Uberlist Failure!

Well, fuck me, I totally blew off "Blog Once A Week," didn't I? Well, I've got so much fun knitting stuff to share, and some knitting confessions as well.

First, the beautiful and fabulous and talented Bakagaijin knit me a lovely pink shawl. I wish it were chillier so I could wear it all the time RIGHT NOW!

Here it is:

Sorry about this picture's quality, but self-timer is only so great a photographer!


Secondly, I FINALLY finished the giant man socks. It feels so good to be done with them, and the Mr. is happy to finally have some comfy hand knit socks of his very own! The one skein of Trekking XXL was JUST enough to finish, I probably have about 10 yards left.


Next, I've been working on a cotton tank with some bulky/chunky Nature Cotton. I didn't really find any patterns I loved for a tank top with big yarn, so I did some measuring and started knitting. I'm done with the front & back, both the boob parts, and now need to seam it up and figure out what I want to do about straps.

I did rip the first attempt at boob coverage out, nixed the yellow seed stitch borders, and refigured the decreases to leave plenty of boob coverage.

These guys have been done for a bit, but not blogged:

Mrs. Beeton's from Knitty, in some Hello Yarn sock yarn and Kid Silk Haze. I made 3 pairs of these, in different colors. One for me, one for Bakagaijin, and one for my mom.

Now the confessional:
I still haven't blocked the Irish Hiking Scarf or the Kiri Shawl. And I still haven't photographed the finished Beatrix socks either. Maybe this weekend :)

Elephant Provolone

Elephant Provolone, originally uploaded by skullymom13.

Catching up with some pics I've taken over the last few months with my camera phone.

I saw this while waiting in line at my grocery store deli. I'm not exactly sure what elephants and provolone have in common, but who cares? Cheese!

Satch with his puppy

Satch with his puppy, originally uploaded by skullymom13.

Satchel loves this puppy. He picked it out for his birthday at Lewis & Bark, and carries it with him on walks.

Random Bjork

Random Bjork, originally uploaded by skullymom13.

Trying to catch up on some pics I've taken with my cell phone the last few months.

Taken in downtown Denver near Capital Hill. I think the mural is on the side of an ice cream shop.

Popcorn!!

I can't get over the look on Tina Fey's face when she says Popcorn. Hahhaha!

Birthday, Scarves, and Guns!

A few little things!

I had a birthday! Hooray! I went with my mom and dad to the shooting range to fire off a few rounds. They got my favorite Creepy Guy With Moustache targets back!





Then my mom, aunt, and Jefer went to have tea at Tres Jolie.



Much fun was had!

I've also got my hands on the DH Around the World Scarves! I have 6 done, and 5 photographed.



That's about all!

Oh and also!

I almost forgot! I finished a few more things!

My Beatrix socks are DONE! The Irish Hiking Scarf is DONE! Pictures will follow once I wash and block them.

I am halfway through the 2nd giant man sock for the Mr., and only have about 3 rows, binding off, blocking, and end weaving left on the Kiri shawl. As soon as I finish the shawl, I can start a new project, holy shit, FINALLY! :D So excited.

A Visit to Pueblo, CO

Monday & Tuesday I accompanied the Mr. on a quick trip to Pueblo, CO. I had never been there, despite its proximity to me, and thought, hell, why not? We drove down on Monday, leaving snow in Denver, passing Pike's Peak, and arriving to gorgeous blue skies and 50 degree weather.

We had lunch at Cracker Barrel (I know, cheesy!), and then the Mr. got to work. I decided to explore a little, and ended up in Stem Beach. This is about all that was there: Yup, no beach (not an accessible one anyway), and a closed down boarded up Mini-Mart.

Since Stem Beach ate up about 30 minutes, I started driving, and noticed some signs for Lake Pueblo State Park. I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon there, taking pictures and knitting.

After going to the hotel and showering and changing clothes, we headed over to the car wash. The Mr. washed his car, and I poked around and found some interesting things to take pictures of: Monday night we went to the best happy hour at the Green Light Tavern, where ALL drinks are a buck. Seriously. Afterwards, we went to the Irish brewery next door, where I enjoyed several fun martinis, AND these incredible shots of Ketel One vodka that had been steeping in fresh cranberries, limes, and lemons. Delicious. The food was also delicious, well worth revisiting.

It snowed on Monday night, so all of Tuesday's activities were indoors for me! After dropping off the Mr. to work, I headed to the historic shopping district, with the intention of wandering around poking into stores. It was a bit too early, so I found a tiny bakery and bought some fresh bagels, went to a nice little diner and enjoyed some pancakes, and waited for 10:00 am to arrive.

The first place I went to was the delightful yarn store, Colorado Fiber Arts. If anyone ever finds themselves in the Pueblo area, GO THERE. Super awesome! They have a lovely selection of yarns, and they also carry supplies for spinning and weaving! The people there are extremely friendly, and I even caught a glimpse of a We Call Them Pirates mitten that someone was knitting! Hello Yarn, you're famous all over, lady! I ended up buying a bottle of SOAK, a few lovely skeins of coordinating green Cascade 220 yarn, a pair of earrings made by Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail (sorry, I can't find a website, but trust me, they are awesome!). The earrings are balls of yarn with knitting needles shoved through them. Very cute.

After the yarn store, I still had some time to kill before the Mr. would be done and we could go home. I ended up going to the
Steelworks Museum. I had an excellent time, and heard that the building they are in now is only phase 1. They'll be adding another building in the next several years. There was a machine that we got to use to make nails. There was also interesting information about the nurses that were specially schooled by Colorado Fuel & Iron to treat the kinds of injuries and sicknesses that befell the workers in the mines and in the mill. There were original nurses' uniforms and a fabulous nurses' cape. I'd love to find one like it. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures inside the museum. Another place I would highly recommend visiting if you find yourself in Pueblo.

I then headed over to meet the Mr., and we headed back home. We picked up Satchel from my parents' house, and went home!

Yarny Progress and other tidbits

Wow! This has been a really good knitting week!

I finished, washed, and blocked the feather and fan shawl: I must say that I adore this thing. It is warm, oversized, and comfortable. It is soft, squishy, and sproingy.

I also FINALLY finished the 1st Giant Man Sock: It feels good to be 50% done. My reward for finishing that sock was starting this:

The second Beatrix sock for me! I'm already halfway done.

Once I get through my unfinished objects (the pile gets smaller every day!), I'll be able to start some new items, like mittens, a sweater, and this cute circular shrug I bookmarked from Ravelry. All that is left unfinished besides the two pairs of socks is the Kiri Shawl and the Irish Hiking Scarf. Wheee!

Tibits:

Breaking Bad is good. Watch it, or miss out on all the awesome.

The Man With the Screaming Brain: completely corny, and sort of a whim that we picked it up on Netflix Watch Instantly. Two thumbs up!

Sock Dreams has utterly fantastic service! I ordered 4 pairs of super cute socks on Friday night, and they showed up in the mail today. I even selected the standard, free shipping. I can't recommend them more, plus, a lot of their selection is made in the USA, so no Chinese sweatshop guilt! Extra great!

A few snippets

Hola!

I'm enjoying a delightfully busy day here at the shop, wishing I were at home snuggling with the dog, finishing my handspun shawl, and playing a little Call of Duty.

A few snippets to fulfill my weekly blogging obligations:

Anyone into electronic music ought to check out Baron Zen At the Mall: Remixes on Stones Throw Records. My cousin, the incredibly talented Selector Dub U has track 13on the remix side, No More. Check it!

And a book snippet: I'm currently reading Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson, a gift from the Mr. for Xmas. So far, so great! I love Hunter S., and this book has so far discussed a number of issues close to home for me here in Colorado.

In knitting news, my handspun shawl is ALMOST done. I think about 4 or 5 more rows and then I can bind off and start the daunting task of weaving the bajillion ends in before I block it. I can't wait to wear it, it is going to be so warm and soft and squishy! Yay!

A New Reign of Terror...er....Writing, featuring the Uberlist of 2008

Hello!

As you'll see in my following Uberlist, one of my goals is to blog at least once a week.

I think I'll start with the Uberlist. Will I finally reach the ever elusive Brenda status, or get stuck as a Donna? Only the next 360 some odd days will tell!

1. Quit smoking (this time, I mean it)
2. Go to Yarn School
3. Go to the Hiwan Homestead Museum
4. Sew something using the denim and red printed cotton fabrics I bought last year
5. Knit myself mittens
6. Get curtains/window treatments for all windows, rehang wood trim on living room door and window
7. Make a cookbook
8. Organize the office and closet-take pics of the closet for Seekay
9. Visit 5 historic Colorado places
10. Fly a kite
11. Clean bedroom & closet
12. Write my children's book
13. Make Cookie Picture collar frames, try to sell (patent pending!)
14. Go to the dog park 10 times (this one ought to be easy)
15. Make an effort to keep up my appearance
16. Beat Bioshock
17. Get 2 tattoos (Skully picture & pin-up)
18. Secret!! Surprise to come! (not a big surprise, just a little one)
19. Give Satchel a bath
20. Have film from garage sale camera developed, order some more film for camera
21. Read 12 books
22. Pay bills on time!
23. Finish Mr. Pants' socks & Beatrix socks for me
24. Wash face daily, moisturize as needed
25. Keep fingernails neat and even
26. Go through all boxes and get rid of stuff
27. Ride bike to work 10 times
28. Play Viva Pinata
29. Sew a dress
30. Clean and organize kitchen cabinets
31. Knit a sweater
32. Complete Around the World Scarves on time
33. Pay off old credit card/other debt
34. Go to the zoo
35. Go to the Botanic Gardens
36. Go to the new contemporary art museum
37. Organize living room & buy stools for tall table so we can eat at a table like normal people
38. Get set up to recycle at home (I know. Currently I only recycle cans at home.)
39. Buy a new, giant memory card for digital camera
40. Go to the Estes Park Wool Market
41. Meet up with local Ravelry people
42. Intall new weatherstripping on door to garage
43. Track all spending/income for at least one month & adjust accordingly
44. Replace hideous light fixtures (gold? Good god, people)
45. Replace cream colored outlet/switch plates in living room
46. Finish handspun shawl & Kiri shawl
47. Get a haircut
48. Get mixer repaired (the music kind)
49. Practice on turntables
50. Wash & detail car
51. Make a list of problems on car and fix them
52. Spin some yarn Done! I'll be making more of course
53. Make multi-frame picture collage for living room wall
54. Lose 20 pounds
55. Install electronic thermostat
56. Put $2,000 into savings
57. Install toy display shelf in living room, install shelf under Skully's pictures for her urn
58. Make a basic scrapbook
59. Go through all paperwork and shred unnecessary items, file things to keep
60. Donate time or money to a charity
61. Give myself a pedicure
62. Buy Get Fuzzy books that I don't have
63. Get 2nd computer set up in the office, get a new monitor
64. Put kennel back into storage
65. Finish a big Sunday size crossword without cheating
66. Send a care package to Fury
67. Send secret package to a few secret people
68. Order prints from Brandon Bird and/or Natalie Dee to hang in the office
69. Have BBVD & Avs autographed posters framed
70. Take Satchel to the vet for his checkup
71. Fix furnace
72. Go to the eye doctor
73. Wash & prepare raw fleece
74. Get new bedroom furniture
75. Replace sheets and comforter
76. Update Netflix queue
77. Blog at least once a week
78. Update Bloglines subscriptions-add new as found, repair ones that don't work
79. Update MySpace once a month
80. Take a class for my brain-photography, pottery, or a language
81. Paint bathroom, replace shower curtain, hang new towel rack
82. Paint office
83. Touch up paint where needed
84. Make a cover for Kitchenaid mixer
85. Clean and organize kitchen counters-get items needed to keep it organized
86. Take a few rolls of film with old 35mm camera
87. Make homemade ice cream
88. Perfect chili recipe
89. Go to shooting range
90. Make a schedule for chores
91. Try a new local restaurant
92. Replace or repair flooring in office
93. Knit a critter for my spinning wheel
94. Make homemade pup cookies
95. Make or buy a toybox for Satchel
96. Try to save up for a fancy pants DSLR camera
97. Find great, tall, flat boots
98. Bake cookies
99. Clean the bathroom, scrub all grout and caulking, replace caulking if necessary
100. Plant something in the big pots on the patio
101. Go to the farmer's market 5 times
102. Visit farm in Windsor to buy Buckhorn cheese
103. Visit an alpaca ranch
104. Try a fightin' sport
105. Do workout DVD's 3 times a week
106. Get color coded star stickers to mark calendar for regular items (exercise, cleaning, blogging, dog walks, savings, etc.) I tried this for exercise a few years ago, and liked it.
107. Find a way to organize all CD's
108. Take Satchel on a long walk (one mile or more) at least once a week

Okay, there it is! Let's see how I do, shall we?

In knitting news, I've been working my butt off on my handspun shawl (in between sessions of Call of Duty 4; we've been having a blast playing online). I'd like to be able to wear it while it is still cold. I've got about 10 inches to go before it is the same as my wingspan. Here is the most recent photo, it is probably 3-4 inches larger with a few more colors since:

Knitting ADD

It is official. I've got myself a severe case of knitting ADD. The Yarn Harlot might call it startitis. The Giant Man Socks, the Beatrix Socks, the Kiri Shawl, and the Irish Hiking Scarf just aren't enough, you know. I was thinking the other night how NICE it would be to have a warm, toasty shawl to curl up in during the upcoming chilly evenings. Instead of just grabbing my (finished) Clapotis, and wrapping it round my shoulders, I decided that I MUST start knitting a Feather & Fan Comfort Shawl.

I've also ordered a bunch of Knitpicks Palette in various colors, so I could knit some sweet mittens like these super awesome ones like Adrian at Hello Yarn makes.

ANY.way. Yeah. I have Knitting ADD.

Oh! Here is a hat I finished, modeled by the always lovely and cooperative Satchel:



Specs:
Pattern: My own, standard hat with earflaps
Yarn: Crystal Palace Merino Frappe in blue, Elle Lussuria in fuzzy, soft white
Needles: US 6 (made a nice fabric, # of stitches cast on worked for my big head)

Wireless R0xx0rs and other Saturday Fun

I heart wireless. So much so that I'm not even using it right this minute, but I had to upload some pictures. The guy that the Mr. is doing prototyping work for gave us a wireless router, and today, they got it all set up. I came home from my errands to Nerdville USA. There were THREE laptops out on the kitchen counters, the Mr. was fiddling with the PSP, and our desktop computer was also on. I immediately snagged an empty laptop and checked out the wonders of the internet in the kitchen. Awesome.

Earlier, I went out on a little journey to the yarn store, the library, and to Jerusalem's to pick up some food. First up, the yarn store. I parked, saw a Thunderbird car show, and had to visit a cute pink 1957 Thunderbird convertible. Then to the yarn store to browse (and shop. Shutup, I'm powerless in that place). I sat down and knit a little on a sock, chit chatting with another knitter who was working on attaching a handle to a purse. Just as I'm fondling some Rowan Tapestry yarn, a woman storms in and asks if anyone in there drives a black Echo. Another woman confirmed that it was her car, and the stormer yells, "First, you're parked illegally, and second, you hit my fucking brand new Cobalt!!" Naturally, the whole place is silent, other than this exchange. The Echo driver says that she's sure she didn't hit the other car, and maybe she just tapped it. Yeller yells at Echo that her bumper is fucking touching her bumper. The Yeller and the Echo driver go outside, and we all gathered at the window to check out the situation. The Echo driver WAS parked very poorly, AND touching the Cobalt's bumper. I won't make excuses for that kind of poor driving etiquette, but damn, Yeller could have handled the situation with just a touch more class.

Next, I headed for the library, and there was a sidewalk chalk artist drawing a beautiful mural for Banned Books Month. I successfully picked up Slaughterhouse Five and Animal House.

Afterwards, I headed over to Jerusalem's to pick up some falafel and a shish kabob sandwich. I must have been spoiled by Blake's cooking at Yarn School, but my falafel was subpar in comparison. I was pretty bummed, since I've been craving the good stuff since the day I had it in Kansas. Luckily, my shish kabob sandwich was delicious, like most of Jerusalem's food, and I was sated.

As far as knitting goes, I'm working on a few things at the moment.



This is the first sock I'm making for the Mr. I frogged the Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, and used just the ribbing for the top. I'm doing the rest in plain stockinette so I can knit them on the go without using a pattern. Plus, these things are huge, so doing a fussy diamond pattern on not one, but TWO whole socks would drive me to the bottle.



This is the first sock of the pair using Mountain Colors Bearfoot. The pattern is Beatrix. I can't start the second one until I finish one of the Mr.'s socks.



Here is my Kiri shawl in progress. I'm really enjoying the colors in this yarn. it is Dicentra Designs alpaca laceweight, in Abalone Dark.

And finally, the Victoriana Top is finished.



I should have knit a smaller size, but I love it anyway.

Tey iz feeddin me

This post is to make my mom feel a little better, as we are babysitting their dog, Krystal, while my folks are out of town.

Goodbye my sweet, sweet baby girl

Skully was put to sleep on Friday, September 21st, 2007. My heart and my home both feel empty, my eyes sting from the tears that won't stop.

Skully came to live with me on July 5th, 2002. The same day as my cousin's funeral, and the same day that not one but FOUR friends moved out of state. She saved me. We didn't have any kind of adjustment period, we just WERE. We went everywhere together: on walks, to visit my folks, out to the country, to the park, on hikes, and on car rides for quick errands. Her middle name, Potatoes, came during the first week I had her, when we got in the car one day. She wasn't aware that she needed to stay in the back seat, for her own safety, and was trying to climb into shotgun. Instead of cursing at her, I yelled, "Skully.....POTATOES," and it stuck.

When I surfed the web on my laptop in bed, she was there, and pawed at my arm when it was time to stop. She always knew when I needed her, and I knew when she needed me. Call it co-depency, I call it doggie soulmates. The instant I met her, even before she was living with me, I loved her.

I remember taking her up to Mt. Falcon park for the first time, where they really aren't supposed to go off-leash, but we let her go to run through a big, grassy meadow. She looked so happy, running through the grasses, with a big, puppy smile on her face. Another walk, along the Platte River Trail to the south of us, was also a big source of amusement for her. There were these tiny little frogs, hopping all along the trail. She thought they were quite fun to stalk, and she kept trying to polar bear them with her front paws.

The second place we lived together, in downtown Denver, was for a short time, but was where she met her first dog friend, Hoover. He was a black lab, and lived across the alley. She used to watch out from our bedroom window for him to be outside. She'd see him, and cry at me mercilessly until we'd take her out to play. They used to run and run in the little side yard, and when it snowed, they'd busy themselves digging and digging, looking for something underneath the snow.

When we lived in Littleton, Skully got to go to daycare. She loved to go there every Friday and play & socialize with all the other doggies. She always knew when we were going there, and would freak out accordingly.

Shortly after her daycare closed down, we met a puppy, who was destined to become a little brother for Skully. We introduced them, and they got along, so he got to come home and complete our little family. We named him Satchel Porkchop Squishyface. It took Skully a bit to understand that she wasn't being replaced, and that she still had all of the same priveleges as before. Once she caught on, she loved having another dog around to snuggle and play with.

At any rate, rather than keep going on and on, recounting all of my sweet memories of my baby girl, I'll leave it at this, for now, anyway.

And last night, we got back her ashes and her memorial plaque. It was a bittersweet moment; getting her back makes me feel whole again, but she's not here anymore to "mer" at me, or give raspberry kisses too anymore.

Very, very sad

This Friday night, I will be sending my baby girl, Skully, to the Rainbow Bridge. I'm terribly sad about this, even though the logical part of my brain tells me that this is the right thing to do. The other part of me never wants to let her go. The arrangements have been made. A mobile vet will be coming to my house to do the procedure, so that she will be safe and comfortable at home. My folks & the Mr. will be there. Satchel might get a better understanding this way, too, moreso anyway than if we took her away somewhere and she never came back. He's going to be really upset too. A gentleman who runs a local business that handles pet cremation and the like will be taking her from there and will insure an individual cremation, rather than the alternative. He'll put her into a nice urn, with her name on it, and will make a lovely memorial plaque with the Rainbow Bridge poem, a pawprint, and a lock of her fur.

I will be posting more, after the fact, as a memorial to her, but for now, I just need to try not to sit here all day crying at my desk.

Best Idea Ever

Well, perhaps the best commuting idea ever.

If I could find a really lightweight kayak, canoe, or other small watercraft, that I would be capable of carrying aways by myself while rollerblading, I could commute TO work on the river. In a boat. And rollerblade the short distance from the river to the shop, and then rollerblade home.

Hells yeah.

Oooooooooklahoma

On Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, my dad and I took a 24 hour road trip from Denver to Jennings, OK to the Hallett Motor Raceway to pick up an engine. We left Denver around 6:15 am, and I was back home and in my bed the following morning at 5:00 am. We stopped in Oakley, KS, home of the World's Largest Prairie Dog for gas and lunch. Their sign is huge.

We ate here:

They had fantastic french fries, crispy and yummy! My dad reviewed the fried chicken, and said that it is delicious and not all greasy inside. If you find yourself in Oakley, KS, I recommend a stop there!

Then we were ready to get back on the road. The gas station implores that we drive safely:

My first driving shift over, I settled in as navigator and got some knitting time. Here you can see my Jaywalker sock enjoying Wichita:

As we got to the merging of I-135 and I-35, we were required to stop and pay a toll. This wonderful tollbooth operator was happy to pose with Sock:

We soon made our way into Oklahoma, and stopped again for fuel in Braman, OK, just south of the Kansas border. I was able to purchase a pack of nail files to get rid of a yarn snagging fingernail burr that had been bothering me for miles. They offered this:

The next leg of our journey was fairly short and uneventful, but I realized that Oklahoma seemed to be the land of slow, dead things in the road. We came across armadillos, tortoises, and other various roadkill. In fact, at one point we went by a lucky tortoise who had almost made it, and saw him cross into safety as we passed. I had no idea that OK had a big tortoise population. I apparently also enjoy typing tortoise. We made it to the track and looked for Terry & the Pirates:

After our greetings, we prepared to transfer the engine from their truck to ours, when a torrential downpour began. We were lucky enough to make it in time for the dinner that had been prepared for the BMW racers at the track for the weekend. The grumpiest lady in Oklahoma* served us our food, and while we ate, the rain subsided. (I'm sure the grumpiest lady in Oklahoma is so grumpy because she gets to deal with visiting racers who can probably be a little rowdy sometimes.) We went back to the truck and the guys started moving parts:

I took this time to take some pictures:



I then "asked" some of the folks to pose with Sock.






We left the track around 7:30 or so (CST), and headed back home. That drive was pretty uneventful, picture wise, due to getting tired, frequent driver changes, and napping. There was some rather heavy fog through western Kansas and eastern Colorado, but we made it.

Here are our final trip stats:


Overall, I'd call the trip a success! I got in some fun bonding time with my dad, got to check Oklahoma off of my list of states, and made people hold my sock.

Victoriana in Progress Back

Victoriana in Progress Back, originally uploaded by skullymom13.

Here is the Victoriana Top, in progress. I'm using a baby alpaca/silk blend yarn from Elann.com. Seriously? This thing is going to be one of my favorite things to wear when it is finished (provided that it FITS!). The fabric the yarn produces is so sproingy soft and light. *sigh*

Degeneration SUCKS

Skully playing with baby Satchel

I haven't much discussed this with my interweb friends at length, but it is time to talk about it I think, at least to release some of this into the open.

About a year ago, my precious girl, Skully P. Tatoes, began having some issues walking. Nothing major at the time, just the occasional stumble from her hind legs. Here, a year later, she's gotten to the point where I'm seriously considering a doggie wheelchair for her. She drags her hind legs, gets them tangled up, scrapes her paws, and falls over a lot.

What she has is called Degenerative Myelopathy, which is like a dog version of MS. That article goes into far more confusing detail than necessary for my purposes, but explains well what exactly is going on with Skully's nervous system.

I get strange looks at the dog park until people find out what is going on with her, because she looks like quite a sight, stumbling around looking like the Little Engine That Could. I have to carry her up and down the steps so we can take walks, 4-5 times a day. She is only 8, and has been in incredible health since I've had her.

The good news about her having this particular disease is that she really doesn't feel any pain because of it. More frustration, than anything, I think.

Anyway, we're doing what we can to try to prevent her condition worsening, including acupuncture, and a more regimented exercise program. I've also got her taking a specific Bach flower remedy as a mood enhancer.