I’ve been seeing a lot of butterflies in the past couple of weeks, most of them appearing to be Western Tiger Swallowtails, which is very cool, since it seems like it’s been MANY years since I’ve seen any at all.

Tonight when we went to cover up the chicken coop, this one was sitting on the window ledge, looking a little worse for wear. When I put my hand on the ledge next to it, it climbed right up onto my hand and just sat there for about 15 minutes while I tried to get a decent picture of it.

Sadly, I don’t think it’s long for this world – its wings were pretty shredded, and there was the big chunk missing from the bottom of the right wing. I put my hand back to the window ledge and it crawled back off and just sat. It was awfully neat getting to be that up close and personal with it, though.

1 Comment | In: Wildlife | | #

Lizzy Chicken, begging at the window last night.

That’s it. Nothing more to see here. Move along.

3 Comments | In: Chix | | #

These have been collecting on my crackberry for the last few months, and I finally got around to downloading them this morning. So. Here you go, in alphabetical order:
Another submarine heading to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (this one was this morning):

The results of the first half of the Sheep to Shoe kit from Blue Moon Fiber Arts:

A castle. Can’t remember where this is… Whidbey Island? Port Angeles? Port Townsend? Something. It’s some guy’s very-out-of-character-for-the-neighborhood house:

One of my coworkers, slurping up the last of his panang curry with a straw on a dare: (yeah, not from the morning commute, but on the phone…)

The defective goose. This is the same piling that the seagulls use later in the summer. Bear in mind that goslings don’t fly, and that’s about a 20′ drop to the water. (I found out later that the day after they hatched the goose pitched each baby over the edge at high tide to another goose waiting below, who flipped them upright, and then the whole family swam away. Say it with me: “awwwwww!”)

Random downtown building on valentines day.

The marquee at the Lusty Lady. The marquee gets changed on a several-times-a-week basis, and is almost always funny. It’s one of the things that the group I ride the ferry and bus with always make a point of checking out on our way by. I should probably add a page just for this, and see if I can keep up with them so you can all share the amusement.

And… the first sub that I saw go through. And yes, I realize you can’t really tell that blob is a submarine, but it is. If what I read was correct, that’s the Seawolf (although might be the Jimmy Carter).

So. There you go. A few of the sights of my morning. Every day.

7 Comments | In: General, Lusty, spinny spin spin | | #

Hey, y’all. Remember me? I’m not sure I do, really, but that’s ok. It’s been a crazy few months. There are stories, but I won’t be telling most of them.

There’s been work. And a (not very) Random Stranger From The Internets (ok, so maybe not really a *stranger* – we’ve “known” him for about 3 years, but this was the first time we’d actually met him all in person like). And a wedding (not mine). And some more work. And Very Little Knitting. But hey! I have pictures, so it’s all good, right?

There was a gigantic shawl knit for Melissa of Peace Weavers (which I swear I have a picture of, but I can’t find it to save my own life. Ang? Help?) edit! Found it! (It’s the Lady Of The Forest shawl from Ilga Leja)

And then there was the RSFTI, who we adored before we met, and are utterly smitten with now. (Along with most of the bride’s female relatives…)
This one being my favorite pic of him from the weekend – he’s the one on the left, the guy on the right being another one of Critter Boy’s imaginary friends, who flew in from Hawaii for the meetup (on his way to somewhere else I think).

Lastly, the “what I did with my summer weekend” series… The label on the roving claimed it to be biffle from Dicentra in the Eomund colorway. I believe the biffle and Dicentra bits, but from the pics I’ve seen online, I’m not buying that it’s the Eomund colorway. No clue which one it is, but probably not what it was labeled as. Whatever, though. It’s purty.
Pre-drafted goodness:

Followed by the mandatory ‘in progress’ shot:

And, finally, the rare Biffle Boa, in it’s unnatural environment:

7 Comments | In: General, Outings and get-togethers, knit-o-rama, spinny spin spin | | #

aka “shoes with a learning curve”.

I finally retired my red Dansko clogs. I got them WAY back in the day right after Dansko came out with the red ones. 10 years ago? 12? Long damn time. I’ve loved those damn clogs, but they were desperately in need of being replaced. And now they finally have been.

My intention was to replace them with a new pair of Danskos in the black latigo. I found some, tried them on, and loved them (of course), and then I saw these:

And that was that.

I knew when I bought them that the soles were wood (with fairly chunky rubber treads on the bottom which are SUPER squeaky on the waxed floors at the office), and you’d think that would have brought up some fairly obvious points:
1 – There is NO flex here, folks. Wood soles are HARD.
2 – Going up stairs in shoes that don’t flex takes some learnin’.
3 – As does driving.
4 – And going down stairs.
They are, mind you, shockingly comfortable.

It wasn’t until I looked them up on The Internets to show to the Booger that I discovered that part of the reason these are SO hard all over? Steel toes. Who knew you could get steel toe clogs. Mas macho is what that is.

10 Comments | In: General | | #

Psst! Photos!

Not just one, but three pairs of socks! Three!

In absolutely no particular order:
Manly brown socks in my favorite sock yarn of all time, Socks That Rock medium weight, in Obsidian

Another pair of the Leaf Lace socks from some back issue of Interweave Knits, done in Regia Silk:

And a pair of slightly too tall Opal socks, in one of those make-it-up-as-you-go-along patterns that’s pretty much my standard, except that I got a bit carried away with the tops. They’d be perfect if I’d started them out a bit larger and decreased for the calf, but, alas, I wasn’t paying that kind of mind to the whole thing, and I didn’t, so they’re the same width all the way up, so they tend to squinch themselves down below the getting-fatter part of my calf, and often fall down. Whatever. I love them anyway.

AND! Because I’ve actually be REALLY productive, here’s the back of the O sweater (B&B Pullover from IK), done in the omfg yummy soft Beaverslide fisherman’s yarn. It seemed like it was going to be a might on the heavy side, but O reminded me of just how damn cold it gets on the island, and insisted that it was going to be the perfect weight, so I have soldiered on with it. The picture looks much greyer than the sweater actually is. The body is woodviolet and the trim is shooting star. See?

Then, just for good measure…
FINALLY, the picture of the lovely skein of handspun from my Spin To Knit Pal. I did a crap job of coming anywhere near capturing the actual color (and you know if I can tell that with a red skein of yarn, I really really did a crap job of it). But it’s really nicely spun, and soft. It’s 280 yards, somewhere between sport and dk weight. Project ideas? Bring ‘em on!

(enclicken to see it close up)

There you go. Proof that I haven’t been a total slacker.

8 Comments | In: Socks, knit-o-rama | | #

Today is The Booger’s 14th birthday.

I’m really having a hard time wrapping my head around that one. Where has all the time gone?

She’s still such a tiny little thing, but her feet are bigger than mine are now (woot! no more freshly-knit socks theft or borrowed shoes!), and she’s almost as tall as I am (really not saying much…). She’s brilliant and funny and beautiful (and crafty! – she totally asked for yarn and needles for her birthday, and is gearing up to make her first sweater), and definitely has a +2 in Perfectly Timed Platitudes and Sage Advice, which always makes me smile. I’m awfully proud of the chicklet.

And, unlike her parents, she’s photogenic. This is one of her school pictures from this past fall:

Fourteen. Amazing.

8 Comments | In: Booger | | #

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!

Let the rejoicing and dancing commence! Daiso has come to Seattle! It’s wee in comparison to the one in Richmond, BC, but still! It’s here!

That’s all. Back to work, you.

1 Comment | In: General | | #

Aww, you guys are the best!

Thank you all for your comments about the Highland Chunky and the suggestions. I’m torn between doing it as written, using the Beaverslide yarn, or doing it in something lighter and doing a buttload of math (in which case I’d probably also end up adding another narrow cable on either side of the main cable, and changing the neckline a wee bit, and well… then we get into ‘entirely different sweater’ territory, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, I don’t think). Maybe I’ll just have to do both. Yes, an arctic weight sweater may not be the most practical thing, but the Booger? She lives in a cold, wet place, and she loves her some arctic weight stuff (and she’s a wee bitty little thing with absolutely no body fat). I’ve been jonesing to order some Beaverslide yarns anyway, so I’m definitely going to do that. And I’ve got some lighter stuff on hand that I might just have enough of, so I’ll swatch for that too, and see where that takes me.

I will, of course, keep all y’all posted.

In other, completely unrelated news, I just got home from the doctor. It was one of those lovely bad news/good news things. My back? It’s horked. I knew that. I just didn’t know exactly *how* horked it was. Now I know. My L5S1 disk is blown. I will be going to see a surgeon in the next couple of weeks to find out if I have to have surgery (I’m voting no on that front). I get to go to physical therapy (and maybe accupuncture if my insurance will cover it). I think the worst bit about this whole thing is that the initial injury to my back happened, what, a year ago? Year and a half? It’s been a long damn while. I’ve seen three doctors about it. The first two decided that even xrays were unwarranted and that I was fine. The first one treated me like I was just another middle-class painkiller junkie seeking more drugs (and completely ignored both my statements to the contrary and the endless list of drugs I’m violently allergic to in my charts), and basically blew me off with nothing more than a cursory battery of “can you feel your feet” type things. The second did the same battery of poking at my feet and making me push up and down with my toes and concluded that it couldn’t be a disk issue because I didn’t have any nerve damage. Alas. I have no nerve damage (yet), but I do have one fewer intact disk than I should. So yeah, I’m a bit pissy about it all. But The Doctor’s Clinic folks? They get the bonus points for a)listening, b)thinking outside the box, and c)always being really freakin’ decent to deal with. I hate doctors (hoo-ee! the understatement of the year, right there, just for you!), and will avoid them at great lengths, but I have willingly gone back to this place a few times now, and always had a good experience. Surprising, really, for a walk-in clinic in Bummertown.

Oh yeah, and while laying flat on my back all last weekend I knit a pair of socks. Pictures forthcoming.

3 Comments | In: Socks, knit-o-rama | | #

It’s that time of year again (apparently time for me to actually post something…), time for the Booger’s annual birthday sweater. This year she picked the Bed & Breakfast pullover from the winter 2003 issue of IK. Great. I can do that, no problem. Right?

HA! Seems that yarn in that gauge is a might tricky to find (well, yarn that doesn’t SUCK at any rate), unless you’re willing to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for enough to make a sweater out of. GRRR.

After much searching, I ended up ordering some Peruvian Highland Chunky from Elann. Great color selection, crazy good price, and fast fast fast shipping. All well and good. The yarn showed up yesterday, and I busted out a skein to swatch.

Soft! Nice! Hmmm… Maybe not so wonderful.

For starters, it untwists as I knit, so I have to keep remembering to check and adjust the twist, which is a pain in the arse. Fine. Swatch done. Soft, nice. Into the basin to soak, onto the blocking foamy thing to block. I got up this morning and checked on it, and it was all dry, so I unpinned it and walked from the living room to the computer room, which is all of… 30 feet? And that includes a detour into the kitchen to pick up my coffee cup. While I walked that short short distance, I had folded the swatch in half and was rubbing it against itself to see how the abrasion resistance was.

30 feet, 90 seconds, GIANT SWATCH EATING PILLS. Almost as bad as the DB Cashmerino (and by this point, y’all *know* how I feel about Debbie Bliss yarns). See?

I have said many bad words, which I will not include here.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?
GRRRRRRR. I really really really was hoping to not have to spend $120 on yarn for this project. Really I was.

9 Comments | In: Booger, knit-o-rama | | #

Blah, blah, woof, woof.*

Ok, yeah, I know it’s been WAY too long since I posted. But a HELL of a lot has been going on. New servers, office construction, hell project, nasty cold, followed by random request from a good friend leading to……

A BRAND NEW JOB!

Indeed. It’s been a whirlwind month, folks, and while I do apologize for the severely long delay, there’s just been too much going on to stop and write. I’ll… uh… promise to at least attempt to do better on that front.

Anyway, I heart my new job. A lot. My coworkers kick ass, the commute is a million times easier and a HELL of a lot cheaper (and omfg full of crazy, smelly people!), and the company really seems to give a shit about their employees, which rocks.

In people watching news today, I got to watch a woman in 2.5″+ heels with a rolling laptop bag and a giant shopping bag from the Sharper Image do three blocks down a steep hill at a dead run. I was damn impressed. Me? I did two blocks in hiking boots with a laptop in a backpack and it damn near killed me. I don’t even think she was winded. And her ankles weren’t broken or anything. Totally amazing.

Ooh! And!
For all you kids waiting for wooden sock-in-progress needle holder thingies…. (tasty miso soup added for scale. or presentation. or something. go me with my new camera phone!)

The Techniviking has finally gotten all the bits together for his wood shop and started production! The two shown here are… uh… some exotic woods the names of which I’d never heard before and forgot before the food got to the table, and are his first run prototypes. More exotic woods and fancier turned bits to follow. They’re $25 for the plain ones, fancier ones will be priced as they’re done, but in the $28-40 range, depending on wood and stuff. 6″, 7″, 8″, and custom lengths are all options. Leave a comment or send an email to order yerself up some (but let’s not kill the poor boy right off the bat, k?).

Staggering off to bed now.

*quick! name that bad tv series!

13 Comments | In: General, Oh Fuck I Mentioned Work | | #

And yeah, that’s for me. My size, not for the kidlet. Mine! Mine I tell you! Mine! All mine!

It’s that particular level of obnoxious that has had my coworkers bursting out laughing in the middle of sentences all day. I heart my new sweater.

Also! I scored The Perfect Black Cashmere Cardigan, also $4. I do love me some Value Village.

8 Comments | In: General, Oh Fuck I Mentioned Work | | #

I give you Self Portrait Of Crazed Knitter In Car, circa… last fall sometime I think? Spring? Something.

So there. Your turn.

6 Comments | In: General | | #

I’m finally back. I’m exhausted. It was SO much more fun this time than the last time I went down, just because I knew a bunch of vendors and got to see a bunch of good friends I never get to see. OFFF 2004 was my very first fiber fest, and I went down solo, and really enjoyed it, but it was kind of lonely (and slightly overwhelming). This time I was prepared for the sensory overload, and I had a List with me (fat lot of good it did me, mind you, but I had it – mostly the problem was that only two of the four things on the list were actually available).

Many cute critters, some joyous allergy attacks, and lots of good time with wonderful folks. I have pics, but have to unpack and figure out where the camera landed before I can post those. Full report when I’ve slept and recovered.

Comments Off | In: General, Outings and get-togethers | | #

You know that nagging feeling you get when you leave for the weekend? That “I know I’ve forgotten something” feeling? And you know how it’s usually either a)imaginary or b)something utterly trivial? Um… Yeah.

I had that feeling when I left. I knew pretty soon after I left that I’d forgotten some yarn for my secret pal, but I was soooo sure there was something else.

And then it hit me.

Pants. And shirts. PANTS AND SHIRTS, PEOPLE. Ferfuxake. Spinning wheel? check. Knitting? Check. Bathing suit? check. Entire car full of probably unnecessary crap? check! 6 different spf’s of sunscreen? check! Pants and shirts? D’oh! Damn good thing there’s an Old Navy about every three miles, huh?

Aaaaaanyway. Oregon! Ahhh, Oregon.

I’m now here in lovely Oregon City, in a hotel room with some… uh… Very Vocal neighbors. And no, they’re not arguing, if’n you get my drift. With any luck they’re getting it out of the way now, and it won’t continue on through the night, as always seems to be my luck with hotel rooms.

ANYWAY! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am, that I just had dinner with my secret pal! It was soooo cool to get to meet Lori and her husband and two very cute and charming daughters and have a VERY tasty Italian-ish dinner. So good. I really liked her in email, and it turns out she’s even more fun in person. The whole family was absolutely great. Much fun! (but DAMN I’m full) (but wild mushroom risotto with marinated-for-24-hours steak and grilled asparagus!).

And tomorrow and Sunday? OFFF!

Kim and Angela and Sam and Barb and Tina and Sheila and Jessica are all going to be here, and there will be more Socks That Rock than you can shake a stick at.

Now, if only the wireless here at the hotel were actually working so I could post this…

2 Comments | In: General, Outings and get-togethers | | #