bag 'n' trash -- home of monster yarn

A Small Comfort

i've neglected project spectrum in the past month or so.  it's not that i don't like purple ... i do ... but july just flew by and i'm still trying to catch up.

a high of 100 degrees is in store for us in the north east on wednesday.  yet i just finished a knitted cap.  a coworker of mine, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, is undergoing chemo and will more than likely lose her hair.

so i made shedir for her (the pattern is one of the patterns from knitty's breast cancer awareness mini issue)

i used a little more than 1 skein of lionbrand microspun in lilac.  it's a wonderfully cool and soft feeling yarn although insanely splitty.  my gauge was slightly off, but the resulting hat i think will fit her better.  i hope she likes it.

oh and my project spectrum project in progress.

 

Saturday Sky

Oh, Right ... The Haul

sorry, i got distracted by the ABC-Along.  i had some serious catching up to do.

so the haul.  i did bring stuff home.

i brought home some pottery

this cute little chicken ...

and this sponge-brillo pad "hut"  and matching butter dish.

 

oh.. right, you don't want to see this crap...

so the yarn -- like i said before, i found very little but i couldn't leave one store without buying these three little skeins of italian cotton.  i loved the colors.  they'll be good for MDK inspired warshrags.

i also bought some beads.  these from the crafty shop where the lady didn't mind me taking pictures.

and these from la droguerie.  yes, i had the NERVE to pick up the jar that these shell beads were housed. 

and finally, the books.  OOOHHHH BOOKS.

of course i had to get the current issue of marie claires idees (and the special edition of prima -- another crafty mag).

and then i went a little nuts...

i love the title of this series of books...

Shhhhh.. I'm creating. (or  SHUT UP, I'M MAKING SHIT)

i got two -- one that uses every day sewing notions for making jewelery and other decorative items.  and one that uses beads and buttons for jewelery.

 

i also got a book on red embroidery.  this one reminded me of some of the japanese craft books we've been seeing.

then there's this one on crochet trims, and another put out by the people of DMC.

 

and last but not least, a couple of knitting books/mags.

 

and of course, i've told you about  the chocolate.

Eye Candy Friday

place des vosges

Creative Work Avoidance

 right now i hate my job and don't feel like doing any work.  i'm going on strike!  YEAH!!!!!  my demands?  STOP MAKING ME WORK WITH STUPID PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ EMAILS OR DOCUMENTATION!!!!!

thanks to suzanne and mafia for giving me something to do while i strike ... for the next 10 minutes.

Life's to do list - Completed items are bolded

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink -- i was drunk
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken  a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (um... no)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped (and why would i do a fool thing like that?)
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (i was 9 -- they were cherry tomatoes that grew all by themselves under my bedroom window and i found them so that counts -- right?)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment -- you don't want to know
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger - i was drunk
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb -- i've pet many -- does that count?)
33. Seen an eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster (LOVE THEM!!)
35. Hit a home run (um ... never would happen ... playing wiffle ball with my inlaws in the backyard hardly counts... or does it?)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking --yes -- i was drunk
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (yes, i spok-a with-a fake-a stupid-a italian accent-a much-a to the amusemento of my-a friends-a.  it-a got-a so bad-a that-a i  could-not-a stop- surprisingly, not drunk)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (and it always surprises me when it happens)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (many times)
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign - i was drunk
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing -- not by choice
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (um.. why would i do that)
51. Visited Ireland -- not yet but hope to
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love -- many times
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero -- bat girl!!!
58. Sung karaoke -- i'd have to be drunk
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60.  Posed nude in front of strangers -- would never happen and never has -- even while i was drunk
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business -- i'd like to someday
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party -- many times AND have gotten drunk
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days -- oh god!!! that would be insane!
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake Dead River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage -- no i wasn't drunk -- i was 9
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand -- yeah yeah i was drunk
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone -- not Boston's combat zone ... right?
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror. -- never understood the appeal
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over -- moved to Boston in 1986
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking -- no, i wasn't drunk
103. Had plastic surgery - i've thought about it though
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication -- i've co-authored several scientific publications and wrote a chapter for a medical textbook (i'm not a doctor  -- but i play one on tv)
106. Lost over 100 pounds -- over the course of my lifetime i probably have -- and gained them all back
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray -- i don't like touching fishy things...ewww
110. Broken someone's heart -- i honestly don't know if i have or not -- i doubt it
111. Helped an animal give birth -- i wouldn't say "helped" but i watched and told her to breathe...
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone -- two ... both arms
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced -- i don't seem like the type do i...and no, i wasn't drunk
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild -- picked them myself. 
118. Ridden a horse -- and fell off -- never did it again
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet -- ewwww god no
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours -- first couple of days home from college
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi -- yeah and i hate it
128. Had your picture in the newspaper -- does the school paper count?
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about  -- actually i threatened them
130. Gone back to school -- i'd like to do it again.
131. Parasailed -- i did it "for the children" -- glad i did it too.  so much fun.  except for the part where they had to drop me in the ocean and there was a  big ass jelly fish in the water and i'm really  really really afraid of jelly fish ... even little baby jelly fish but this guy was HUGE -- i could see him from the air -- and no one believed me and they just mocked.
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair -- only my hairdresser knows for sure
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident -- well that's what the stupid accident report said -- but i still beg to differ
150: Saved someone's life

i tag YOU.  if you end up doing this meme, let me know.  i wanna see.

M is for ....

old minis

old mini parked in front of a new mini

(oops! not a mini)

someone else's mini

my mini

L is for ....

LA TREMBLADE....

located in the departement of Charente-Maritime, La Tremblade is a small town situated on the banks of the Seudre, an estuary of the Atlantic.  my fantasy of living in a small town was feuled by summers spent hanging out with my cousins.  oyster farming along with tourism is the primary industry of the region.

K is for ...

KINDER?!!!

 

SURPRISE!!!!! (pronounced -- surPREEZ)

featuring Bob L'Eponge (aka SpongeBob)

mmmm yummy chocolate, in the form of an egg ... which is available all year long, not just at easter

and when cracked open ...

hides A SURPRISE!

there's also Kinder Chocolat (Kinder Not-So-Much-A-Surprise).

all of the chocolatey goodness, without the toy.   in a pinch, it'll do.

Frogging with the Frogs

i have remarkably little knitting to show for my time in france.  i had plenty of metro and car time to knit my june project spectrum socks but for some odd reason, could not for the life of me remember how to do a picot edge.  so i did a lot of casting on, knitting, fudging the picot edge, ignoring the fact that it did not look right, kept on knitting, stopped being able to ignore that it did not look right, kept on knitting anyway, then threw down my knitting in disgust, then frogged.

i did this at least half a dozen times. 

finally i did what i should have done from the beginning, i looked it up.  duh. 

here are my project spectrum socks for june (yeah i know i'm way behind) -- the second sock knit almost entirely during our flights back.

i also knit up AND FROGGED and knit up again the saturday market bag from magknits.  although a simple project, it took me 4 tries to "get" the pattern stitch.  no it's not hard, but my hands HATED knitting yarn overs in worsted weight yarn on size 15 needles.  i ended up going down a needle size because i was not going to let such a simple pattern BREAK me.  and i needed another bag to bring home stuff in.  (of course i could have just gone out and purchased a string bag for very few euros, as an older lady pointed out to me when she saw me knitting in a cafe, but what would be the point of that....LADY!).

 
   

i also didn't kitchener the two ends of the strap together, because i couldn't believe that would hold once i had stuff in the bag, but instead bound off each strap and tied them together in a big knot. 

finally... what's this?  finished i-cord?

Saturday Sky

this sky overlooked the place de la bastille and the opera bastille.

Look What I Found

j found this old wheel wedged between a dusty plastic plant and other junk in my parents' garage.  apparently it belonged to my father's great-grandmother (i think) and my father rescued it when the house he was born in was sold and needed to be emptied out of generations worth of junk.  for some reason, my father thought to rescue this little gem.

   

 
  it's very small, it probably reaches no higher than slightly above my knees.  anyway, i know nothing about the type of wheel this is, what kind of wood (although my guess is oak) and whether or not it's missing any pieces.  for that reason, i left it in france.  my father plans on digging it out of the garage, cleaning it up and setting it up in the living room.  someday it will be mine at which point i'll have it restored if necessary.

pretty cool, huh.

Two Hundred and Eighty Seven

the title of my post refers to the number of steps it takes to get to the top of the arc de triomphe.  doesn't sound like much, but i'm old and fat.  and it was hot.  and all i could hope for is that it would be well worth it.

Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?

so ... the yarn...

there was none. 

or not much. 

before leaving for france i did my research and had a list of yarn shops that i needed to visit.  granted i didn't visit all of the shops on my list.  but those i did, were a disappointment. 

there were several phildars listed in paris.  i wasn't unable to find one.  they were gone.  poof.  even the one that used to be close to my brother's place ... it's now a trendy boutique for women who wear no larger than a size 2.  (hey skinny bitch with fake dark red hair that looks fake and scary dark tan -- i will eat you -- so don't even look at me that way).  another little shop that i found was closed for friggin' lunch until 3pm (i dropped by at 1).

i did stop by la droguerie but after getting yelled at for not knowing the rules about purchasing beads ... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE THE JARS OF BEADS OFF OF THE SHELVES!!!! ... i wasn't about to start looking too closely at the yarn.  i did manage to get this photo before catching another earful about taking photos of the inside of the store.  (i was being watched and for some reason -- my rusty french language skills, not wanting to appear like the "ugly american tourist" -- i'm much more easily intimidated in france than in the US).

i did  come across a phildar in la rochelle.  but i was with j and the nieces and didn't feel as if i could properly linger.   (again, i had to be quick with the camera to not raise suspicions).

but all was not lost.  in royan i came across this cute little craft shop with a very limited selection of yarn and crochet thread (although knitting isn't popular, crochet and needlework is a little more so.  as is beading) and beads ... the shop lady was nice and if she did notice me taking pictures, she didn't say anything.   

and when back in paris, after sending j and the nieces to the louvre (been there done that) i came across this craft/art store.   again, not much in the yarn department but several knitting books, translated from english,

wonderful crochet thread (which i've seen ads for in american publications so i'm keeping my fingers crossed),

needle felting materials and tools, cute little knitting and crochet kits,

sheep embroidery kits, and paint by number kits. 

stay tuned for the haul.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

anyway, onto the vacation recap.   i hadn't been home in 4 years so it was good to be back.  as beautiful as france is, to me it's a country of smells -- bread baking, cheese (sometimes very smelly cheese), gauloises cigarettes, metro car rubber wheels, pastis, coffee -- rather than sites, and it's always the first thing i notice when i get off of the plane.  well after the surly border control guy.  when those smells assail me, i know i'm "home."

we hit the ground running.  the first four days were spent in paris.  what's the first thing we saw?

what else?  when you've got nieces who have never been to france, you show them the eiffel tower.

then you go buy water and a "doghnut" (and if you're me, and you've been to the eiffel tower a bagillion times and you're tired and jet-lagged you take pictures of silly misspellings on snack bar menu boards).

 

next stop, my favorite place in paris -- montmartre.

 

Is There Ham for my Rocky in Heaven?

 

when i said goodbye to rocky the morning we left for france, i think i knew that i'd never see him again.  during our vacation, we got a call telling us that it was "time."  rocky's breathing was labored.  he could do nothing more than lift his head.  he was tired and in pain.  j isn't exactly sure how old rocky was, but our guess is that he was probably 15 or 16 years old.  that's ancient in a big dog like him.  so j's dad took care of it and was with him when he fell asleep.

it's only now hit me how much i'm going to miss the big smelly mutt.

bye rocky. 

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

thank you so much for your kind words about our rocky.  i cried when i read each of your comments.  yes, despite my crusty exterior, i do have a gooey center.  he was a good boy and like many of you surmised, a sweet and gentle soul.   thanks again.

Getting On A Jet Plane

the end of vacations are always a little bittersweet.  on the one hand, it's obvious, vacation is over.  duh.  and that kind of sucks.  and that means that i've got months of no vacation to look forward to.  which kind of blows.  on the other hand though, i'm one of those people that gets sick of vacation.  i'm pooped.  and i could certainly use a vacation from my vacation.  in a few hours we're boarding a plane for home.  i think we're all ready.

a little recap of the past 15 days:

number of miles traveled by car:  1012
number of miles traveled by metro:  3623 (not really)
number of miles traveled by foot:  10,000+ (feels like it anyway)

number of baguettes eaten:  13
number of times we ate at mc donald's (mc do's):  3
number of times i wished for a dunkin donuts coffee:  more than i can count

number of times i knit in a starbucks:  2
number of times i knit on the metro:  15
number of times i got funny looks while knitting:  85 (ok i didn't count but it felt that way)

number of churches visited:  8
number of museums:  8
number of pictures taken:  over 1000 (there will be some sorting)

there's no place like home.....

Did You Miss Me?

ahh.  finally i have an internet connection.  it's wacky how attached i've become.

the past few days were spent on the coast visiting family.  it was fun to show the nieces the area and of course very exciting to be part of the world cup experience even if it ended somewhat tragically.  oh well.  although i'm a little behind schedule, there was no better project spectrum blue than "les bleus" even if they came up short in the end.  zidane's brain fart is still fodder for the rumor mill.  oh well.  i look at it this way.  even the italians knew that in order to win they needed to provoke the french into doing something stupid.  that they couldn't win using their feet alone.  pathetic if you ask me.

today, we're headed to the chateau de versailles for the day. 

A Little Late

for chris ....

Brazil Sucks

as i type this i can hear french supporters partying in the streets.  they've done it again.  and it was awesome.