the horror

My children have viewed many horrors. There's the zombies of Resident Evil and Dawn of the Dead. Their peepers have travailed the terrors of Jeepers Creepers. Jason and Friday the 13th (both old and new) have been viewed ad nauseum. Heck, the boys listen to Rob Zombie with verve. For some reason they are disturbed by this:










It's just the Thanksgiving turkey sitting in a brine and thawing out for the big day. Jeesh!

not-so-old dog learns new trick

Nevermind the spinning I still have to do with the Shetlands or some seriously purple fiber I don't recall the breed of, there's another Soweto Comfort Club square in progress. (I've lost count, don't ask.) And, and, and . . . my first ever toe-up sock beginnings!

After a few practice runs using Judy's Magic Cast-on for the dpn's, I was able to start Bennie's Catnip Socks designed by Wendy. We are both elated, but for different reasons. Bennie is looking forward to knee-high's and I'm pleased with my beginnings.


It's so cute, ya just wanna kiss it. Or maybe not. Depends on one's passion.

cats in bizarre places

This is how one can tell winter is coming early . . .

A cat in the Bill Basket covering the latest oil bill.














The same cat earlier that day in a small basket of yarn stash.
















And finally, one found in the last of the Halloween candy.












This is the weirdness that is my life. There are no words.

got squares?

I'm up to 5 done so far. My personal goal is 10, but with these mitered squares I might bump my goal up to 20 (which will increase the postage to Africa, I know, but it will be worth it). The mitered knitting is most certainly faster. Once you've got your guage and know how many stitches will make 2 sides of an 8" square, you're good to go. No measuring, no checking along the way. And the results are far more interesting than stripes. I feel quite nifty right now.

I'd recently had an opportunity to speak with someone who had lived in South Africa. Her husband was stationed in Soweto. When she described the plight of these people, how the government is corrupt and would prefer they be kept in their squalor by taking funds in anyway possible, I remarked, My stupid little knitted squares mean nothing. On the contrary, she said, at least it was something the government couldn't take from the people because it wasn't money.

So it's a little thing. Like the Starfish Story. A square might make a difference to someone.

feeling square

Mmm . . . sideways photo. Well, anyhow here's one and a half of the 10 Soweto Comfort Knit-A-Squares. A little Garter and Seed Stitch fun. The next might very well be a mitered square which is easier than I thought after reading the very easy directions. It's all good. It will add some variety to knitting squares.

It will also give me something to do whilst idling the minutes away in the Waiting Room for the pediatrician to add my youths as statistics to the H1N1 Flu-zie Masses. We never miss a trend.

*sigh*

I'm not slacking . . .

Well, not much anyway. (Some would beg to differ. I don't cook food or clean underwear often enough. Let's not broach the subject of dusting.) This is the third spool of Shetland not Blueface Leicester. Wild Apple Hill Farm has no truck Leicester ~ only Shetland. I stand corrected and humbled. It's what happens when unidentified fleece (with the exception of the sheep's name) is hanging around in my studio. I simply forget what I have. It's a sort of Fiber Alzheimer's.

I'm trying to spin this Shetland fat and loose. If I add it to the Blueface Leicester, I might have the makings of a fat and loose sweater ~ something of my own design. Boxy and simple. That's the plan for now. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.



In the meantime, during my favorite WAMC radio shows yesterday, I finished Bennie's Fun Fur tube scarf. Our pediatrician loved it. He thought it would be great on Sesame Street as some kind of a muppet animal. Ah, the mind of a pediatrician! Remind me not to go there.

Bennie loves the finished product. It will come in handy when we are shamelessly selling baked goods outdoors come November 22 for the Troop. We, Bennie and I, wonder why plans are made to sell homemade baked goods on cold blustery days. Builds character, I suppose. Not mine. I head for the warmth of the car anytime I can get. Girl Scout leadership is not for the feint of heart. Which is why it's my liver that invariably seeks the warmth. And possibly my spleen.

Tragically, I am again without a knit project. Which means I embark on another 10 squares for the Knit-A-Square folks and a trip to the P.O. to send it all off to the Soweto Comfort Club in South Africa. And I could cruise one of many sock and hat patterns for inspiration. Could take hours. I don't know if I can be bothered with all that on a Sunday.

Happy National Hermit Day!

Go ahead. Give your search engine a whirl . . . You'll find this. And some of this. A smattering of that. (Actually, that one is my favorite.) And, lest we forget, there is this fellow. Now that you know what day it is, crawl into your shell while you have the chance and be introspective in the most deepest sense.