tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345318452024-03-21T06:08:34.475-04:00Rocks, Lotsa SaltIt's more than a drink; it's a state of mindUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-40617094472408463232010-12-27T15:24:00.009-05:002010-12-27T16:18:04.418-05:00So ...Yeah, I've been AWOL for a few months. My life is just not that exciting. Oh, I have lots of opinions I could share, but aren't there enough screaming heads blogging out there just now? Most of them aren't even literate let alone articulate, and that's just the people on my side of the aisle.<br /><br />But my blog's been vacant too long, so here's some stuff ... <div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6ftellU6_QRP3R8GrJa04nTuZ_zD16DihVa9aLbk_O2_fkvz38w0xPKbJmny4Kj44ch4c9wRk6-i-Y45VLVrjzz4sPKT4fs62xNOAJUvyTQDfZVDn-LXDE2WsxE4vEUEVc_G/s1600/IMG_0590.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555472063400656706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6ftellU6_QRP3R8GrJa04nTuZ_zD16DihVa9aLbk_O2_fkvz38w0xPKbJmny4Kj44ch4c9wRk6-i-Y45VLVrjzz4sPKT4fs62xNOAJUvyTQDfZVDn-LXDE2WsxE4vEUEVc_G/s200/IMG_0590.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Finished crocheting this sweater about a month ago. It's made with <a href="http://www.simplyshetland.net/Yarn-SilkLambswool.html">Simply Shetland's Silk & </a><a href="http://www.simplyshetland.net/Yarn-SilkLambswool.html">Lambswool</a>, a big favorite of mine. It's called Stepping Stones, by Kristin Omdahl, and can be found in the Fall, 2008 edition of Interweave Crochet, if you are interested. A slightly complicated start, but the top-down style means no seams to sew which makes it a lot easier than it looks.</div></div><br /><div></div><div><div>Let's see ... Christmas was this past weekend. We got into a discussion of movies on Christmas Eve and boy is my cousin, we'll call him J, ever down on True Grit. I never knew J was such a fan of John Wayne, but he's taking the remake as an affront to the Duke's honor. It was pretty funny. Ordinarily I share his opinion of remakes ... why? Why remake something that's already a classic? Let's face it, they usually ruin them. However, they've done something right with this one, I think, in that they cast Jeff Bridges, who is not one of the new pretty boys. He's got acting chops, having been around for something like 30 years, so he just might do it justice. </div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOagcxeTTpkajTYxZWf1-iyC_He6mSxpXl4iBTtkby1IKkpDkOqmZxDDVNcjq6LFftVisiZFi_0LBalO-TObek0JNI9A4Dnb56xtmx3G4wauuMj4bjWm922ic1ahuEd_5NQsjx/s1600/Picture+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555470648714080386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOagcxeTTpkajTYxZWf1-iyC_He6mSxpXl4iBTtkby1IKkpDkOqmZxDDVNcjq6LFftVisiZFi_0LBalO-TObek0JNI9A4Dnb56xtmx3G4wauuMj4bjWm922ic1ahuEd_5NQsjx/s200/Picture+001.jpg" border="0" /></a>I also made a few scarves as gifts, but due to the last minute crunch to get them finished (They were <em>finished</em> a while ago, okay? I just, er, forgot ... yes, that's right, I <em>forgot</em> to weave in ends and do the blocking and other boring stuff until the day before Christmas Eve.) they weren't camera ready until it was too late and I was too tired. But I do still have this scarf and mitten set, mostly because I made it for myself, heh.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0T-FMNJU8ViRbzQBFfAc_vVuv-KQY8ekEp-_nzHjGwiSbLzxpYiD9wuVnrZF-PioG7CLBs3pYS96YoOvUweUycqiFtSqLkga3-Thm1XEIkAMvOaIqmHxPsd__2LTb32shNNPC/s1600/IMG_0585.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555471502876786642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0T-FMNJU8ViRbzQBFfAc_vVuv-KQY8ekEp-_nzHjGwiSbLzxpYiD9wuVnrZF-PioG7CLBs3pYS96YoOvUweUycqiFtSqLkga3-Thm1XEIkAMvOaIqmHxPsd__2LTb32shNNPC/s200/IMG_0585.jpg" border="0" /></a> Oh, I did get a picture of this collar thingie I made for my niece. It's intended to dress up a tshirt or tank top. </div><br /><div>What else? Well, I decided how to best make use of my new Kindle, with which I was gifted. Since I love to read, it was never a question of <em>whether</em> I'd use it. However, as nifty as e-books are, unless they are public domain, <em>i.e.</em>, the author has been dead a long time, they still cost you something to buy, which is why I get a lot of books from the library; and since I know I'll still need to purchase hard copies of my usual keepers, I wasn't sure where e-reading would fit in. I got to thinking about the kinds of things I'm interested in reading, but don't usually want to buy. Magazines and nonfiction books top that list, so I went hunting and came up with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MZUQ9Q/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title">The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain</a>, because I like science stuff. And I have it say, it's a winner. The folks at Scientific American have been doing this kind of thing for a very long time so they know how to make science stuff accessible to us non-scientist types without dumbing it down, all the while showing you how relevant science is to your life. It touches on things like Alzheimer's and autism, but it also discusses why men don't like to consult maps while women navigate best via landmarks; why you'll know your car keys when you seem them, even if they aren't where you expected them to be; why so many of us aren't morning people; why a word might be at the tip of your tongue but not at the top of your brain; and a whole slew of other interesting questions. If you enjoy learning something new, I can recommend this one. With or without the Kindle. </div><div> </div><div>And that'll have to keep you until the next time ... </div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-17348009705947940402010-08-02T15:10:00.006-04:002010-08-18T16:44:08.137-04:00Long Live The BookI was just reading an interesting article from this month's issue of Washington Lawyer, entitled <a href="http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/resources/publications/washington_lawyer/august_2010/future_reading.cfm">"The Future of Reading," by Bob Kemper</a>, which discusses the doom and gloom pronouncements on the death of the printed book now that e-books are becoming ever more popular. <strike>It isn't available online yet, or I would link to it; but I didn't want to wait to write this post lest I forget.</strike><br /><br />So many people are predicting the end of the printed book, but I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot of benefits to e-books, not the least of which is their portability. You can carry a whole lot o' books around in one little e-reader. And it's an excellent medium for researchers, no doubt about it. And it's true that e-readers are becoming more popular, and are possibly encouraging more people to read, all of which is good. The article says that the number of readers in the U.S. declined by 20 million between 1982 and 2002, according to the NEA. But the article also says that the U.S. alone publishes 275,000 books in a year, which is even more than a true reader could keep up with, so I don't know that we can say that people have stopped reading altogether, or that people have completely forsaken the printed book.<br /><br />Even with the Internet, I have had a little trouble tracking down exact figures, but the gist of what I have found seems to say that while the publication of printed books has flattened out quite a bit, we are still way ahead of figures from the 1950s. In fact, according to the article, and contrary to it's own doom and gloom prediction, the latest NEA survey, released in 2009, says that the number of readers has risen across the boards for the first time in 25 years, with the biggest increases between the ages of 18 and 24 ... you know, that group that's supposedly too busy texting to read anymore.<br /><br />They cite the rise in popularity of first the Harry Potter series, and second the Twilight series as reasons; but, honestly, I think it was more likely a natural ebb and flow. And does it really matter why? If people of any age are once hooked by a book, they will eventually read again. It's really just a matter of finding the right book for them. It doesn't matter whether they come, initially, by way of an e-reader. If they are hooked at all, I think the odds are that they will visit a public library, pick up a paperback at the drugstore, or borrow from a friend. Because once you fall in love with reading, it's a love affair for life.<br /><br />And now I'm going to sneak in another little opinion of mine, a radical idea that has been niggling away at the back of my mind for a few years now. Is it possible that the publishing industry, itself, is to blame for what might appear to be a decline in book sales? Oh, I'm not even talking about the price of a book, which is becoming ridiculous, I admit. No, what I've been pondering is a theory more rebellious than even that. Did it, in a mad rush to ride the wave of reading popularity of a few decades ago, lower its own standards? Because I have to say that while I have always bought and read books, it has become increasingly hard to find really GOOD books over the last few years. So I'm wondering if publishing types, rather than paying attention to the quality of the books they printed, were, perhaps, letting themselves be led by the bean counters.<br /><br />See, that's the only way I can explain to myself why, every few years, there seems to be a glut of some sub-genre in publishing. To be putting out that many books aimed at one small market and get them all out on the shelves in a fell swoop, I have to believe that publishing has been doing it deliberately, and I simply can't believe that whoever makes these decisions really believes that every single one of those serial killer paranormal romantic suspense chick lit mysteries is the next Tom Clancy or John Grisham offspring. Which means that they have been deliberately glutting the market with inferior reads. And rather than admit that the reading public has gotten disgusted and decided to be more selective and aim for quality over quantity, they are instead shouting that people don't read anymore. Huh.<br /><br />Okay, I got a bit off topic there, but not too much. Because my point in all that ranting is that people are still reading, and the printed book is not dead or even dieing. It's biding it's time. In the article, Katherine Hayles of Duke University, herself a teacher of electronic literature, agrees with me, pointing out that traditional books have many advantages that digital devices will never have. Face it, you never have to recharge them. And when the apocalypse comes, which another depressing group promises is just around the corner, my hard copies will still work just fine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-18954873486276899042010-07-20T11:16:00.010-04:002010-07-20T11:37:59.028-04:00Of course, Of CourseThere are days on my way into work when I'm not paying attention. I wasn't paying much attention this morning either, at first.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496009732088679410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3EjjQY83WZ52-Kr8e7IF8TW65WS_xcoi97z_3EYkneKNQy6lgDP4eBqAQdZIUStOz8NbPgaP9thx-yE7-MjdWjJEpkbTuzP153FtnWAKKE12k7rbYIsiJVTzpysXdzWDI5Gq/s320/IMG_0512.jpg" border="0" />Nope, not here. Let's try this again.<br /><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PwEcelXbNB67k584qXvCwq0U_EUb2l-H0WnuZWjlCO10Ese5Tmzq-6cCrR97pkFEFWqYSZS_yybQPnzSBgCuCV2x818m_NQs2OIuViFxop5jFNIVI25upBMz3sZ-IS6qnay6/s1600/IMG_0513.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496010040199877666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PwEcelXbNB67k584qXvCwq0U_EUb2l-H0WnuZWjlCO10Ese5Tmzq-6cCrR97pkFEFWqYSZS_yybQPnzSBgCuCV2x818m_NQs2OIuViFxop5jFNIVI25upBMz3sZ-IS6qnay6/s320/IMG_0513.jpg" border="0" /></a> Oooh, so close, but just missed him. One more time.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScBnQa35muvMbJEKjtsc-IjvJvTc9TsedUicjyZ858eQIGr9aRgWzIYJAMzHz8SRwNn_jhMlzUEB7qkQRK1lAXth3f-q_Sn8LJAeP-bAF9e8NgLLoZtY4tBVOoPDuu954106i/s1600/IMG_0515%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496008020779025074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScBnQa35muvMbJEKjtsc-IjvJvTc9TsedUicjyZ858eQIGr9aRgWzIYJAMzHz8SRwNn_jhMlzUEB7qkQRK1lAXth3f-q_Sn8LJAeP-bAF9e8NgLLoZtY4tBVOoPDuu954106i/s400/IMG_0515%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> See him now?<br /><br /><br />What about now?<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496011851460272226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZZL9Vx7r9ixYbi4DwGdWj9P7r5CKTDmGi-uUJ4YFi9ChdYP9NfMAtaD0cEZyYbIXQgvf8ik4QMb5JNKihEq2aQataHfGbIXC8iZ6om0d7kOJ4yu_Qghah8l0M0DlIsW0GMv1/s320/vIMG_0515.jpg" border="0" />It's K Street. He's probably a lobbiest. Oh, and there's a cowboy in there somewhere, too. He's hiding behind the horse. I don't know why.</div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-61683787402561772022010-06-14T11:33:00.002-04:002010-06-14T12:13:43.931-04:00Kinda CoolWhat I like about crochet is its essential portability. I technically know how to knit, but I seem to be incapable of completing a row without needing to put down my wip (work in progress). This is problematic in knitting as you carry an entire row of stitches on your needles, and it can be confusing, if you have stop in the middle, to remember what direction you were going in. Well, it's confusing for me, anyway. With crochet, there's only one hook, and one active stitch/loop, so stopping mid-row is not a big deal.<br /><br />Which is why I can crochet on the subway. I used to see people doing cross stitch or embroidery; but I've only seen one knitter, and she was was making socks using 3 (or maybe it was 4) dpn's (double pointed needles). Since I have difficulty with <em>two</em> pointy sticks, I was completely in awe of this woman. My point is, although I know there are knitters riding the train, I don't come across them very often.<br /><br />In just the last two weeks, however, I've encountered two other people crocheting. In the first instance, I sat down next to this woman and we both pulled out our hooks and yarn at the same time to our mutual amusement. In the second instance, I was waiting for a train one evening and a woman walked up and said "you were crocheting this morning." Yes, I was. She then pulled out her current project and we had a brief but pleasant chat about yarn. <br /><br />And then just last week I was sitting on the train and two women who sat near me remarked that they, too, crochet. And I think the one woman might have been inspired to bring a project with her on the next ride. <br /><br />There's this idea out there that knitting and crocheting are for "older" women. Huh. It's practically trendy, if my recent experiences are anything to go by, and those were just the crocheters. There are knitters out there, as well. I think there are more of us yarnies out there than is generally realized. It's like being part of a secret but wide-spread counter-culture movement. How cool is that?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-48623541866234259042010-05-11T12:00:00.005-04:002010-05-11T12:33:57.889-04:00This stuff ain't for wimps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQEFJ26T6ikHxhrDL7pPFVL85kYrAeI_9-zryKQTuNFDLnMpJoGSCFMJurKOH4-iJ3oYEjmRs6aoFA19v8vQvUCHWj2lIVfcCUG6HwHChH6-taMDdkvVZB3ihmm22HJASN8E2/s1600/HPD12K-2_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470051326651294466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 232px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQEFJ26T6ikHxhrDL7pPFVL85kYrAeI_9-zryKQTuNFDLnMpJoGSCFMJurKOH4-iJ3oYEjmRs6aoFA19v8vQvUCHWj2lIVfcCUG6HwHChH6-taMDdkvVZB3ihmm22HJASN8E2/s320/HPD12K-2_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I know you all are ever so impressed with my happy Harriet homeimprovementmanship. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you this story:<br /><br />So I bought these big tubs and pots for the deck a few weeks ago. I got a couple of kinds. One doesn't drain very well, I discovered, so I figured I would just drill some extra 'drainage'. I get out the drill and it's cordless so I charge it for a few hours on Saturday while I'm doing something else. Then Saturday afternoon I slip a drill bit in and tighten it up real good using something called, I kid you not, a "chuck key." Mind you, the tub is full of dirt and a few plants at this point so I have to be very careful about tipping the pot in order to get at the bottom. Well, I do this and find a way to prop it while I drill and it's all good, except I'm finding that the bit is only barely marking the plastic tub (did I mention it was plastic? Made to look like wood, but not). So I figure probably there isn't enough power and decide to recharge overnight and try again on Sunday.<br /><br />Sunday I recreate the tipping of the pot and put the bit back in, use the chuck key to tighten it up, and give it a few experimental whirls.<br /><br />I try again to drill a hole in this plastic tub and again all I accomplish is to scrape a few curls of plastic off. I'm impressed with how well made this thing is. Maybe I'm using the wrong kind of bit? There are bits for drilling different materials, I know; I don't know how to tell them apart. So I go and look and select one that is, at least, different from the one I'm currently using. Replace the old bit -I'm getting good with the chuck key - and try again. Still nada. And I'm thinking, is this thing made of plastic-coated <em>titanium</em>? My frustration level is rising. I try a different place on the pot, same thing. Maybe I need more pressure? I brace the pot and try putting a little muscle into it. Still no results.<br /><br />I've been sitting there on the deck trying to put a *&^%$ hole in the *&^*%* pot for 20 minutes and at this point I'm considering using the &^%$& drill as a blunt instrument and hammering a &^%$& hole in the thing. Then, as I'm looking at the drill bit and giving it a few more experimental whirls, fuming over what should have been a really easy 5 minute project, I notice that the threads on the drill bit appear to be going <em>in the wrong direction</em>, spiraling <em>up</em> into the drill, instead of <em>down</em> into the still nonexistent hole. Huh.<br /><br />Turns out, the drill has <em>TWO DIRECTIONS</em>. One for drilling <em>in</em> to a surface, and one for extricating the bit <em>from</em> the resulting hole. And if you have it going the wrong way, there ain't <em>no</em> way you're going to make a hole in anything thicker than paper.<br /><br />I timed it. I put 10 holes in the bottom of that pot in 4 minutes. It only took me two days.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-56866258928972614262010-05-05T16:31:00.011-04:002010-05-07T09:28:03.870-04:00Someday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAH3TFZU2TvMp2TseRDNU6QfhfqoDOftKqqaWi6YHqwDhKTuP974zc63zMIGfRBVm7DtHerTHVRiM_dC09Pvk8tiHtsbXaqTcInOWiVWfdk-Q0pbNnfKf9v_AW4KX7j30CCQne/s1600/IMG_0468.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468236482059612866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAH3TFZU2TvMp2TseRDNU6QfhfqoDOftKqqaWi6YHqwDhKTuP974zc63zMIGfRBVm7DtHerTHVRiM_dC09Pvk8tiHtsbXaqTcInOWiVWfdk-Q0pbNnfKf9v_AW4KX7j30CCQne/s320/IMG_0468.jpg" border="0" /></a> My first exposure to crochet was watching my mom crochet covers to protect our couch and chair arms from the kind of wear and tear that happens. She used heavy thread, I think #3, and did her own pattern of chains and doubles to create a version of what is called '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">filet</span> crochet'. That's when a pattern includes closed and open spaces and, if carefully planned and charted, it's possible to create simple pictures and text that way. Think "Victorian sampler." Usually that's done in a much finer thread.<br /><br />Thread is rated according to a number system that goes <em>up</em> as the thread gets finer. A #3 is roughly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">equivalent</span> to string. It's very sturdy and often used to create things like dishtowels and facecloths because it will wash and wear very well. #10 is what you usually see used <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuAyXMrTlXEdKcToupOnAKlX56nB1yu0SUZLtTd0ewVFsnn2XkZVzFLI0U1kzqO3tVh9_5T5_SF60LNTRxdMQlqVW23xuB0mlMbEOEDhxNwQDk4OqhOgP-WA8x-UJ3bjtYnd5/s1600/IMG_0466.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468237166568624898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 155px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuAyXMrTlXEdKcToupOnAKlX56nB1yu0SUZLtTd0ewVFsnn2XkZVzFLI0U1kzqO3tVh9_5T5_SF60LNTRxdMQlqVW23xuB0mlMbEOEDhxNwQDk4OqhOgP-WA8x-UJ3bjtYnd5/s320/IMG_0466.jpg" border="0" /></a>for doilies and such. #30 is <em>extremely</em> fine; more like sewing thread. And I think it's possible to get thread even finer than that, although you probably can't find it at your local hobby store. If you are looking for fancy lace trim on your wedding or ball gown, that's the stuff you want. The finer it is, the more drape the fabric will have. Makes sense, right?<br /><br />Mostly it's made of cotton. In recent years, a blend of cotton and bamboo has become trendy. Bamboo is incredibly soft, but also terribly stretchy with no elasticity, so blending it with something else is a good idea. But it's lovely stuff for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">wearables</span>. 100% cotton thread tends to feel a bit stiff when you are first working with it; but it loosens up considerably as it is worked and more so with blocking, the way an old favorite t-shirt will soften over time. I've also heard of silk thread, although I've never seen it in a store.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-JitYlEVKJR5K5ZMuCt5CJ8Nf-v3opB9aosCRjo5EvB74nTBDMpmqgEe_TTXR3EdF-BhGmd4iyLmnwXXEh0hKsnqIAb6V_lLANQgJcMQLfwd9AWq1ZwEg7V2HBj4nkiZSUiS/s1600/IMG_0467.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468236781171708770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-JitYlEVKJR5K5ZMuCt5CJ8Nf-v3opB9aosCRjo5EvB74nTBDMpmqgEe_TTXR3EdF-BhGmd4iyLmnwXXEh0hKsnqIAb6V_lLANQgJcMQLfwd9AWq1ZwEg7V2HBj4nkiZSUiS/s320/IMG_0467.jpg" border="0" /></a> When I was a kid, people used doilies and lace tablecloths a lot to protect a finish and show off their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">whatnots</span>. Today, you don't see it so much. I think the current trend is for less clutter and to show off the beauty of wood furniture. We've gotten away from using doilies, table scarves and so forth. I think, though, that it's going to come back around again eventually. Most things do.<br /><br />The above projects, in case you were wondering, were done with #10 thread. I did the bookmark first for a small project. It was a way of getting my feet wet with thread. The second is a beaded scarf, still in progress. The beads are about the same color as the thread, but I think you can just make out their glint at the edges and at the motif centers. In the third photo, I've included the two crochet hooks I'm using. One to work the thread, and one to work the beads. Yes, there are hooks on the ends of them. One hook is 2.25 mm, and the other is 1.3 mm. The pen is by way of comparison.<br /><br />These tiny thread hooks are made of steel. In theory, you can make a crochet hook out of nearly anything that's rigid. Most hooks used for yarn work are aluminum. I have a set of bamboo hooks, too. But thread hooks are inevitably made from steel because the heads are so very fine, and yet need to stay rigid. Aluminum hooks that tiny would bend. Other materials, if you could carve them to such thinness, would be fragile and probably break.<br /><br />And that's your lesson on thread crochet.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0K3W4btYlkdtcAz-agKoA2yw_HASt0NBsbCyP0DJtnFRHWGIDcyQG58BTkqbe_IFu1QcBcCtgRVV9XtYibJvVg5jWD1P4loSJJZk2wiPc04rq3JY4j5DGjUDEy4Lj5H_QK3M/s1600/IMG_0453.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468241848299040706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 217px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0K3W4btYlkdtcAz-agKoA2yw_HASt0NBsbCyP0DJtnFRHWGIDcyQG58BTkqbe_IFu1QcBcCtgRVV9XtYibJvVg5jWD1P4loSJJZk2wiPc04rq3JY4j5DGjUDEy4Lj5H_QK3M/s320/IMG_0453.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here's something else to look at. It's a baby afghan I'm almost finished with. I'm using yarn, not thread, so I can use my bamboo hooks. In this case, it's 6.5 mm. I'm using the Tunisian stitch in a technique called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><em>entrelac</em></span>, which makes it look like woven strips to get the diamond pattern. I think I talked about Tunisian before. It's a cross between crochet and knitting, neither one nor the other but incorporating elements of both. You use a hook - that's the crochet element. But you <em>cast on</em> a series of loops, which is more like knitting.<br /><br />And that's your refresher on Tunisian.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-9783292324977369692010-03-29T14:46:00.019-04:002010-03-30T14:37:20.951-04:00No Idle Hands Here<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ0WHiIwv8Q1zU4Bt_FVEcUfmDaN0gLthBEXzzr_rYzOuwp39I4yU8TQR1Td37savmtXFimjbQ43FM9r57LTBwqfXh5AVrSS5AhGa5dVmjvpWC8k0TOdgnfL3OxJujlknCD1a/s1600/glove.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454157267212945522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ0WHiIwv8Q1zU4Bt_FVEcUfmDaN0gLthBEXzzr_rYzOuwp39I4yU8TQR1Td37savmtXFimjbQ43FM9r57LTBwqfXh5AVrSS5AhGa5dVmjvpWC8k0TOdgnfL3OxJujlknCD1a/s200/glove.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>That's so not my problem. It didn't used to be this way. I was happy with the occasional afghan or baby blanket, secure in the knowledge that I could drop this habit anytime I wanted to.<br /><br />I can't say that anymore. Thanks to the Internet, I'm discovering new designs and new yarns everyday that make my hands itch. Sometimes it's the challenge; sometimes it's the novelty. Whichever, my meager discretionary funds are more meager than ever.<br /><br /><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">Take those winter gloves, for example. I have very small hands, and finding gloves that fit is a never ending problem. Especially since I'm prone to losing them. And then one day I stumbled across the answer to my problem when I discovered a pattern for crocheted gloves. And when I spotted the Mini Mochi sock weight yarn, it was love at first sight.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgeSHulCt7Xq1PQUjRtAqDR0PsEZZoz8CH2-zYeeum2Yj1CZiwQKWZLFjQLg3WsKNl_68C7iYVBec7XNuhixt4f6oKLSRu2Pi1ksYm_B_x4SECuB6CBtY6vbnhrjdhTTE63CU/s1600/tunic.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454157561930810274" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgeSHulCt7Xq1PQUjRtAqDR0PsEZZoz8CH2-zYeeum2Yj1CZiwQKWZLFjQLg3WsKNl_68C7iYVBec7XNuhixt4f6oKLSRu2Pi1ksYm_B_x4SECuB6CBtY6vbnhrjdhTTE63CU/s200/tunic.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">My latest longer-term project is this tunic in last fall's issue of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.interweavecrochet.com">Interweave </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.interweavecrochet.com">Crochet</a>. I've got all the pieces done ... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNj_zu_Mlr-2_HqzITxznbock-0_506AuH32IBW3Gu_wWYLJb_-Z0YdDnBq7QqzuSGe_prXrg77R0PpUgYTyNuGnPOPVWYClxQ20NEy9h1T3rm9sw3NbOJGlTU9AWjWDvlHW6/s1600/tunic+front.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454156324462333074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 126px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNj_zu_Mlr-2_HqzITxznbock-0_506AuH32IBW3Gu_wWYLJb_-Z0YdDnBq7QqzuSGe_prXrg77R0PpUgYTyNuGnPOPVWYClxQ20NEy9h1T3rm9sw3NbOJGlTU9AWjWDvlHW6/s200/tunic+front.jpg" border="0" /></a>I just have to do some tweaking and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5hM-1gDCM3uRG3ZPGsUnkfZT92UZOg-ISXPEEQ0P1cAwGCL8dlIOTVfh3Iv2hEGWQy9RhNiB71ogOIUXPWLo7GOkywVzFLwSSpmK5FQEekGm6Z7GIUo0acVWL7sXv5wHoRmc/s1600/tunic+sleeve.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454156327705534498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 178px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5hM-1gDCM3uRG3ZPGsUnkfZT92UZOg-ISXPEEQ0P1cAwGCL8dlIOTVfh3Iv2hEGWQy9RhNiB71ogOIUXPWLo7GOkywVzFLwSSpmK5FQEekGm6Z7GIUo0acVWL7sXv5wHoRmc/s200/tunic+sleeve.jpg" border="0" /></a>get it all pinned and sewed together.<a style="CLEAR: right; FLOAT: right; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; cssfloat: right" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPit6wjBIw9QRFb5-erCOXXk_K68eeTaeHbnx6KH7z1UjuJFfN8w28xbkKW6XDFCwWxi9U-NLqYwvdB6X1Otsj-vndWGkqmrvCqJkOwxagHp8RzKu9P1wLsossipEf_FMcwOyt/s1600/sock.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a> I'm using a really lovely yarn from Cascade called Venezia Worsted. It's a blend of Merino wool and silk that feels soft and drapey in the hand, especially after a brief soaking. I don't know why, but you can never really know what a yarn will do until after you have washed it. It was nice before, but the stitches loosened up so beautifully that the fabric just flows now.</div><br />All the putting together steps take time (I'm hoping it will be ready to wear before it gets too warm out!) though, and I get impatient. Which is why I like to have a smaller, quicker project, such as these socks. For these I used Karabella's Superfine Cashmere. Yeah, cashmere socks. <div style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"><img style="WIDTH: 177px; HEIGHT: 125px" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPit6wjBIw9QRFb5-erCOXXk_K68eeTaeHbnx6KH7z1UjuJFfN8w28xbkKW6XDFCwWxi9U-NLqYwvdB6X1Otsj-vndWGkqmrvCqJkOwxagHp8RzKu9P1wLsossipEf_FMcwOyt/s200/sock.jpg" width="200" border="0" nt="true" /> Ain't that a kick? </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-554098462431235962010-02-11T16:26:00.012-05:002010-02-11T17:23:27.833-05:00SnowmegeddonThat's what they're calling it. Here's a brief history.<div><br /></div><div>We had measureable snow in November. We had about 2 feet just before Christmas. January was relatively peaceful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then came February.</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuTdqntkGhU6WxiWx_znOZXqztVcoDKeVE3qnpe3So__64pSP-TV-SR9kiUURdMEg3exN7eBDu3FTqXkJ0mTXW4eCXeEhdhAs6LX6SEd38VefCK_OUjoX2R_5ls8hwukDOqjE/s320/IMG_0412.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437102827600306130" /><div><br /></div><div>We had only a few inches on Feb. 2, but it was cold and stuck around. On February 5, the second snow of 2010</div><div> hit. The first flurries showed up late afternoon. It didn't lo</div><div>ok like much when I went to bed that night. Maybe a few inches. Then during the night, the real snowfall came. When I awoke at 7:30 a.m. we had this:</div><br /><div> </div><div>And it kept coming all that day.</div><div><br /></div><div>This one on the left is a picture of my back deck, taken though the glass doors. </div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFVz3k1xkh8-DZsPesp9107mLK0uSBuNPBpoNmBKaYGWJYUrcgQ0eVFoR4B8-oyrWHJBcVoMQyeoriPK99BnNIQmTss5knpUDBDQ8uXTZ9nuNsfk_UbNpICiA8GEZWYndb-Me/s320/IMG_0420.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437106840958854866" /><div>Those two lumps are my garbage can and my table. As you can see by the drops on the glass, it was still coming down when I took this picture. That's why it looks so hazy; it's viewed through the snowfall. Measurements vary by area, but I think we had something like 28" when it was done.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day everyone started digging out. The day after that I was able to get out of my neighborhood and fill up my gas tank and make a grocery run. The bread aisle was decidedly picked over, but there was bread. Of course, I got there early, hardly anyone in the store. But the parking lot was plowed. All of this was good because ...</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezfk996R4yogCPzGYL1kGjKS-fwdFKP2R1itC7Tie323i-whMjBz2Ycz3LPYSpHY3TR2UnbTPW1QUnCJ6OzPooxv9WVe4zuNV7hfbWcD8HYAatVumef2Rf6p5UnDjovGebKCv/s320/IMG_0430.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437106245047330018" /></div><div>We got more. Can you find the trash can now?</div><div><br /></div><div>The guys manning the road plows worked like dogs, they really did. But even so there were many areas that hadn't been plowed before the second snow hit. And thousands of people in my county have been without power for <i>days</i>. Families moved into hotels or just shifted to a friend or family member's home. Trucks got stuck in the snow. The plows and tow trucks sent to get them out got stuck. And although it only dumped a measly 10"-20" inches more on the area (about 14" in my neighborhood) this second storm came with very high winds. The plows had tried to forge on, but eventually they were called back because the drivers simply couldn't see. And it kept on coming until about 7 p.m. last night. </div><div><br /></div><div> I was out around 4:30 p.m. trying to make a start on clearing my sidewalk and car. I have this power shovel that was a gift a few years ago and it really came in handy. Not much good on the first snow, just way too deep; but handy for this second snow. Also, getting an early start helped a lot. Then I went out and finished up this morning. The sky is blue and the sun is shining, so getting the worst of it done early meant the sun could melt whatever I couldn't get scraped up. Here are some more photos.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdykd7qSesio419HKeL4IgKH7_aVMoIV7RjVqxlXKo3SHHmW-RO4kSs2kRJlYFa5G1UoHGgWsXcCADwbm1XcAk7o5RW6rYsKzbRMZaDJKogJoel5e_gxAGKz8Ya4nEPrLO1oGP/s1600-h/IMG_0433.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdykd7qSesio419HKeL4IgKH7_aVMoIV7RjVqxlXKo3SHHmW-RO4kSs2kRJlYFa5G1UoHGgWsXcCADwbm1XcAk7o5RW6rYsKzbRMZaDJKogJoel5e_gxAGKz8Ya4nEPrLO1oGP/s320/IMG_0433.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437110463415227634" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Skiing, anyone? Below is not my house. I couldn't get a good picture of my roof because of a tree, but I've got a similar ice situation. I've been swinging a garden rake in the general direction of the gutters, trying to keep the icicles to a minimum.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcFMDEuacKfi6KHO6839siPpftGa4DPDvYf2fdKoy6QoFsHafim1jXpB6EHUzeFK_LYCk0gLd9GeIapSGqa4Ns4deqp2CUIrMcbVurCGbdt6sH2n9_yrvCrUd38VkGMO_leUV/s1600-h/IMG_0426.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcFMDEuacKfi6KHO6839siPpftGa4DPDvYf2fdKoy6QoFsHafim1jXpB6EHUzeFK_LYCk0gLd9GeIapSGqa4Ns4deqp2CUIrMcbVurCGbdt6sH2n9_yrvCrUd38VkGMO_leUV/s320/IMG_0426.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437110947528130658" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, that's my car. I'm rather proud of the job I did, getting it dug out.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinziW7rGeNDjXlTgZf9c5tUsQCnfdCfDImAlv_zkx_lR-eL-MjZ8fDP-0ovfPI1iHVSm63D4vydTu9STTv1STFF621_RGI9ap7UjdNLIdGAvNgvxxN3oU9Lienzdaz0MwvYL6E/s1600-h/IMG_0425.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinziW7rGeNDjXlTgZf9c5tUsQCnfdCfDImAlv_zkx_lR-eL-MjZ8fDP-0ovfPI1iHVSm63D4vydTu9STTv1STFF621_RGI9ap7UjdNLIdGAvNgvxxN3oU9Lienzdaz0MwvYL6E/s320/IMG_0425.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437111458490780642" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This photo, below, is where a bobcat (is that what they're called?) piled snow around a tree. We've run out of places to put it.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyniV_RdGzuKCPpmbvoHQWY0K4UTcQvvpCIvVXGWLwCLHIGFK2rIdv0U5UBbr6P2fd1HJUx4sY6YJDbRSFeca8pKnJthPldAiz22av1mCeSSSeGj3OQt0KBmWwZU6cxZ8ble1/s1600-h/IMG_0427.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyniV_RdGzuKCPpmbvoHQWY0K4UTcQvvpCIvVXGWLwCLHIGFK2rIdv0U5UBbr6P2fd1HJUx4sY6YJDbRSFeca8pKnJthPldAiz22av1mCeSSSeGj3OQt0KBmWwZU6cxZ8ble1/s320/IMG_0427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437112186874789698" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And my sidewalk. That's the power shovel leaning against the front door. As you can see, I left scrapings, but the sun has already cleared most of that up. </div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi0UA6r5qBAyAw0c2xoKLxTg5_INLcSId6HRWykRB6j4nILdzpGy8IwtGbgF1QlUtrvEQkrLCy74O2y7Zcb3w6egBnZOI_Ys2FSc_ZmlawEVrFZOXvOh3veoXmBRbEK5lIBYE/s320/IMG_0428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437112843289064802" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div>Plus I used a wee bit of my salt stash wherever the patches looked especially nasty. Also around my tires. If you ever see bags of salt in the store, get yourself one. Never mind that you don't expect snow. It won't go bad, and you'll thank me for it eventually.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-81916309603593248652010-02-04T16:04:00.003-05:002010-02-04T17:06:00.079-05:00Time, PleaseThe main problem with life is all this other stuff you have to get out of the way in order to get to the stuff you really want to do. Take jobs, for example, which are just about paying bills, really. And the bills are just a by-product of the jobs other people are doing in order to get the money to pay their bills that somebody <em>else</em> sent <em>them</em>! It's a big vicious circle, is what it is. <br /><br />And what now what I really want to be doing is reading and crocheting. I'm collecting books and patterns like crazy, and if I live long enough to collect enough money to pay the bills without the job (gotta pay the bills, so the next guy can collect his money and pay his bills, and so on) I am going to be so <em>set</em>. I've also been buying yarn. Not as devotedly as with the patterns and books, because the yarn thing can really add up to a lot of money; but when I come across something particularly luscious, I can't stop myself from getting it. If I ever have the time to just sit and play around with yarn and pattern and techniques, I'm going to have a blast.<br /><br />And books. I read all the time. I'm either reading a hardcopy book or listening to an audio book. This is great because then I can crochet <em>and</em> read at the same time! I read books from the library and buy books from stores. I collect and reread books. And it's never enough. Some I have to devour right away. Some I set aside, allowing anticipation to build and plotting ways to carve out big blocks of time so I can sit and just read without interruption. It's hard to do at home because people know I'm there and will insist on trying to get in touch with me. Tell people you are going to spend a few quiet hours just reading and you'd think they were on a suicide watch the way they line up to talk to you. <br /><br />Don't tell me I can just read them later. I know that technically books won't go bad if I can't get to them right away. It's not like there's an expiration date ... well, okay, there is on a library book, sort of. And the lady at the yarn store assures me that yarn doesn't go bad, either. In theory, both will wait patiently until I can get to them. <br /><br />But I don't want to wait. I want to do all this stuff NOW. So here's my plan. If everyone just stops doing this work thing, if we do this all together, then there won't be anyone to send out bills. And if there aren't any bills, we won't need the money, so we won't need the jobs. And I can stay home and read and crochet. With my phone off the hook. <br /><br />Are you in?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-19726690418083145152010-01-13T11:57:00.008-05:002010-01-13T13:07:50.132-05:00"Mac" Gyver<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSFuwuuk_A1b-qj55dCJ1KXacyY_CesjsqHQfUjBWEDXn0MCWyz186il99l2Y_lsPyjaw6NsnEMl2pua_fk9cFpHyqhi24PMnhSw4XLA52w7cKIkP8OR3e9vzhjovrQwtJOiJ/s1600-h/250px-MacGyver_intro.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426287333212652530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSFuwuuk_A1b-qj55dCJ1KXacyY_CesjsqHQfUjBWEDXn0MCWyz186il99l2Y_lsPyjaw6NsnEMl2pua_fk9cFpHyqhi24PMnhSw4XLA52w7cKIkP8OR3e9vzhjovrQwtJOiJ/s200/250px-MacGyver_intro.jpg" border="0" /></a> Do you remember that old series? An adventure every episode, and you got to look at Richard Dean Anderson, too. He was the "go to" guy for the Phoenix Foundation. "Mac" could do almost anything with a Swiss Army Knife and a roll of duct tape, and make it look easy. My new Macbook pro is so much fun, and so full of neat, user-friendly applications, that it's become my "go to" tool. My MacGyver.<br /><br /><div></div><div>The touchpad, for example. Unlike most laptop touchpads, on the Macbook it is not a soft touch, rubbery texture, but rather a glass plate, about 3" square, give or take. Yes, just a glass plate. And no pressure is required to navigate with it. It recognizes even the slightest touch of my fingers. And even more amazing is that it knows whether I'm using 1, 2, or 3 fingers. A single digit operates the cursor. Two digits scrolls the screen up or down, and three can be used to flip through applications. Okay, I'm not very good with three yet, but I'm getting there. But how cool is that? I don't even need to have the cursor on the scroll bar; just the fact that I'm using two fingers instead of one tells Mac what I want to do. </div><div></div><br /><div>I've also adjusted the settings so that I don't even need to pressure click to select an option. No clicking necessary. I just tap on something twice "<em>tap tap</em>" and it's selected. I love that.</div><br /><div></div><div>And I love the docking thingie at the bottom of the screen. All the stuff I use all the time is displayed on this shelf at the bottom of the screen. I just <em>tap tap</em> on the icon for the application I want, no need to minimize what I'm working in, and the icon sort of bounces in place, like it's all excited that it got picked for the team or something (remember the Teri Hatcher character, Penny, on the show?), and then pops right open. And I can adjust what shows up on the dock. For example, the default applications included things like Garage Band (I think you can play music on it or something?) and Photo Booth, which I don't anticipate using regularly, if at all. But I like the Stickies (like the 3M notepaper, except not) to show there because it's a handy place to store frequently accessed but not really confidential information like my library card number.</div><br /><div>And there's a ready-to-go back up application which I haven't actually used yet, but theoretically should back stuff up to an external drive. </div><div></div><br /><div>It has something something called a Keychain which I'm still figuring out how to use, but is essentially a passworded application for storing other passwords. And if you consider how many dag blame passwords we need these days, you can see how useful that would be. If I'm reading it right, there's even the option for another layer of security for those really confidential numbers. </div><br /><div></div><div>Another handy feature is the "downloads" display. <em>Tap tap</em> and anything I've downloaded, audio, photos, documents, fans out in a semi-transparent diplay so I can easily find them. And it's right there on the right hand side of my dock; no need to go through layers of menus to find out where I stored something. I need to find out how long stuff shows up there. Forever? Or maybe it's just the X number of recent downloads? Gotta read up on that.</div><div></div><br /><div>Also over there on the right hand side is the Application and Documents menus. <em>Tap tap</em> and and I get a menu of all my applications. It looks something like a Windows Control Panel, except sharper, the icons more obvious. <em>Tap tap</em> on Documents, and what appears looks something like the iTunes menu, but displays what, on Windows, is probably the "My Computer" menu.</div><br /><div>It has ports for USB cables, thumb drives, and - get this - the power cord attaches with magnets so if it gets stepped on, it will come away easily and not send the whole laptop crashing to the ground. It also has a series of tiny green lights that show the battery lever when press there. </div><br /><div>But I still don't know where the speakers are. Haven't found the Swiss Army Knife or duct tape, either.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-29432815124380453192009-12-28T15:25:00.010-05:002009-12-29T10:22:26.128-05:00My Macbook Pro - First ImpressionsI have so NOT explored all there is to do with my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Macbook</span></span>, so consider this an off-the-cuff kind of review, and a review from a former non-Mac user, at that.<br /><br />First, why a Mac and why the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Macbook</span></span> Pro, specifically? I've been toying with getting a laptop for a while. My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pc</span></span> is, I think, 4-5 years old and very, v e r y s - l - o - w. I knew replacing it was my best option given its age. What remained was deciding what to replace it with. Well, one of the biggie issues I've had with Windows is the near constant virus scans that are a security necessity. Pair that with what seems to be an awfully frequent need for updates, and I'm not-so-virtually tearing my hair out every other week.<br /><br />I had heard good things about the Mac. From what I could learn, it was much less vulnerable to viruses and hacking in general. I don't pretend to understand all the geek-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ese</span></span>, but I gather it has something to do with the way it is designed. Which doesn't mean it's impervious, just much less likely to get hit. That means the software does not need to be constantly on the defensive, which sounds like a good thing to me.<br /><br />And I've <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">usedother</span> Apple products (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">iTunes</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">iPod</span></span> and iPhone) and I've been very well pleased with them. There's a sleek, consumer-friendliness to their design, and they've been dependable with regular updates that don't take forever to install, and the one time I did have to contact a customer service rep, it was someone who was obviously not reading from a script, something which drives me absolutely bonkers when I encounter it.<br /><br />So I was favorable to the Mac, but still wary of the price, which is a lot higher than a Windows OS laptop. The price difference seemed to make the choice a no-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">brainer</span></span> at first, but as I played with building a virtual Windows laptop I realized that my first impression wasn't entirely accurate. By the time I had built my preferences to include memory, battery-life, and software comparable to the Mac, that price difference narrowed considerably. A Mac was still a lot pricier, but not so scary now. And I reasoned that if I was happier with it, that difference would be worth it. My only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">remaining</span> quibble is the cost per screen size. 15" seemed to be pretty standard for Windows, but to keep the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Macbook</span></span> to anything like a comparable price I had to settle for a 13". And I'm okay with that because it's for home use, mostly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Internet</span> surfing and so forth. But I still don't see why Apple needs to charge so much more for a measly 2". And I would be very much surprised if they don't phase out the 13" in the very near future and drop the 15" inch price to something more in the 13" neighborhood. I think it would go a long way towards luring in the fence-sitters for whom screen size might be important.<br /><br />I went with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Macbook</span></span> <em>Pro</em> mainly because I wanted to be sure of having all the same device options - memory stick and so on - that I was used to using. In reading through the specifications, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Macbook</span></span> Pro appeared to be the only one that had no limitations that I could tell.<br /><br />Placing the order was fairly painless in the end. I opted for the free shipping rather than express,but I still had it within a week, and true to all the talk, it really was ready to go pretty much out of the box. The only setting up required was introducing it to my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">wifi, which was relatively painless.</span><br /><br />What's different? Well the whole look of the thing, for starters. Getting used to not having "windows" as I've understood them was something to wrap my brain around. You can certainly have multiple programs operating at the same time, but whereas each Windows program has its own menu, the Mac OS (which is called "Leopard") has essentially one menu bar that shifts focus according to whatever program is on top, or "active" at the moment. Thus, if I am working in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">iTunes</span></span>, the menu is all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">iTunes</span></span> related. If I have Safari (the Internet browser) open and active, then the menu is Safari related. Other programs can be operating, but Leopard focuses on whichever is active or upper most. But they are all visible as icons on what is called the "dock" at the bottom of the screen. and it is very simple to switch from one to another simply by clicking on the icon.<br /><br />And although there is a "control" key, all comparable functions are accomplished with the "command" key. Also, there is no right click. That's taking some getting used to. The track pad is all one piece, no right or left options. I think there's an option to get something similar to a right click, but I want to learn my way around before I go changing things much.<br /><br />The sound quality is amazing. Listening to Pandora or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">iTunes</span></span> is a great experience. For music, no additional speakers are necessary. I've heard that the volume suffers if you are watching video, but I haven't tried that yet. I have no idea where they are hiding the speakers, though.<br /><br />It's only run one system update in the two weeks I've had it (no virus scans - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">yay</span></span>!), and I was instructed that it is preferable to have it hooked up to a power source rather than running the update on battery. But it was a smooth and speedy process, and I was able to still work in another program at the same time with no noticeable hitch.<br /><br />I love that there's no 'booting up' period. I turn it on, the screen goes blue, there's a tone, and it's ready to go. I'm talking about seconds as opposed to the minutes I am used to waiting for Windows to get up and running.<br /><br />I think there will be things I miss down the road, programs or software that are Windows only that I just can't get for the Mac. But so far I'm very pleased, and so far the pros are out-weighing the cons. I'll come back in a few weeks when I've explored further and feel more comfortable.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-59453904110208147532009-12-20T08:25:00.004-05:002009-12-20T09:40:28.219-05:00I Think Its Going To Be A White Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsea4ERm4m6O8vwjDNXCp1hCqg6lVetSfE5iY7N_YjGNUIuEH5Darm3SAt2pihXyh54aQLsdCZRVz89orxMLByED5uQWSgHfrCql7sIBPCvOUhthKs9UeNXQSgmSw6Kp9XtQCj/s1600-h/IMG_0384.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsea4ERm4m6O8vwjDNXCp1hCqg6lVetSfE5iY7N_YjGNUIuEH5Darm3SAt2pihXyh54aQLsdCZRVz89orxMLByED5uQWSgHfrCql7sIBPCvOUhthKs9UeNXQSgmSw6Kp9XtQCj/s200/IMG_0384.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417324933650452242" /></a>I know there's still a few days to go, yet, but the forecasters don't think we'll get above freezing for the next two days, and I do believe it will take more than one warm day to get rid of it all. This pic to the right was taken late afternoon yesterday. I actually had shoveled everything out once, but there was no way to keep up with it. I paid a kid $5 to take a final pass behind my car and left the sidewalk for today. It's a light, powdery snow, so it shouldn't be to hard to move, but the stuff behind my car was pushed there by multiple passes of the plow and was in danger of becoming packed.<div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCDnKYcPJD_2sjD9Le4c0yJiLp3jtuRwjaxXm35sFPa9ipHj4uGfDafQzPZTswbubqtKaJMA1LpDyRTBrGy5lqoTwkeMGMuoJR095JgtqIvZCEiE3ESmWh5r5HvYvEdt_y3GQ/s200/IMG_0383.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417325545178231122" /></div><div><br /><div>The street light on the crest of the new fallen snow gave a luster of mid-day to objects below. The haziness you see just outside the light's halo is actually more snow falling. This one was taken about 9 p.m. last night. Yes, night time. Without flash. All that snow <i>glows</i> and reflects the smallest amoung of light. As you can see, these neighbors didn't even attempt a rudimentary dig out yesterday.</div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7eCvDvk-ym5WFpWKYuH_uq1iAH0i-B1Tgu6RUTb7TBI1YtheXRrJ_Yn0wbxENv4HTev8onOA0BtDfT6vuCEpMXjc1bKv2cHtfeVdcEVUupTWRLRRW7Kj_AGgmtyJ8lLCGTjH/s200/IMG_0385.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417327295028840802" /></div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, my back deck this morning. I's a bright sunny day, very pretty and all the snow is sparkling like jewels; but it's only 26Ā° so I'm guessing we won't be using the deck for a few days.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-83162982686012821532009-12-08T10:41:00.005-05:002009-12-08T11:51:39.811-05:00One Thing At A TimeIf you've been paying attention, you know that I have clutter issues. Not dirt, or actual messes, but just plain clutter. As in "too much stuff." Over the last few years I've tried various methods to get a handle on the problem including the "put it down once" school of thought. But what do you do when you encounter something else that needs picking up? What about when you have something in hand and suddenly something on the stove is burning? I mean, come on, life happens. It happens frequently to me, and I have to figure it happens occasionally to other people. <br /><br />A few years ago I heard about this person who calls herself "Flylady" (I don't know why; it's not a very flattering moniker) and runs a website and email service designed to get people organized. I checked out the website and she did have some good ideas. For example, breaking down tasks into small, manageable portions. Maybe you don't have time to clean a room, but you can clear off one surface - that kind of thing. She also suggested limiting yourself to 15 minutes per chore and then moving on before it turned into an all day deal. You're even supposed to set a timer. This makes sense to me. I think the sense of being overwhelmed is the main reason people don't get a lot of things done. And I'm sure there's a corollary to Murphy's law about things that get put off growing exponentially. If not, there should be because we all know it happens. <br /><br />Anyway, "Flylady" had some good stuff, but some of it was a bit silly. For instance, if you subscribe to the service you would get pinged with emails throughout the day, telling you what room you were going to work on this week, and what other chores to accomplish through the day. But it seemed to me that I'd be getting pinged to, I don't know, scrub the tea kettle or some such thing, when I'd be at work and couldn't do anything about it. And, focusing on one room per week, it could be a month or more before I got around to the room that needed the most work. Remember the corollary? Also, she has an unhealthy obsession with having a clean kitchen sink. I thought it was bad enough that she instructed people to shine their sink every day .... EVERY DAY?!?! But she lost my respect completely when she suggested hiding unwashed pots and pans under the sink just to keep the sink looking good. Am I the only one who sees this as a problem waiting to happen? <br /><br />I figure some of these tips will work for some of the people some of the time, but I don't see any of them being practicable for all of the people all of the time. Certainly not for me. However, there was some good stuff in there and I didn't see any reason why I couldn't make use of the parts that would work for me, like breaking chores down into small parts. <br /><br />Take those black holes otherwise known as closets. Things accumulate in there. Possibly they even breed. Tackling the closet is a daunting task and, for that reason, a perfect place to try out the "small parts" system. In this case, I placed 2 trash bags, one white and one black, just inside the closet, and every time I looked in there I had to put something in one of the bags. When the white bag was full, it went to a charity. When the black bag was full, it went out with the rest of the trash. This worked fairly well for the bedroom closet because I access it at least twice daily. But other places don't get visited that often, and/or were too easy for me to ignore. Which is what gets me into trouble in the first place.<br /><br />At the beginning of November I decided to try a twist on the traditional New Year's resolutions by making an old year resolution. That way, I reasoned, I'm getting rid of the old with the old, and there's the potential for starting the new year with a clean slate, which I like. I kept the rules very simple; in fact there's only one. Each day I must either put away or throw away at least one thing. One thing. I can do one thing. <br /><br />We're now approaching the middle of December and I think it's going well. Keeping it simple is the essence of any successful plan, to my mind. Make anything too big or too complicate, set the bar too high, and you are setting yourself up for a fall; and once that happens, the negativity sets in and you stop bothering. Me, I only have to do one thing.<br /><br />So far my "one thing" rule has encompassed getting rid of forgotten and decades old spices from the back of a cupboard, ditching stuff from under the bathroom sink, and relegating old, unused bathroom towels to rag status, either under the kitchen sink (I can do that because I don't store dirty pans there) or in a bag in the laundry room. I only <em>have</em> to do one thing, once a day. I often end up ditching two or three at the same time, but I'm not going to raise the bar because then it will become a time issue and get put off and not get done. But one thing, one day at a time, I can do that forever. And I'm seeing results. Slowly, but it's happening.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-26099002366568415662009-12-02T12:27:00.007-05:002009-12-02T13:10:42.316-05:00'Tis the SeasonI've been busy whipping up Christmas gifts. And wouldn't you know that just when I had decided to make some of this year's gifts, and committed myself to it by purchasing the yarn, my favorite magazine, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.Interweavecrochet.com">Interweave Crochet</a>, has at least three projects I'm drooling over for myself. Well, if nothing else it was incentive to get the other things done. A reward, of sorts. Because I'm worth it. Here are three of the things I've made so far.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJQ3rfXU1bUyITf4f2sbdHOgZ_pbF195ETP2JcyJQQ2mERkldWYpQxBSus-PSFd-Tm86wjCaYWksvRZfppvAMhRFO5iJMDNB8P7OndPCZVn1E2WK5rvGgcPTpZJ1lgAwaF1_N/s1600-h/IMG_0349.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410692101562294754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJQ3rfXU1bUyITf4f2sbdHOgZ_pbF195ETP2JcyJQQ2mERkldWYpQxBSus-PSFd-Tm86wjCaYWksvRZfppvAMhRFO5iJMDNB8P7OndPCZVn1E2WK5rvGgcPTpZJ1lgAwaF1_N/s200/IMG_0349.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>First up is the sweater for my niece. I need to finish blocking and make some small adjustments for fit, but it's basically done. When worn, the buttons are supposed to be at the bust, with the skirt section falling from that in a cut-away style. It's made with Cascade Yarns 220 Wool.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJQ3rfXU1bUyITf4f2sbdHOgZ_pbF195ETP2JcyJQQ2mERkldWYpQxBSus-PSFd-Tm86wjCaYWksvRZfppvAMhRFO5iJMDNB8P7OndPCZVn1E2WK5rvGgcPTpZJ1lgAwaF1_N/s1600-h/IMG_0349.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWLbDrVAwqVzvfoXyc6YV-We0JfeMtiL-flFMha6NEM14BxbG7stef3D5aIEqDkXaJOyXYf4faR2tFOmQ9mTZ3VC0qT0sLws1eLxCw1gmaWbJaansvC_xBhCWMinPR0lqB999/s1600-h/IMG_0347.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410692104688313026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWLbDrVAwqVzvfoXyc6YV-We0JfeMtiL-flFMha6NEM14BxbG7stef3D5aIEqDkXaJOyXYf4faR2tFOmQ9mTZ3VC0qT0sLws1eLxCw1gmaWbJaansvC_xBhCWMinPR0lqB999/s200/IMG_0347.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This next piece is a special request from my older nephew. He had this old earflap-style hat, bought years ago, and wanted something to replace it.<br /><br />No, that isn't my nephew. He's much taller. And blonde.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhke7KEaRs5bf7nI9VzjJmg1WM8odceTqlcpZOTUX4Bi0V6gQV_qHRRyCoBB01X1_ucCTtnutiYTO6M6ISVBnZLNJyizS341d8-ogVRX26iJ_LDydcHpmTCMzbtqFcWai7fBwVI/s1600-h/IMG_0363.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410694260156731586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhke7KEaRs5bf7nI9VzjJmg1WM8odceTqlcpZOTUX4Bi0V6gQV_qHRRyCoBB01X1_ucCTtnutiYTO6M6ISVBnZLNJyizS341d8-ogVRX26iJ_LDydcHpmTCMzbtqFcWai7fBwVI/s200/IMG_0363.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And one more hat for my other nephew, also a special request, both the length and the colors. Yes, he does march to his own drummer. I like that about him. When his brother requested the earflap hat, he said he wanted a stocking cap, one of those long ones, "in orange. With a little purple."<br /><br />That's not my nephew, either.<br /><br />Both of the hats are done in Cascade wool, too. I deliberately went with the wool because it's naturally water resistant, handy for damp winter days.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDl0-9FZWW7EmVgKU-OVJoI2izJShyphenhyphenn85Om70YjGDWNdALXIvhDwxt3ZrH0AbCwiqK_f9i8B9r-gMU1f98-q0tEMHXFG6WNP49MqlHsrUVFkcFX6hp2mP0GXg-8lJ-mWYIzYA/s1600-h/spice_market_tunic-200.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410701734967373266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDl0-9FZWW7EmVgKU-OVJoI2izJShyphenhyphenn85Om70YjGDWNdALXIvhDwxt3ZrH0AbCwiqK_f9i8B9r-gMU1f98-q0tEMHXFG6WNP49MqlHsrUVFkcFX6hp2mP0GXg-8lJ-mWYIzYA/s200/spice_market_tunic-200.jpg" border="0" /></a>And what am I planning to make for myself? My first project is going to be this tunic, from the above mentioned magazine. I've got some really nice Merino/silk blend yarn, Cascade brand again, that I think will feel really cozy. And if I get cracking on this, there's a slim chance I might finish it before warm weather hits.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-41792000972513913162009-12-01T15:03:00.006-05:002009-12-01T16:25:19.250-05:00Lest I get company againBut also because I feel a rant coming on. I'm going to try not to actually, like <em>rant</em>, but I make no promises.<br /><br />What's with all this stuff lately about "traditional American values"? Have you noticed that nobody using that phrase ever actually <em>lists</em> those values? Those same people who throw the phrase around are usually implying that somebody else <em>doesn't</em> have "traditional American values," but they never actually say what those values are. It's like that odious cliche where the husband asks the wife what's wrong and she replies, "Well if you don't know, I'm certainly not going to tell you!" which makes women sound like silly twits. It's offensive. And so is throwing that *&^%* phrase around.<br /><br />I tell you what "traditional American values" are: freedom of speech. I am not only allowed to disagree with you, it is an inalienable right guaranteed to me under the U.S. Constitution.<br /><br />And here's another "traditional American value" guaranteed under the Constitution: Freedom of religion. Not just freedom of <em>your</em> beliefs, but the freedom for anyone to practice any belief system they choose.<br /><br />The U.S. Constitution is much more than the basis of our laws. The Constitution <em>defines</em> what being an American is. <em>Those</em> are our values. The founding fathers put it in writing. It's been the defining document of our government for over 200 years. That's pretty damned traditional.<br /><br />So it seems to me that anyone who wants to put limitations on those rights, anyone who wants to re-write the Constitution because they don't happen to like those bits, those are the people who are going against "traditional American values."<br /><br />And if they don't understand that, then maybe they're the ones who aren't "real Americans."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-30569850592267184872009-09-23T11:16:00.008-04:002009-09-23T13:17:04.011-04:00It's Like a Blanket?<div align="left">I had friends over a few weekends ago. They all knew, vaguely, that I crocheted and while they were there I mentioned I was working on an afghan for my cousin's wedding. Only one of them knows anything about crochet so I dragged out what I had done so far so they could see what I was talking about when I mentioned strips and braiding. We were chattering blithely on when I caught the eye of my Chinese friend who asked "what's an afghan?" She's very Americanized in many ways (a right proper little Capitalist) but there are still things she's unfamiliar with that most of us take for granted. Which goes to show that you should never take for granted that everyone knows what you are talking about. Lesson learned.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOcED74WZae8we5RF-BzPzzHVmdwezXrfnklNogo3k1j4y_3x410GUGgGnZdyTf6dUGqC6N_YxnPHkCU8uMCpea6NjurXl3OFRejMWECeGv6dTa6JQg-xHIL4IEq12cMPWp9-/s1600-h/IMG_0283.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384688054654275122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOcED74WZae8we5RF-BzPzzHVmdwezXrfnklNogo3k1j4y_3x410GUGgGnZdyTf6dUGqC6N_YxnPHkCU8uMCpea6NjurXl3OFRejMWECeGv6dTa6JQg-xHIL4IEq12cMPWp9-/s200/IMG_0283.jpg" border="0" /></a>Here it is, done at last. It's huge being nearly 6 feet long and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9DPOzwsYJ_rbLr8ukiryq3FHnYkPAKhvk4Aj2dAXybdstF0xYZfA7URmuK8ohju7BJts6h6D4edmHVokrTU82RYQzsrXkJEyjM-Ufm9i6bPeszeio9RRG1v2cu-NXbIeVq4R/s1600-h/IMG_0283.jpg"></a>approximately 5 feet wide. The afghan is made up of strips which are themselves composed of 3 separate strips braided together and held in place by 2 rounds of stitches. The main strips are stitched together with what's called a reverse single crochet, which makes a pretty, braided edging.<br /></div><div align="left">And a closer up view.<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOupXWjrNJY_436F3V9TlqoArnEbAxFtOaqrdH7PhYPFovZzMBJ9lzthxFbdWOt-68tLXvqudXhPlw1hhyhf91rxku8-U0NqT3_eJ4A-xqShMBvPipfjcFvT9XkhPQwQb2UtMH/s1600-h/IMG_0284.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384690789568225922" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOupXWjrNJY_436F3V9TlqoArnEbAxFtOaqrdH7PhYPFovZzMBJ9lzthxFbdWOt-68tLXvqudXhPlw1hhyhf91rxku8-U0NqT3_eJ4A-xqShMBvPipfjcFvT9XkhPQwQb2UtMH/s200/IMG_0284.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Tonight I'll double check for loose ends that need to be woven in, and make sure I got all the markers out. Then it will get washed and blocked. It's an acrylic yarn so it should wash up nicely. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-45018912105810916842009-09-21T10:14:00.007-04:002009-09-24T16:40:44.785-04:00Ties AbindingMy baby cousin is getting married this coming Saturday. J is nine years and eleven months younger than I, and the nearest thing I have to a brother. He is not my only cousin, but he is the one I have the closest ties with. Although my extended family is large, I grew up with only two aunts nearby, and only one had a child. He and my younger sister were especially close as kids, being less than two years apart.<br /><br />A lot of family are gathering this coming weekend for the wedding. Some of them have never ventured more than 50-100 miles from home, so that tells you that this is a big deal. Partly it's because J is an only child. Most of the rest of them come from families of 5 or 6 kids, and I often think that the younger ones get the short end of the stick because by the time their big moment - be it wedding, graduation, or new babies - comes along their older siblings have already been there and done that and I think the extended family doesn't always make as big a deal out of it.<br /><br />Probably I should explain what is meant by "extended family." Here's the deal: my mother comes from a family of 8 kids. Her oldest sister had 5 kids; the next oldest sister had 5 kids; the oldest brother had 5 kids; my mom, only two; the four younger siblings are 0, 3, 1, and 0. So that's 19 cousins just on my mom's side.<br /><br />My dad was the baby of 4, but his sibs did their part to populate the world. His oldest sister had 4, his older brother 4, and his next older sister had 6 kids. That makes 14 cousins on my dad's side, or a whopping total of 33 in my generation alone. And I'm not even going to get into their kids and their kids' kids.<br /><br />J appears to be the last of my generation to be getting married. Okay, there's me, and one or two other cousins about my age who are holding out; but we're a bit set in our ways at this point and nobody seems to be expecting announcements from us. J is also well liked in the family, and his wedding may be the last really good excuse for a clan gathering on my mom's side; so I think more people than usual are making the effort, even though it means going out into the big, bad suburbs.<br /><br />I'm anticipating some family stories, and I'm also thinking that this might be a good time to get some of them written down. We'll see. Stay tuned.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-16185777138449927092009-09-02T15:10:00.005-04:002009-09-02T15:38:39.270-04:00Stopping By the Junkyard* on a Sunny Evening<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFaSm5QW2OFTxEHLgcZc2q1Q-_-GKY3kpRmF4sRQCfYuGOFo3kvJ7Or0Br3NuY4ph-UqRaSddNVUdlOPjd2J8ddoic-foLRGaSU-Fp6t__72-VZjYMbnAtbtYe4H_9SoMWoO6/s1600-h/IMG_0280.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376950376867617106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFaSm5QW2OFTxEHLgcZc2q1Q-_-GKY3kpRmF4sRQCfYuGOFo3kvJ7Or0Br3NuY4ph-UqRaSddNVUdlOPjd2J8ddoic-foLRGaSU-Fp6t__72-VZjYMbnAtbtYe4H_9SoMWoO6/s200/IMG_0280.jpg" border="0" /></a>I took this photo from the window of the subway, part of which is above ground, while we were stopped outside a station for a few minutes. It amused me, not for the first time, to look out on the length of track and see wood trestles holding the rails. I know nothing about railroad lore, but I presume the trestles used for our underground, highly electrified, modern commuter system are much the same as those used to build the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad">First Transcontinental Railroad</a> over 100 years ago. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">*Not really a junkyard. Not what you would call a junkyard, proper. Just a lot of well-used looking vehicles. Probably the backlot of an auto repair shop, but that doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?</span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-62262817693668555092009-08-11T16:08:00.004-04:002009-08-11T16:28:11.267-04:00That's What I'm Talking About<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbmkp87E3fndQMunC9tXI1llw36pz4Eoo1LvgqsmgXLk_3qKx8IV5gLvlFXuukZR1PRG-LOL_V5x83DTofmjAFE_kOb8X_WR1CigYW23MvygJrb3__sUF9ntPpZLGBcv213Xr/s1600-h/IMG_0273.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368801477771638034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbmkp87E3fndQMunC9tXI1llw36pz4Eoo1LvgqsmgXLk_3qKx8IV5gLvlFXuukZR1PRG-LOL_V5x83DTofmjAFE_kOb8X_WR1CigYW23MvygJrb3__sUF9ntPpZLGBcv213Xr/s200/IMG_0273.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Stairs. Aren't they pretty? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqvSl-EXK0_zEuBFD_rJNADg3Qfcpf0rMfPFyNbk4XoTIWTkulOOE1ZB-LO4xyEZLPFoaJbJy1lFZvb0SL6tVOqDZCTd3XeANZYx7Qiu1FJN0hqbq5_aI2NWYkvh6yn8qOHIo/s1600-h/0272.jpg"></a><br /><br />They've been in place a week or so. The railing is the last little bit. Yes, I know there's some missing. Family Member's job sent him off to Italy to install some dude's wine cellar. I know, I know: Italy, home of wine connoisseurs and old world craftsmanship, and they buy American. Seriously. Makes no sense to me, either; but Family Member got a trip to Italy out of the deal. It was wasted on him, though, as all he had to say was that everything was very old, everything was crowded together, and he missed American food. Of course he didn't have much time to assimilate, either. They flew into Milan, or thereabouts, checked into the hotel and the next day had to board a train to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alba,_Italy">Alba</a>. And if you read the Wiki link, you'll know more about it than he learned while he was there. Not the adventurous sort.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Last weekend I had to remind myself several times that I could go down to the yard right from the deck; it wasn't necessary to go out from the basement. This will take some getting used to. But it's A Very Good Thing.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-14235960609074897512009-07-28T11:06:00.007-04:002009-07-28T13:01:02.922-04:00Pay Attention and You Might Learn Something (More Deck Stuff)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHpE5pYLX-MLOvUyV15oVE-tAJVBrSeBExYm19u8ODQN6nAuf7VOuGcAk7uu8kTtf8P6Ad4jvbQMa1Zt0g1r01QS6xgb4mOJW7905ePgr0pM2MPXLYaAE3ao7G82vFYXm2NZl/s1600-h/IMG_0268.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363548279048064658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHpE5pYLX-MLOvUyV15oVE-tAJVBrSeBExYm19u8ODQN6nAuf7VOuGcAk7uu8kTtf8P6Ad4jvbQMa1Zt0g1r01QS6xgb4mOJW7905ePgr0pM2MPXLYaAE3ao7G82vFYXm2NZl/s200/IMG_0268.jpg" border="0" /></a> Steps - the beginning.<br /><br />If I had realized how much work goes into putting in stairs I might not have agreed to having Family Member do it. He and the various family member assistants are doing a great job, but it's a big task and I'd be feeling pretty guilty if he hadn't volunteered to do this of his own free will.<br /><br />Why is it such a big job? Well, stairs down from the deck have to go somewhere and my yard is small; having them come straight out meant they'd end up somewhere outside the back fence unless they were built really, <em>really</em> steep. Clearly some creative thinking was required here. Thus it was decided that I should have a landing so that the stairs could, so to speak, turn back upon themselves. I lose a little yard, but it was just space that needed mowing anyway, so I'm good with that.<br /><br />Then there have to be support posts to hold the stairs and landing in place. Since you can't just stick a post up there (there are apparently rules about this kind of thing), holes had to be dug into which the posts went, along with cement to hold them in place. This, I learned, is what they call a "footer." And let me tell you, when it comes to equality between the sexes, men win, hands down, in the "ability to dig deep holes" category.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN15F2qzPdOI9VuViOeFhExV5b07cGyHcx4N8WKinQbH5axaMMJA-3GDPcjvj4KIMLf2nQS0r6p_6riWnS9-c2uizTKb82TG2lvhlYxZommtw8940KcyGhktGo-N8YboVBSgI/s1600-h/IMG_0269.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363547824143986850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN15F2qzPdOI9VuViOeFhExV5b07cGyHcx4N8WKinQbH5axaMMJA-3GDPcjvj4KIMLf2nQS0r6p_6riWnS9-c2uizTKb82TG2lvhlYxZommtw8940KcyGhktGo-N8YboVBSgI/s200/IMG_0269.jpg" border="0" /></a>Those jagged boards you see are called "stringers." They are the forms upon which the actual treads are layed. How do you know how many treads are involved? Math <em>*shudder*</em> The length you need is called the "rise." The average height for "risers" - that is, individual steps - is 7". You can go to a 7 1/4" or higher; but if you need more than a few steps, it's gonna get hard on the legs making the climb. So you divide the length by 7 and you get the number of stairs.<br /><br />I ended up with 11 steps down to the landing, and another 6 to the ground. So how high up is my deck? You do the math.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-18174037934402242642009-07-21T13:03:00.011-04:002009-12-29T14:52:19.793-05:00Did You Know? A Deck Update<div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">RAILINGS! I've got railings! </div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">You may not know this but there are building codes and industry standards that dictate what you can and can't do with railings. For instance, depending on your locale, specifications for railing height range from 32" to 48". This was of particular interest to me because, being short, I found my old deck railing much too high for my satisfaction. So when I started looking into getting the new deck, my personal requirement was that the railing be no higher than absolute minimum required. In my area that minimum is 36".<br /><br />Behold the 36" railing: </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VpzIV3Jg84C3D-62XecDwf2cF8PUeLYFvfd0sGuLKpNQw95lk3ZJY6APd_euriCtuxLy276zvdVEoEmvF45EJZNdzJQlQn9V6Inun8QzrDX3ig8xcUc0Ek_K3oqhXrwIm3ZX/s1600-h/IMG_0267.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360958274016285282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 224px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VpzIV3Jg84C3D-62XecDwf2cF8PUeLYFvfd0sGuLKpNQw95lk3ZJY6APd_euriCtuxLy276zvdVEoEmvF45EJZNdzJQlQn9V6Inun8QzrDX3ig8xcUc0Ek_K3oqhXrwIm3ZX/s320/IMG_0267.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p></p><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Another thing I discovered is that the railing must not be "climbable." This one strikes me as being good example of regulatory silliness. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a fence that really can't be climbed if someone puts their mind to it and tries hard enough, especially since there's no corresponding regulation against having tables, chairs, stools, ladders - or anything else with a climbable surface - in the vicinity of the railing. Further research says what this really means is not giving idiots really obvious footholds, should they get it into their heads to do something stupid. Basically, we're protecting people from themselves. </div><p></p>Another rule says that the maximum space between balusters (those are pickets, btw) is 3.5" maximum. And apparently they test this by trying to roll a 3 1/2" ball between them. Because if the space is too big, the same idiot who tried to climb the railing will stick his head through there and get stuck. And just think of the damage he could do to the <em>balusters</em> in the meantime.<br /><div align="left"><br />Yes, there's a gap where the stairs will be. So Family Member says "Don't forget you don't have stairs yet." And I say "How can I forget what I never had?" Yes, some idiot could jump off and hurt themselves. Then again, the idiot could decide to jump off the stairs, once I have some, and hurt themselves. There's only so much you can do if people are really determined.</div><p></p>In the meantime, I'll avoid inviting idiots over to my house. And if you come to visit, please don't climb the railing or stick your head through or jump off the stairs. Which I'm hoping I'll have by then.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-88347012799622315772009-07-16T16:15:00.008-04:002009-07-21T15:22:29.444-04:00Deck Update<div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohJCWkFyTUupcKhNe1fQQj0qGlNhTFMIG_laf4sk8enehGg-_0w4YSnq-QIPYUCEailVjhLYLPevCHrxmHOLBKt_Ia-ygKlhcQahyphenhyphennreizJoWak9NpMz6tZO41dDtUrAj4Nn/s1600-h/IMG_0263.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358711735231013586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohJCWkFyTUupcKhNe1fQQj0qGlNhTFMIG_laf4sk8enehGg-_0w4YSnq-QIPYUCEailVjhLYLPevCHrxmHOLBKt_Ia-ygKlhcQahyphenhyphennreizJoWak9NpMz6tZO41dDtUrAj4Nn/s320/IMG_0263.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Old deck goes "bye-bye."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v4R11du0csTMIj2qsc5wkoFsw3IpSIfyRcCd7VWMDf7dymQ2202gfTIMC-Jqmx4b8wmh_vS7nSd9s8bulY0d9xG4YOq4WZCuK7hdor1lEPLUagJJ4GGOED4bHhJedQ7rT5cG/s1600-h/IMG_0264.jpg"></a> Everybody wave.<br /><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUkbdwPOfF6rSzEq6YqjclVkoJhJ4e638ha1P-dndyrGUfyYEXRtG__X8DpKg3js1UDHA7QMASGOE9X7qJE8IAgzT3mBm8bA0X_nhKCflSqcvuZZ7bpYSTug5ou_kkpbRepdX/s1600-h/IMG_0264.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUkbdwPOfF6rSzEq6YqjclVkoJhJ4e638ha1P-dndyrGUfyYEXRtG__X8DpKg3js1UDHA7QMASGOE9X7qJE8IAgzT3mBm8bA0X_nhKCflSqcvuZZ7bpYSTug5ou_kkpbRepdX/s1600-h/IMG_0264.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358711739660647634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUkbdwPOfF6rSzEq6YqjclVkoJhJ4e638ha1P-dndyrGUfyYEXRtG__X8DpKg3js1UDHA7QMASGOE9X7qJE8IAgzT3mBm8bA0X_nhKCflSqcvuZZ7bpYSTug5ou_kkpbRepdX/s320/IMG_0264.jpg" border="0" /></a>For some reason I find it very amusing that these chairs were left hanging there while they ripped up the floor. That splotch on the first one is the vacant dove's nest. That amused me, too, which is why it's still there. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzkzImqnIQT7JhvcOKiCqWSjqkrv2yAq5F_FK89mJcTTo3I0wug4TVbMC3efVL2nedP2ewBWIeiBMvGi1YxA5IguvuXx5x4JrXjENumBUgsQ1sbaRtdMXHRCQQ15rhREi1FGp/s1600-h/IMG_0266.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359157082281491554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzkzImqnIQT7JhvcOKiCqWSjqkrv2yAq5F_FK89mJcTTo3I0wug4TVbMC3efVL2nedP2ewBWIeiBMvGi1YxA5IguvuXx5x4JrXjENumBUgsQ1sbaRtdMXHRCQQ15rhREi1FGp/s320/IMG_0266.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">But now I've got new deck flooring! Isn't it pretty??!!! FYI, that's my neighbor's Rose of Sharon shrub in the background.</div><br /><div align="left"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-67141849737525821372009-07-13T11:07:00.017-04:002009-07-16T16:29:05.571-04:00What I've Been Up ToOkay, I've been lax about posting and I apologize. The thing is, there isn't much point in posting highlights when you don't have any. Life has been mostly humming along in a predictably boring fashion, and I'm OKAY WITH THAT. I <em>like</em> boring. But now I finally have a highlight to share with you ...<br /><br /><br /><em>I'M GETTING A NEW DECK!</em> Why yes, I am a little excited about it. It's not actually a luxury item, though, since my deck is so old and worn that safety will become an issue in another year or so. The cost is making me a little queasy, but it's a necessity. So I did what you're supposed to do and set out to get estimates. I liked the first guy that came out and a lot of what he said sounded reasonable and made sense. Also, his estimate was within the range that I'd figured on.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrSeWzyRACFiqVXgG0xlxTGx-irXjdJ1hT3FyFcK2PjrDbreHl4B_c1Vu5i2qLMluG6U6d1Pfcl_qO7Q4iYSgHpYjnV0fh3C4diwNeeoccldjBmRyS3_hc_5inUJoKrRHvb3e/s1600-h/notmydeck2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357988316782729042" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrSeWzyRACFiqVXgG0xlxTGx-irXjdJ1hT3FyFcK2PjrDbreHl4B_c1Vu5i2qLMluG6U6d1Pfcl_qO7Q4iYSgHpYjnV0fh3C4diwNeeoccldjBmRyS3_hc_5inUJoKrRHvb3e/s200/notmydeck2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Then the second person came out and that was a trip. These people take decks <em>very seriously</em>. I really loved this one:<br /><br />And then I realized that I have no water view unless the neighbor's yard floods so, really, what would be the point?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLGPejdbbAzIlCcFwBlwWRKaldn8uac-43CfzjDmmt6lBlHqWqlAFcuBGSTyYzVn5jMQtlBRqfTdOxtEs1g3vs4kAR4Dgs-ZnAWlPefPPLasjF2DBVJbaaxZaaS70E7Zz0buJ/s1600-h/notmydeck3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358025700196115570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLGPejdbbAzIlCcFwBlwWRKaldn8uac-43CfzjDmmt6lBlHqWqlAFcuBGSTyYzVn5jMQtlBRqfTdOxtEs1g3vs4kAR4Dgs-ZnAWlPefPPLasjF2DBVJbaaxZaaS70E7Zz0buJ/s200/notmydeck3.jpg" border="0" /></a>This one is good, too. I'm not sure, though, that my homeowners association would agree. Especially when the neighbors on both sides and behind complained that <em>my</em> deck was taking up rather a lot of <em>their</em> yard. Sometimes people have no vision.<br /><br />Really, all the designs were amazing and they left me with this nifty folder filled with brochures and testimonials. And then they wanted to <em>come back</em> so that we can <em>discuss the estimate</em>. The thing is, my home is not a McMansion. It's a itty bitty townhouse with a postage stamp back yard. My current deck is 12 x 16, and if it was much bigger it would cover my entire yard. Plus, there's that homeowners association again. So ... what is there to discuss?<br /><br />I want a deck pretty much like what I have except without the warped and splintered boards. And with stairs. Did I mention that my <em>second story deck</em> has no stairs? The original owners had small children at the time it was built, and I understand that safety was an issue, but it rather severely limits access to the backyard. Or maybe they thought throwing stuff over the deck railing and optimistically hoping it wouldn't break on impact was a fine thing. So stairs down to the yard are like the bright and shiny light at the end of my tunnel.<br /><br />Fate seems to be smiling on my stair-struck ambition because it turns out that a family member with <em>lots and lots</em> of construction experience and whose work <em>I have actually seen first hand</em> just happens to have nothing better to do with his time this coming week and has offered to build my deck! In fact, I strongly suspect that he would have voluteered to do it for the cost of materials alone. Not that I would have agreed. Pride aside, it's going to be a lot of work and I don't care if he likes to do this stuff, that just wouldn't be right. Would it? <em>*sigh*</em> No, no it wouldn't. We found some middle ground that saves me a lot of money and earns him a good chunk of extra cash. And as it's considerably less than the other estimates, everybody wins.<br /><br />Why yes, there probably will be photos. Stair-gazing ahead. Stay tuned.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-62859562127895928552009-05-22T15:02:00.001-04:002009-07-17T15:09:28.914-04:00String Theories<p>Oh, relax, this has nothing to do with math. </p><p>I've been crocheting for many years, although I got obsessive about it only a few years ago. Still, there continue to be new things to learn. This pattern, in a book of afghan's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vannas-Afghans-All-Through-House/dp/0848716027/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242328875&sr=1-5">Vanna's Afghans All Through The House</a>, was my first experience with the afghan stitch, also known as Tunisian crochet. Yes, Vanna. Yes, her. FYI, she's an avid crocheter, has put out a few pattern books, and even has her own line of yarn. I haven't checked the etymology, but I'm presuming (rightly or wrongly) some kind of association with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia">Tunisia</a> (the stitch, not Vanna), probably in the same way that the word afghan has anything to do with Afghanistan, which is to say only vaguely if at all. But I digress. Go read this earlier <a href="http://margarita-mcb.blogspot.com/search/label/crochet">post</a> if you are curious.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKunhyO_mswlLk_2Uy7sbTAynDj86umcnIsEmP_z2jdJyg8KnQv4PJYDQa1ovGBgAyFuTogRlD-nr7pT74eZUbjG-rcZSxshgWaug3vpN9LDFuvn04-JwSpRMwM2n3_vjhLIr/s1600-h/IMG_0238.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335771755201647922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKunhyO_mswlLk_2Uy7sbTAynDj86umcnIsEmP_z2jdJyg8KnQv4PJYDQa1ovGBgAyFuTogRlD-nr7pT74eZUbjG-rcZSxshgWaug3vpN9LDFuvn04-JwSpRMwM2n3_vjhLIr/s200/IMG_0238.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>And now I'm learning something again. This photo shows the first few rows of a new sweater I'm working on which uses a stitch called <em>broomstick</em> or <em>peacock lace</em>. You should be able to click on the photo to get a better idea. In case you are curious. Just saying. The effect does look a lot like bristles on an upside down broom, or the "eye" on the end of a peacock feather. This is the first time I've worked with this stitch, and like the Tunisian crochet, it combines elements of both crochet and <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336087319797975394" style="DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 10px 15px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qIcgVTww93MikeCfqZsDeAbIoNol2IKlQCCJgauTQS4zc5nooRDcXgybdQMLfLVpVjovX88tg2B1IkQ1Tdm1IpZHnzay81lnBNQb9T-Mi1dGKPJMXH2_pkID1_9kOLO2EdDI/s200/IMG_0248.jpg" border="0" />knitting. Working backwards along the chain, you use a crochet hook to pull up loops of yarn which are cast onto a fat knitting needle as you go. (<em><span style="font-size:85%;">In case you are wondering, it's a #19, 15mm wooden needle.)<br /></span></em>The broomstick effect is created after you slide the needle out from the loops (this required a great leap of faith for me) and then gather clusters of loops with a series of double crochets. I have no idea what might have inspired anyone to do this, who did it first, or when or where. It's like wondering who first considered putting cinnamon and apples together. Or chocolate and peanut butter. How do people come up with this stuff?</p><br />~~~~~~~~~~~<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359507443932175202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06-DmSZqD465VOdvlLFCt7THIzWa2H2ycaSd6EwadUbrlkmMD-XEGoS_rTFtYENlreDHgLXRd74LVjK360O75aV6Lb4aTRg4WXZgc9xqbBPADVII661NvnSQz_lG2LinacivB/s320/IMG_0258.jpg" border="0" />sneaking this one in here so as not to scare BCB. I finished it about two weeks ago. I love it. Doesn't fit as snuggly as I thought it might. Next time, if there is one, I think I'll try using a smaller hook. It might be a little tricky, but smaller hook will = smaller stitches, which in turn = smaller size.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34531845.post-86846671494244010792009-05-01T12:34:00.010-04:002009-05-01T14:46:58.663-04:00EnablersWell, the economy is in the tank, and everyone is watching their pennies, cutting back where they can, making choices about just what is really necessary in their lives.<br /><br />Apparently, I've decided that anything which feeds my yarn addiction is a necessity. Thus did I, in recent months, purchase two back issues of <a href="http://interweavecrochet.com/">Interweave Crochet</a>, a set of bamboo crochet hooks (because I can't afford the rosewood hooks, that's why), and yet more yarn. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQc2pdB57jq7kdcVugV0zCC31hS9E3EYj3LgAkE_CDGTSJv_8HXQBKhmHov6_WibCWOMnT1zjjKCdj8ZhPGLmT_WyHM8yYqBjrld4cfl8pP81Qy3RRizXrx85F3UEUBhUjhX_/s1600-h/IMG_0242.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330896581810620930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQc2pdB57jq7kdcVugV0zCC31hS9E3EYj3LgAkE_CDGTSJv_8HXQBKhmHov6_WibCWOMnT1zjjKCdj8ZhPGLmT_WyHM8yYqBjrld4cfl8pP81Qy3RRizXrx85F3UEUBhUjhX_/s200/IMG_0242.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The scarf in the photo over there on your right is the result of two of those purchases. The pattern is called La Mer and was designed by Cheryl Means. I spotted a picture of it while browsing patterns and decided that I had to make it. The pattern was printed in the Summer 2008 issue of Interweave Crochet so, of course, I had to buy the back issue to get the pattern. Then I had to find just the right yarn to show off the pattern and came home from a trip to my local yarn store with a few skeins of <a href="http://jojoland.com/do/menu/Select?topIndex=0&subIndex=3">Jojolandā¢ Melody Superwash</a>. And since the pattern indicated a beaded fringe, I made a stop the next day at Michaels for some gorgeous glass beads to go with the yarn. But ultimately it was worth it, I think, because I love the final product. It's going to be a belated birthday gift for my niece.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v09_BYdt-6DKkhS6r2IQ1hcZvK7M2lmvQcTwa31RMhzHG23yH45YDJuawoMybjcenNdS-UlBVueXVkgmsVxlZEbz8GW30pj2k5qYx5aNql4sa5dDwIUNKq3JSY8dh-YYxw2f/s1600-h/Picture_002_medium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330922589648395922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v09_BYdt-6DKkhS6r2IQ1hcZvK7M2lmvQcTwa31RMhzHG23yH45YDJuawoMybjcenNdS-UlBVueXVkgmsVxlZEbz8GW30pj2k5qYx5aNql4sa5dDwIUNKq3JSY8dh-YYxw2f/s200/Picture_002_medium.jpg" border="0" /></a>I had also done another scarf, pictured on the left, with some left over Simply Shetland Silk & Lambswool. No extra cost there, but two scarves in a row left me feeling a little itchy for a new challenge.<br /><br />I've had this pattern for a sweater using the broomstick stitch which I got about a year ago - uh, the pattern, not the stitch. But I had not done this stitch before and the pattern emphasized that a really well draping yarn was required to get the look of the garment just right so I've been holding off on it. I think it's time. I found the right yarn, but it didn't come cheap. However, as the owner of my local yarn store says "yarn doesn't go bad"; and if the sweater is a bust, I figure I can always make another, <em>really, REALLY nice </em>scarf ... or three or four.<br /><br />Okay, clearly I have a yarn addiction. But it's keeping me out of pool halls and away from the evils of drink. Sort of.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5