of you too young to have heard / remember this: Bill Cosby on Noah and the Ark.

enough already… already.

What I don't do for my readership.

The request was in to see the loot, and loot you shall see. I had to wait for it to stop raining around here in order to get some decent light, and having been able to put down the hammer and directions for the DIY ark kit long enough to pick up the camera, here it is:

From Sheep Incognito, I give you this:

Peek-a-baa. Isn't it great? A standard 8x10 frame from Target and we'll be all set to hang it. Where, I don't know. We'll find a spot.

From Jennie the Potter, I scored this:

I needed another mug like I needed a hole in the head, but I couldn't resist. The bold, clean geometric feel of the design spoke to me. No whimsy, no cutesy; highly polished yet still rustic. Generously sized, it'll likely serve more as a needle repository than an actual drinking vessel, but I like it all the same.

Jennie also featured a friend's yarn in her booth:

The March Hare, in the Meadow Grass colorway. I don't know who does her base yarn, but it's lovely to the touch -- almost silky in the feel. No overtwist to the ply. The color is my favorite type -- a semisolid -- and it's knitting up so nicely on the Kollage double-points I picked up from Uncommon Threads. (What? I like dpns. Sharon was curious about them and so was I, so I offered to test 'em out. They're great, by the way. Lightweight, sturdy, nice point, and the squareness? You don't really notice it. I know some people aren't keen on the circulars, but the customers I've spoken to who use them have no complaints whatsoever. I'm keen on trying those for myself as well.)

Ok. Onward to Bartlett Yarns:

Enough to finally cast on for Terra. Yeah, I know. Thought I had that already picked out. Gauge issues -- I needed a thicker yarn. Here 'tis, and I like this color much better as well. As this sweater is wanted and needed for the fall, casting on will shortly commence, hot weather be damned.

Also from Uncommon Threads:

Malabrigo Sock. Ostensibly to convince my boss that she needs to carry this line, but yeah, I wanted it too. I'm so easy.

I had this on my list:

From Cloverhill, genuine Three Irish Girls in one of the new spring colorways, Maeve. I love these colors and wanted to see the new line in person before deciding on anything. Meaning that you had to hit their booth early, because this stuff went faster than in came in. We were all very civilized about it.

And the last bit:

Cherry Tree Hill seconds. Love the yarn, love the color, love that it cost me a fraction of what it should have. Heh. (And I do mean fraction. I may never pay full price again!) 

So it was a good haul.

anything new happening?

Besides being slightly bent that the Hurricanes LOST tonight? No, not much. [grumble]

oh, come on…

Well, I am having a little heartburn over the Supreme Court prom queen selection committee stuff. I mean, really. When did "empathy" become a qualification for justice of the highest court in the land?

you have no feelings, do you?

I certainly do. Thing is, I know where feelings belong and where they are wholly inappropriate. And the inside of a courtroom is inappropriate. This is a nation of laws, not of "feelings." Court reviews and decisions need to be based on a thorough understanding of the law of the land and how the appeal at hand relates to it, not on whether the justice rendering a decision can relate to myriad minority experiences.

Here, read the irrelevance for yourself:

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) […] added that it may be time to appoint the first Hispanic to the court, or another woman or African-American.

Note that he says nothing about qualifications and experience. He's just worried about the color of a person's skin, and the shape of their genitalia. Appearances. Superficiality. Just like a Democrat.

"We have a very diverse country. We need more people to express a woman's point of view or a minority point of view…."

Pardon me for suggesting this, Mr. Specter, but sit down and shut the hell up. We need a justice on the Supreme Court to express nothing except an opinion based on Constitutional law. Period. Full stop. Their precious full-of-life-experience, extracurricular point of view means nothing -- or rather, should mean nothing -- inside that courtroom and inside the judges' chambers. It certainly shouldn't influence the final court opinion. Especially given the current trend of legislating from the bench, it and of itself wholly unconstitutional but don't get me started on that tangent thankyouverymuch.

Though why I'm surprised that Mr. Specter was the one saying this, I don't know. I guess I'm really not. Now that he's switched parties and found himself at the bottom of the totem pole, he gets his soundbites anywhere he can.

I don't want a woman just for the sake of having a woman. I don't want a Hispanic just for the sake of having a Hispanic. I don't want a homosexual just for the sake of having a homosexual. In summary, I don't want anyone appointed who so narrowly defines him or herself as hyphenated anything, and uses it as a banner for self-advancement. I realize that The Anointed One is going to appoint someone who represents his own socialist, radical-left philosophy, and thanks to gutless voters in the congressional elections there's not a damn thing that can be done to counteract that. To that end I'm glad it's Souter that's retiring, thus it's only one lefty for another.

sorry i asked.

Told you that you would be. Ta ta, y'all. K out.

economix 101

This from Cox & Forkum: (please to read the whole article at their site. It's vitally important. I will summarize.)

Apparently, the current administration's way of "saving the economy" takes on a mafioso modus operandi.

Read the details they sum up in their cartoon, and quote from those who know, at their site. And really, REALLY hope that something big happens around the mid-term congressional elections. 'Cause if it doesn't, I don't care who you are or who you voted for -- we're all going down with the ship.

enough already, part the second.

So we left our heroine in a pile of sheep dip.

This was one of the thinner bits of the crowd, surprisingly. If you're trying to orient yourself, the entrance gates are to your immediate left, and the path to the main drag is to the immediate right. I believe most of this bottleneck can be attributed to the Tess' Designer Yarns tent. (I elbowed my way in, looked around, considered most of it not worth the fight, and fought my way back out, all the time suppressing this insane desire to yell "fire!") Crowds give me hives. Bananie and I were careful to scout out what we wanted, and careful to get in and out in a timely fashion.

So it was that we happened upon Dianne:

who is likely going to never, ever sell me yarn again because of this picture, yet I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog. She is a lovely person and Bananie and I were both thrilled that she managed to snag a booth at truly the last minute, because the lady's got an eye for color and her yarns and fibers are not to be missed.

I also scheduled in a stop here:

where I made my one mad splurge of the festival (meaning: something I really, REALLY didn't need but couldn't resist), an 8x10 litho of "Peek-A-Baa." It totally grabbed my attention when the giant canvas stared down at me at SAFF last year, and when I saw the print in an affordable, manageable framing size, I treated myself.

We went up the lane and down the lane, stopping in every building and ogling everything. I got to meet Amy at Jennie the Potter's booth (snagged a button!) and did get to say a brief hello and goodbye to Pam on the way out. Other than that, my communing with greatness was sadly not happening, thanks to phone issues. Lame excuse? Not hardly. Major PITA inconvenience, that, especially when your boss is circling the fairgrounds and is your ride home and you can't bloody well get in touch with her to find her!

However, there was much to be snagged and much to be savored. The rain was on and off but did let up enough for us to enjoy this:

which blew all the weight loss progress of the last few months out of the water in one foul swoop. You know what?

I don't care. 

It was fat-laden, carbohydrate hell on wheels and I enjoyed every last drippy, goopy bite. I even licked my fingers. (And made sure I'd cleaned them thoroughly with the wet wipes we'd picked up on the way in so as not to soil the yarns.)

so what did you end up with?

Um… hey, sheep!

avoiding the subject?

No… look! Goat!

well, then -- what did you get?

Did I mention the llama?

yeah, yeah. llama. now spill it.

Fine beast, that llama. And that ends this installment of MDS&W. 

chicken.

No, I'll be back with the stuff. Later. Bye!

enough, already, part the first.

So here's what happened on my MDS&W weekend.

We left here around 9:30 on Friday morning. Since I wasn't driving, but wholeheartedly sympathized with the desire of the driver to beat as much Beltway traffic as possible, I didn't kvetch too much. Besides, we did stop for Chick-fil-A on the way out of town….

Traffic being what it was, it was well after 1 by the time we got to the hotel exit. They were gracious enough to let us check in early, and after dropping off the bags, we headed to check out the area. Stop one was the fairground route itself. Once we were confident that we knew how to get from point A to point B, the GPS was reprogrammed and we hustled off in search of food. The night's meal, that is. Reservations had been made on the recommendation of Lawre herself, and that was great -- except that we didn't know where the heck the restaurant was. Turns out that it was easy enough to find, right in the middle of the historic district and all its quirky little shops and restaurants. We got sucked into a bakery for a late lunch (their sugar work is outrageous!) and then into a little candy shop for a little sompin' sompin'. I got a zombie bunny on a stick. Imagine a wee chocolate rabbit on a stick with googly neon-colored m&m type eyes pointing in different directions and green sprinkles for teeth and you've about got it.

Scurried back to the hotel again, to meet up with the rest of the crew. Bananie arrived shortly after we did, gratefully accepted a plastic cup of merlot and related her hair-raising escapades on I-66 at the corner of Beltway and Hell. When everyone was assembled and had sampled the available vintage, we piled back into the van and headed to dinner.

The Ellicott Mills Brewing Company was a nice place to eat. The wait staff was well-educated about the menu, not afraid to tell you if something wasn't worth ordering, happy to keep you in drink, food, and anything else you might need, and had a great sense of humor about six weird, middle-aged women drinking beer, laughing loudly, and knitting during dinner.

See?

The traveling sock makes its appearance.

Sharon thought that was funny.

Bananie describes how close she got to being flattened on I-295. (Yeah, that's my arm in the upper left corner. Oops.)

She had a rapt audience.

Jennifer adopts the credo that life is short, and has dessert first.

I had the beer-battered rockfish. (It's way in the back of the plate.)

After dinner, we scurried across the street to a little boutique-type shop, divided between a kids' tony clothing store and a home décor store. Nice to look around it, and the only shop on the drag that seemed to still be open at that hour (8-ish, I think). Then it was back to the hotel, to rest, knit, and sit up like a bunch of teenagers at a sleepover. Heh. I think we finished the wine, too.

Since the lot of us were all leaving at different points over the weekend, we all went to the festival at our own pace. Ann and I left early, needing to make a few stops along the way. (Honestly, it was a pretty unorthodox shopping list, even for us.) It did, however, get us to the fairgrounds early enough to snag a primo parking spot and a first look-see at the vendors. We spent a fair amount of time talking with a wonderful man in the main building, hawking handmade brooms and the most killer sweet stuff I've ever tasted: Maple Cream. Think of maple syrup boiled down to the consistency of a whipped honey. It's like the Nutella of the maple world. It's like… heaven in a jar. Too sweet to go sailing into with a spoon, but I'm thinking it'll be just the think smeared across the top of a cinnamon bun…. Get your own jar at justameretreefarm.com. J.P. is a really nice guy and the brooms he makes are works of art in their own right.

Oh yeah. The other shopping. Well, we trolled the main building and the barns, the open-air tents and all that. The on-again, off-again rain wasn't that much of a bother, as there was always a building to duck into. And duck we did. But that'll be another tale for another time. It's late, I'm tired, and I still haven't photographed the loot.

i'm getting there…

I know a lot of you are pestering me have asked for MDS&W recaps, but I still have a backlog of things I want to cover. And with Mother's Day being this weekend, this, I believe, is more important.

HSH had her spring break a few weeks back. I had to work for most of it (dang that, anyway), but we did get a chance to go and have mommy-daughter time. The first of the two adventure days was to the aquarium. Nice enough place most of the time. This time, however, was slightly … okay, totally uncool. I suppose that I could have checked first but I honestly had no idea that over 50% of the attraction was closed off for renovation. All we got to see were the shark tank, the ray tank, and the main fish tank. The rest of the hands-on exhibits were closed, with the vast majority of the building sectioned off behind paint tarps, makeshift walls, and the like. It's nice that an upgrade is being done -- though I'm not sure why since the whole place had a major reworking only a few years ago -- but it was damned inconvenient. Especially since they were still taking in school field trip groups, making the whole place dangerously overcrowded and mostly unseeable. Top that off by realizing that I paid full-price admission for this. (WTF was I thinking?) We did take the "nature hike" to the supplementary building, where overly dark reptile exhibits and sleeping otters entertained for all of five minutes. So that's why there's no pictures.

The next day was much better.

I had just been with Anita and the chillins, but HSH hadn't been in a while. We circled the parking lot for about ten minutes looking for a free space. Then stood in line quite a while. So you can imagine that HSH was raring to go once we went in the gates.

She charged to the fountain/sculpture, anxious to see if it was floating so she could give it a push. Alas, it wasn't. (Why yes, she DID pick out her own outfit.)

It's not the biggest or best zoo in the world. It's more like a populated botanical garden (which I don't understand since there's a beautiful botanical garden on the other side of town). The populace was, as most zoo animals are wont to be, sleeping or resting. 

Exception: this buff, bronzed terrapin wasn't resting, and was quite happy to pose with the traveling sock. A gentleman was waiting to take a picture of the turtle with his two sons. He calmly watched me position the sock and snap a few pictures, a strange look on his face. "It's a long story," I said, wrapping the yarn back up and storing the WiP in my bag.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm not sure I want to know." Smart guy. So we wandered off to our right and found the answer to an age-old question.

It was Captain Peacock, in the garden, with a fire hydrant.

The only witness to the crime was Miss Piggy, who promptly fainted.

After a wander through the reptile house, we happened upon these industrious little creatures:

It's cool how they have it set up: you can go "inside" the prairie dog colony and pop up in one of those little dome thingees to become one with the rodents. Well, it's cool if you're four feet tall. 

Then we proceed to be pointedly ignored by most of the other animals. Case in point:

We were mooned by a giraffe.

We got the ass end of both the rhino and the zebra.

Even the red panda couldn't be bothered to greet the public.

I did managed to snap a photo of this, a rare specimen if I do say so myself:

The orange-bellied ditchdigger. How cool is that?

By this time HSH was sufficiently animaled-out. We headed to the still-overcrowded parking lot, where we perched on the tailgate of the Cruiser and nibbled through a nifty picnic lunch. Sandwiches, chicken nuggets, salad, cheese, juice and powdered-sugar donuts, all served on the finest quality picnic plates. (Actually, I got to use the picnic backpack my brother gave us a long time ago. Nothing like grape juice in stemware!)

HSH did appreciate my suggestion that we go to the mall and raid the Sanrio shop on the way home. A nice, civilized walk around the mall followed by a nice, hot buttered pretzel was a good capper.

I have no idea why my camera decided to auto-focus on ForeverAeroWetAbercrombieSealPostale21 there in the background instead of HSH and the butter battle, but there it is.

The traveling sock did get finished, by the way. Actually, the whole pair is finished.

Details:

Pattern: Nutkin, by Beth LePensee for Knitzi.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Sugar Maple.

Needles: US 0 Crystal Palace bamboo dpns

Notes: I changed the plain hemmed cuff to a picot cuff. I also subbed an eye-of-partridge heel for the short row heel, quite accidentally. HSH is rather pleased.

Now it's time for me socks. I've started these:

from Cookie's book. More posts as events warrant.

And yes, I will get to MDS&W soon enough.

ok… this sucks…

Actor Dom DeLuise dead at 75.

Seems like all the good ones are gone. Bugger. Also:

Retired Favre to meet with Vikings.

Dude. Give it up, already. Retire or not, but make up your friggin' mind.

*yawn*

I have a lot to write about, and no time to do it. Actually, I could have done it by now if I'd just sat down and had done with it, but the truth is that I'm still exhausted and all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep for another twelve hours or so. I don't get to do that, but I can get a decent eight if I shut this damn box off right now.

Good night. I hope to return in the next few days with better organization, a few decent photos and a review of the past few weekends.

So there.