bag 'n' trash -- home of monster yarn

Top 10 List

when aunt purl  tags you for an internets quiz ... even if she tagged everyone on the planet ...you do the internets quiz

TEN random things you might not know about me.
1: I got my belly pierced july 4, 2000.
2: I took 7 years of piano lessons.
3: I wake up every workday at 5:30AM.  And 7AM on weekends.  I am not a morning person.
4: I sometimes wish i were a stay at home mom.  sometimes.
5: I want to go back to school but I don't know what to study.
6: I smoked in college for one year.
7: I was a big lush in my 20's and early 30's and a little bit slutty.  I don't know how I feel about that.
8: I wanted to be a boy when i was a kid so my father would pay attention to me.
9: I believe in fate to a certain extent and I think I'm a little psychic.
10: I used to be much more politically conservative.

NINE places I’ve visited
1: France
2: Iran   
3: Nigeria
4: Italian Alps
5: Greece
6: Vienna
7: Quebec City   
8: Montreal
9: Gatanoque, Ontario

EIGHT ways to win my heart
1: Surprise me.
2: Make me laugh.
3: Laugh at my jokes.
4: Do the dishes.
5: Sort the socks.
6: Praise me.
7: Let me be.
8: Buy me extravagant gifts.

SEVEN things I want to do before I die
1: Be at peace with myself.
2: Live in an old house with a big farmer's porch.
3: Have my own business.
4: Maybe have a kid -- I don't know.
5: Learn to get over my regrets ...
6: Find my bliss
7: Win the lottery.

SIX things I’m afraid of
1: Losing J.
2: Growing old.
3: My brother never being free of his demons whatever they may be.
4: Dying without leaving a legacy of any sort.
5: Flesh eating bacteria.
6: War

FIVE things I don't like
1: Aggressive Mass-hole drivers.
2: Stupid people (who aren't aggressive mass-hole drivers).
3: Being fat.
4: Where this country is heading.
5: Getting my legs waxed.

FOUR ways to turn me off
1: Defend George W. Bush and all of the fuckwits in the current administration, especially by blaming the Clintons.
2: Bully someone weaker than you.
3: Put your bag on the seat next to you on the train and don't notice that there are people without seats who have to stand until they get to West Natick.  Fucker.
4: Lie

THREE Things I do everyday
1: Pee
2: Drink coffee
3: Surf the internets

TWO things that make me happy
1: Yarn
2: Weekends

ONE thing on my mind right now
1: I really shouldn't have driven into work today.

Oh ... and you're it!  Yeah you! 

The Pressure

so what do you get the woman who has everything she wants or needs AND also happens to be your mother-in-law for her birthday?

you make her a set of lavender sachets.  these were knitted up on size 2 needles with some mercerized cotton i had laying around.  i got the idea from the knitter's bible and the lavender off of ebay. 

i think she liked them.

and here's a picture of our tree house.  i love this little tree house.

Tarte Aux Pommes

so this is what i woke up to this morning.

i love snow, especially on a day when other than going to my sister-in-laws for thanksgiving dinner later on today, we really have no where  to be, or anything to do. 

dolly likes snow too. (and oregano -- she's standing in my kitchen herb garden)

i'm having a lot of fun making these little dolls.  this one is probably going to a niece.  (with a few extra dresses i think)

why is dolly smiling?  because she also likes pie.

i offerred to make something in chocolate for thanksgiving, but i had been craving my mother's apple tarte. (my mother is an excellent cook, but not much of a baker -- not that she can't bake, just that she doesn't like to all that much -- but she's known in her 'hood for her apple tarte) so i decided to try and make one myself (i did buy brownie mix in case this bombed).  i made the crust myself (thank you martha stewart for giving me the correct proportions of butter to flour) and i'm hoping for the best.  the inlaws are traditional (and sometimes a little boring) in their food choices so it's quite possible that even if this tastes almost as good as my mom's, that i'll be the only one eating it, but who cares.   more for me.

that "thing" in the middle is a turkey by the way.

have a happy thanksgiving everyone!

Show 'n' Tell

quick post before going off to work.

i was very productive this weekend  ... knitting wise. (i did absolutely nothing else other than go to the wedding of a former co-worker). 

here's some progress made:

i finally finished a lamb that i had crocheted up but had never sewn together and stuffed (i made one last year i think).

then i finished the fuzzy feet -- here they are felted up (joe really liked them although he wasn't sure he would ever wear them unless i put them on him and well i draw the line at bringing him his slippers at the end of hard days work).

here are some washcloths (from weekend knitting) i made last weekend from knitpicks crayon in purple and orange.  this is part of a birthday present that i'm working on.

(can i just say that this pattern is a pain in the ass?)

here's a sneak preview of another birthday present i'm working on (lots of birthdays in my world during the months of october, november and december (including mine by the way)).

finally, here's a project started and finished this weekend.  i received this little toy making book earlier in the week (written and published by jess hutch -- her blog is fun to read too).

this little robot was super easy to make and i even enjoyed sewing him up (which inspired me to finish up the lamb and other things that i haven't posted about yet.  i'll save them for another post.)  this is going to a nephew for x-mas.

 

Back To School

well this is a relief  ... i would hate to think that i forgot everything i learned when i was 13 ...

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

and this is even with math and science as my best school subject ...

You Should Get a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)

You're a blooming artistic talent, even if you aren't quite convinced. You'd make an incredible artist, photographer, or film maker.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

it's no wonder that i'm confused

Where In the World is Matt Lauer

or you!

c'mon, tell me where you are...you know you want to.

don't make me beg

PLEASE!!!

Meme Again

julia sucked me in on this one.  i haven't posted my answers until now because this one was actually hard.  for me anyway.   thanks julia! 

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?  i don't have a favorite brand.  i love all of the noros because i'm a sucker for variegated color.  and i just bought a skein of marabrigo which is the softest thing ever.  and i like yarn that many knit bloggers would spit at.  *spit*  but i think that the one thing that all of my favorite yarns have in common, other than wonderfully vivid color, is that they tend to be wool or a wool blend.    i'm making fuzzy feet in lamb's pride right now  and i'm loving it.  so yeah it's wool.  it's nice and springy, and if it isn't too scratchy and passes the face rub test, i love it.

Favorite needles?  i'm not really all that picky.  i have a large  collection of aluminum straights.  and i have a pair of inox needles that i got from france years ago (i probably stole them from my mother) that i really like.  lately i've enjoyed knitting on bamboo.  and of course my denises.   

The worst thing you've ever knit?  well i've been knitting off and on since i was 8 so there's plenty of "worst."  how about the worst thing i ever knit that shouldn't have been horrible?  i had a hell of a time with bonne marie's  sitcom chic.   i had all sorts of technical difficulties knitting it up and ended up frogging 3 times.  i don't know why.  it certainly wasn't the most challenging sweater i'd ever knit and it was a well written pattern, but we just weren't connecting.  maybe it was the bright pink cotton-ease that was causing me grief ?  anyway, the finished product also didn't lift my skirt up.  i wore it once to work, hated wearing it, came home, and frogged it for good.

Most valuable knitting technique?  unknitting. when i figured out how all of the stitches interlinked and figured out that i could unknit or use a crochet hook to grab lost stitches, etc., that was like an epiphany.  i no longer had to frog the whole damn thing or run to my mom to fix it.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)

it took forever to make but when i finished it i felt such a sense of pride.  it had lace.  it was made with much smaller needles than i was used to and i even modified the pattern a bit.  it's the white sweater in this earlier post.

Best knit book or magazine?  i really like interweave knits.  it's consistently good.   i have a bagillion books but my favorites have to be the 4 alice starmores i have in my collection -- the celtic collection, fishermen's sweaters, aran knitting, book of fair isle knitting.  i bought them ages ago and i read them like novels.  but other than knit up practice swatches, i have never made anything from them.  i don't have the patience. 

Your favorite knitwear designer?  no one in particular.  although i do think teva durham is a wonderfully creative designer.  and i'm always in awe of what annie modesitt and kate gilbert come up with.  such talented women.  i'm a little jealous.

Your favorite knit blogs?  i'm very visual and i have a short attention span, so my favorite  blogs (other than those of people i have a real or internets only relationship) tend to crammed with wonderful photographs.   some of my favorites lately have been wee wonderfuls, juju loves polka dots , and yarnstorm.   they aren't so much knit blogs as craft blogs but there is knitting in there sometimes. 

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)  my current wardrobe of scarves.  and come winter i'll be wearing my big ass 15 year old gray intarsia cabled roll neck monster sweater.  it's perfect for slipping over sweaters and going for a walk.  it's the gray sweater here.  i wear the blue one too.

ok, i've got to get my butt to work.  if you haven't done this meme, then i tag you.  have a great day.

julia sucked me in on this one.  i haven't posted my answers until now because this one was actually hard.  for me anyway.   thanks julia! 

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?  i don't have a favorite brand.  i love all of the noros because i'm a sucker for variegated color.  and i just bought a skein of marabrigo which is the softest thing ever.  and i like yarn that many knit bloggers would spit at.  *spit*  but i think that the one thing that all of my favorite yarns have in common, other than wonderfully vivid color, is that they tend to be wool or a wool blend.    i'm making fuzzy feet in lamb's pride right now  and i'm loving it.  so yeah it's wool.  it's nice and springy, and if it isn't too scratchy and passes the face rub test, i love it.

Favorite needles?  i'm not really all that picky.  i have a large  collection of aluminum straights.  and i have a pair of inox needles that i got from france years ago (i probably stole them from my mother) that i really like.  lately i've enjoyed knitting on bamboo.  and of course my denises.   

The worst thing you've ever knit?  well i've been knitting off and on since i was 8 so there's plenty of "worst."  how about the worst thing i ever knit that shouldn't have been horrible?  i had a hell of a time with bonne marie's  sitcom chic.   i had all sorts of technical difficulties knitting it up and ended up frogging 3 times.  i don't know why.  it certainly wasn't the most challenging sweater i'd ever knit and it was a well written pattern, but we just weren't connecting.  maybe it was the bright pink cotton-ease that was causing me grief ?  anyway, the finished product also didn't lift my skirt up.  i wore it once to work, hated wearing it, came home, and frogged it for good.

Most valuable knitting technique?  unknitting. when i figured out how all of the stitches interlinked and figured out that i could unknit or use a crochet hook to grab lost stitches, etc., that was like an epiphany.  i no longer had to frog the whole damn thing or run to my mom to fix it.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)

it took forever to make but when i finished it i felt such a sense of pride.  it had lace.  it was made with much smaller needles than i was used to and i even modified the pattern a bit.  it's the white sweater in this earlier post.

Best knit book or magazine?  i really like interweave knits.  it's consistently good.   i have a bagillion books but my favorites have to be the 4 alice starmores i have in my collection -- the celtic collection, fishermen's sweaters, aran knitting, book of fair isle knitting.  i bought them ages ago and i read them like novels.  but other than knit up practice swatches, i have never made anything from them.  i don't have the patience. 

Your favorite knitwear designer?  no one in particular.  although i do think teva durham is a wonderfully creative designer.  and i'm always in awe of what annie modesitt and kate gilbert come up with.  such talented women.  i'm a little jealous.

Your favorite knit blogs?  i'm very visual and i have a short attention span, so my favorite  blogs (other than those of people i have a real or internets only relationship) tend to crammed with wonderful photographs.   some of my favorites lately have been wee wonderfuls, juju loves polka dots , and yarnstorm.   they aren't so much knit blogs as craft blogs but there is knitting in there sometimes. 

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)  my current wardrobe of scarves.  and come winter i'll be wearing my big ass 15 year old gray intarsia cabled roll neck monster sweater.  it's perfect for slipping over sweaters and going for a walk.  it's the gray sweater here.  i wear the blue one too.

ok, i've got to get my butt to work.  if you haven't done this meme, then i tag you.  have a great day.

Cold Nose

while i work on other posts ... here's a little "quiz."   

Your Birthdate: December 20

You are a virtual roller coaster of emotions, and most people enjoy the ride. Your mood tends to set the tone of the room, and when you're happy, this is a good thing. When you get in a dark mood, watch out - it's very hard to get you out of it. It's sometimes hard for you to cheer up, and your gloom can be contagious. Your strength: Your warm heart Your weakness: Trouble controlling your emotions Your power color: Black Your power symbol: Musical note Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

  hmmm, i'm not necessary known for my warm heart, although i do tend to be a little moody.

Grandma What Big Feet You Have

ok they're done

they just need to go take a bath

j asked me last night if i was knitting x-mas stockings, they were so big.

and ... i'm unloading some chenille on ebay if anyone is interesting .... real cheap.   just click on my "bid on my crap" link on the left there.

The Godzilla of Fuzzy Feet

one down, one more to go.

look at how ginormous this thing is!  i did make it a bit longer to fit my huge peds.

Election Results

i'm smiling a little bit inside this morning because it looks like the democrats could be coming back .
2 new governors -- in virginia and new jersey.  arnold's reforms got the no-go  -- too bad so sad.  even the fine folks in dover, pa threw out the republican whacko school board who wanted intelligent design to be discussed in science class.  yay!  and maine decided to keep their anti-discrimination law.  yay maine.

then there's texas.  texas voted for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.  but what do you expect.  they're the fine people who gave us George W. Bush. 

Eyes Wide Open

yesterday morning in copley square i came across this exhibit called "Eyes Wide Open."   

here are shoes representing the over 10,000 iraqis, mostly women and children, who have died.

 

OK I'm Ready

here's proof that i'm poised, practically perched in a  michael phelps'  seconds  before the 100m freestyle practically jumping off of the starting block in anticipation  sort of way,  to start my fuzzy feet. 

1.  yarn -- check .... (i had the red laying around and bought the blue skein since i may not have enough of 1 skein -- it wasn't until i got the blue home that it occurred to me that a red/blue combo although classic, is also a little boring.  oh well.  and i hate the new label.)

2.  size 10.5 double points -- check

3.  fuzzy feet pattern printed and slid into a protective plastic cover  -- check

4.  coffee -- check

Technical Help Requested

so i've been doing a little housekeeping here  -- i've added a couple more photo albums , gotten rid of some clutter -- but one thing that i'd really like to have is a proper banner.  my banner is boring and frankly looks like ass.

typepad makes it all nice and easy to put up a proper banner -- but i can't seem to get the size of the picture needed to upload quite right.  can someone please advise?

thanks!

**************************

 thanks everyone for your help and advice -- i see what you mean about the border.  for now, it'll have to do.   other than that though, i don't think it looks too bad. 

Can't Get There From Here

last week was our 2nd anniversary so we decided to celebrate by taking a little road trip up to maine.

j had chemistry class saturday morning so we didn't head out until it had started to snow.

brrrr.

but before we hit new hampshire it had stopped.

how cool is that sunset?

we spent the night in portland and then wandered around the city a bit sunday morning. 

then we headed south via route 1 and stopped in almost every little town along the way.
i think this is near old orchard beach.

now you know why i stay married for the dog  ....  so not nice

that house was for sale.  we were tempted. 

spooky cat in kennepunk.  (we drove around kennepunkport too  -- j wanted to go say hi to bush senior and to ask him how he could raise such a putz of a son)

it was a short but sweet.  a great weekend.

Don't Hate Me Because I Make Ponchos

to break up the monotony of the log cabin squares, i whipped up a little something for a 3 year old princess.  here's  the original picture from the latest interweave knits crochet.

here's my rendition...without dog and child

a little close-up on a pompom

and just so you all understand that I WILL LIE DOWN ON THE FLOOR FOR YOU PEOPLE!!!

ok, i've got some fuzzy feet to start.  i joined my first knit-along .... if this doesn't get me to knit socks i don't know what will.

Me? A Guru?

Your Aura is Purple Your Personality: You're a dreamer and visionary. You believe you were put on this earth to do something great. You in Love: You're very passionate but often too busy for love. You need a man who sees your vision and adopts it as his own. Your Career: You need a job that helps you make a difference. You have a bright future as a guru, politician, teacher, or musician. What Color Is Your Aura? Take This Quiz :-)