UrbanGypZ's Stitch and Bitch

2003-07-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

Friday Five
1. When was the last time you cheated?
I fudged my hours just a little because I was pissed I had to work on Saturday.

2. When was the last time you stole?
A bite of a friend pop tarts. They smelled so good.

3. When was the last time you lied?
To a friend who was upset over a guy but did not need to hear the truth at that moment. It was more like a white lie.

4. When was the last time you broke or vandalized another's property?
I can't recall. Maybe rolling houses in high school.

5. When was the last time you hurt a loved one?
When I got into a fight with my grandmother over Christmas and said some biting things to her out of anger.

Another crappy day at work. This is getting old. No, I did not take my summer hours. Yes, I shoud work again this weekend, but with the way I feel right now that is up for debate. Went to Downtown After Five for a beer just because my day sucked. I am now at home about to climb the wall out of boredom. Debating over whether or not to go to a movie. Nothing I want to see. The house could use some attention, but I really will probably just go to bed and end the day. I know the bitch blog gets a little old, but it is called Stitch and Bitch right? Believe me I hate it too.

Right... knitting content... Since the company field trip, lots of folks from lunchtime Stitch and Bitch have started some groovy new projects so I have been busy helping them with their stuff. I have been knitting up samples and altering/writing/adjusting patterns like crazy. I really enjoy doing that and love being a part of their learning. I love watching everyone's knitting idiosyncrasies emerge. And how they swell with pride when they finish a project. It has truly been a bright spot in my stupid work week.

The other up side... My birthday is next week. I walked into Tom's office and told him I wanted to go to dinner at La Katerina next Wednesday and I wanted to sit outside. So, 13 of my friends and I have reservations thanks to Tom who simply said alrighty and handled it. He seemed to know I was having a princess moment and played along nicely. Gay guy friends are so good that way.

May there is some bad TV I can indulge in before falling asleep.

2003-07-17T10:48:00.000-04:00

I had the most incredible massage yesterday. The knots in my back had gotten so bad I was getting a headache. Jen at Relax and Rejuvenate had worked the big, ropey knots out with her elbows. I felt like I was drugged when I left. After and epsome salt soak and 1.5 liters of water and some sushi, I knit some stitch samples for Shannon to help her decide how she wants to make her kerchief, and went to bed at a reasonable hour. Slept like a baby. Much better today.

2003-07-15T21:10:00.000-04:00

Today it all caught up with me. I was tired, fantasized about taking off. One book shipped and I had some clerical style things to do while the other book was at a proofing stage. Was catching up on the personal emails that piled up while I was so slammed when I found the one with bad news about my friend in Birmingham who is very sick. She is not well. The email was dated Thursday. Can't get a hold of anyone with more info. My brain was so fried to begin with since I have been putting in some hours, but this shot every ounce of concentration that I may have had. Took a half day came home cried, watched TV with mindless knitting then went to see Suzie to get a good hug and stayed until I felt better. Had totally forgotten to keep feeding the parking meter, but my parking karma must have placed the meter maid elsewhere. Two hours and no ticket thank god. A little more center now. I will just have to wait to hear.

2003-07-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

Barbara and I ditched nature time and went shoe shopping. Got some cute shoes (would post link or something but can't find them on the Born Shoes site). Knitting a pair of socks for a friend's upcoming birthday. A lot like the ones I made for my sister in law but a different color scheme. Not much to blog. Work is busy, my house is trashed because of it, and I am knitting again (finally) to help me keep my sanity.

2003-07-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

Work has been crazy. I have to go in tomorrow. Trying to catch up. I did not take my summer hours today either. I was so zoned out when I left, but I was not ready to go home. Went to Beanstreets to knit for a little bit. To tired to blog. More on Sunday when I get back from my Nature Time.

Friday Five
1. Do you remember your first best friend? Who was it?
Her name was Janice. I was 3 so I don't remember much.

2. Are you still in touch with this person?
No.

3. Do you have a current close friend?
Yes. Barbara.

4. How did you become friends with this person?
We work together.

5. Is there a friend from your past that you wish you were still in contact with? Why?
Nita. She was my mentor. She passed away a couple of years ago.

2003-07-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

This is a quickie show and tell post. Not quite a dozen of us went to Yarn Paradise yesterday. Got yarn for 2 pairs of sox and a super soft cardigan. Went home assessed the stash and decided to crank on some UFOs before I put anything else on needles. Doing a simple Noro ribbed scarf right now.

Work is insanely busy. Unfortunately I will be working this weekend. Trying to clear my plate before I have to dive into a book with a high maintenance editor. Have discovered the do not disturb button on my phone and have been keeping the vital music at my desk. More tonight if I have the energy.

2003-07-08T14:04:00.000-04:00

Oy.

I hope this posts. My computer karma is a little iffy today. Lost 12pp of a book that had to be recreated. A file saved is a file saved. Planning the big company field trip to the yarn store tomorrow. I'll get to see fellow blogger Jenanne. I have a general idea of what I want to get, but need to figure out tonight. on a little of a sock kick. As is everyone else who blogs from what I can tell. Got a ton of yarn in the stash, but most of is wool. Starting to think about Christmas presents. I'll post pix of what I get.

2003-07-07T08:51:00.000-04:00

I had trouble falling asleep last night, so I took some melatonin. It is weird how it makes everything before coffee not make sense. A coworker somehow talked me out of my umbrella as I was walking in the door. I did not have enough caffine in me to tell her I needed it. I swear the barista was f**ing with me. She started talking about the smell of coffee beans and old socks in her car. Huh?

I think it was a good weekend overall. I do not know what the big aha was supposed to be, but I got stuff done and had a good time. I saw an incredibly sweet movie. Listen to some local music. And did some yard work. My tomatoes are not happy about the rain. There are lots of green ones on the vine but it looks like they have a little early blight. Got the front of the test fit tank done. It should not take me long to finish. Here hoping it fits.

2003-07-06T20:59:00.000-04:00

I hope my sister-in-law doesn't read this because this is the birthday present I made for her today. Started at Beanstreets this morning!

2003-07-04T08:33:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day.

8:30 and Beanstreets is not open yet. I am killing time. I have attempted to make plans for this weekend three times. Each time the plans have fallen through. I had even offered to help a friend move! Big fat cosmic slapdown. Fine. The big comedian in the sky would like me to have my options open for whatever reason. However, I do have my swimsuit on. Cel may come get me at the coffeeshop this morning to hike to the swimming hole at the Laurel River. Otherwise I am working on the new cotton cami I started yesterday. Perplexed by the recent sizing fiasco, I spent yesterday afternoon doing the math for a simple cotton fitted cami. If I can't get it right I am taking a class. Cranked 6 inches after the farewell Hannes cookout last night. Keep your fingers crossed.

Friday Five
1. What were your favorite childhood stories?
Anything Dr. Suess

2. What books from your childhood would you like to share with [your] children?
Anything Dr. Suess

3. Have you re-read any of those childhood stories and been surprised by anything?
Rereading Oh The Thinks You Can Think and seeing beyond the nonsense rhymes.

4. How old were you when you first learned to read?
6

5. Do you remember the first 'grown-up' book you read? How old were you?
I don't remember when I graduated from Judy Blume to grown up books. V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic is the first title I can recall reading when I was 14 or so.

2003-07-03T08:48:00.000-04:00

I love summer hours. Leaving at noon to start my 3.5 day weekend. All the plans I attempt to make for the weekend have fallen through except the cookout tonight for a coworker moving to New York this weekend. Fate telling me to keep my options open I supose. My back yard is embarassingly overgrown thanks to the ton of rain we have had.

I have some mill end yarn that I was not sure what I wanted to do with. I think I am going to attempt a sweater set. Can't find a pattern that I like so I may try to wing it. I took a conmmunity college knitting class years ago. They used this book to teach from. We learned to measure our favorite sweaters and create our own. It actually seems to be easier than altering a pattern. I just never know how the sweater will hang on me and how to adjust accordingly. Sometimes I can give a good guess.

Off to crank on some work stuff so I can be out of here at noon.

2003-07-02T13:20:00.000-04:00

I have a big smile on my face today. Remember that feeling of finishing your first projct? Two people in my lunch time Stitch and Bitch at work finished their first projects today. I love seeing the excitement in their eyes. It is one thing to like the process but another thing to feel totally gratified and proud of your results. They both made scarfs. I usually suggest something quicker so they will not get bored and give up, but Suzanne and Nicole are very methodical and persistant. We are taking a field trip to Yarn Paradise next week. Nicole asked "What am I going to do without my knitting tonight?" {{{{giggle}}}}

2003-07-01T13:17:00.000-04:00

God love David Bowie, but he is bringing me down. Time for a new CD. Something peppy but not too punk to keep me from killing the undermedicated coworkers I am dealing with. Ben Harper it is. 4 books at once. How is that for multi-tasking. I am hoping one of them will go away next week. For know I am chained to my desk by headphones and I am ignoring the half dozen URGENT (I love it when they cry wolf) emails that are piling up in my mailbox.

Oh the rain. It is even making my poker straight Asian hair frizz. No wonder why I am moody. No craft night tonight. Let me rephrase that: I am not going. There is a bit of drama right now and I am not game this time. I get more knitting done at home and my yarn does not smell like smoke. Which I HATE. Plans for the weekend fell apart. Maybe it is time for a roadtrip. Need to clear my head.

No nitting just bitching and looking through magazines.

2003-06-30T21:15:00.000-04:00

No knitting just leafing through magazines. Looking for my next project. I may just try to finished the corsetted sweater. I just have a sleeve and a half to go.

The hike yesterday was great. Well let me rephrase that...there was not a lot to see on along the way but a there was a big finish at the end. The trails are meandering and confusing old truck roads. Not really a sense of walking in the woods and you really need a good map to get around. There are a lot forks in the roads with very little information about where they go. The falls were spectacular. We climbed towards the top near the upper falls and sat on the edge of the big rock close enough to feel the water pound. The thing I like about hiking with Barbara is that we can sit in a place like that for a long time and do not have to fill the space with conversation. We can just sit and reset our heads. And if we need to talk about whatever we do. It has been a really catharic thing to do. I have had a lot on my mind and "nature time" has really help keep me centered. Top that with great yoga the next day and by Monday night I have what my friend Nicole calls the Buddah mind.

There are a lot of books out there that talk about the zen/yoga/metaphors of knitting. Well the Buddah mind can think of all kinds of metaphors pertaining to the f***ing Vogue Tank fiasco. And they are all good. But they do all point to unraveling and reknitting ONCE AGAIN. My patience is infinite damn it. Besides I have reknit the damn thing so much I could do it with my eyes closed. But I am not touching it for while. I want to finish a couple of other projects before I retackle this one. For what its worth I am happy to know I am thinner than I thought.

2003-06-29T08:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished the Vogue Tank. I did a gauge, did the math, and the damn thing is way too big. Tried to shrink it and it is still way too big. I am just ill. I could rip it out AGAIN and reknit it, but I am so tired of ripping out. I am putting it down for now. I guess I was not sure what my measurements were. DUH! What good is the gauge if you are not sure about your measurements. I am back to the corsetted sweater for the coffeeshop. I have 15 minutes to kill. I am at the office to print out some trail guides for my hike with Barbara. I think we are going back to Du Pont. There are quite a few trails there. It is truly a magical place, even with all the tourists.

2003-06-27T10:07:00.000-04:00

1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]?
Who knows. I promised myself I would hike more. I have plans to refurbish the living and dining room. And gardern garden garden.

2. What was your first summer job?
Babysitting

3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?
Bali

4. What was your worst vacation ever?
Summer 2001 Destin FLA: the family vacation gone wrong. On the 3rd day I was checking the bus schedules at 4 AM. I was home by noon.

5. What was your best vacation ever?
October 2000 Asheville NC: I found my dream job and new hometown while at an interview I arranged so I could write off my vacation to a music festival/camping trip.

2003-06-27T09:17:00.000-04:00

It is Friday and I have made no plans for the weekend. I have been pretty tired and busy every evening this week, so there is a lot of house stuff I need to do. Usually I look forward to my commitment free weekends, but last time I got pretty antsy and had that weird freak out weekend. But I am thinking it was just some bad mojo that has since passed. Maybe I will be able to finish that stupid Vogue tank. Or will pick up some other WIPs. Or mess with transferring my blog. I do have some dying to do. That will be cool. And I can finish that Batik dress. The base color came out very bright. It will really make the rest of the dress vibrate. A good dress for Salsa dancing. It all starts at noon today thanks to summer hours.

2003-06-25T15:31:00.000-04:00

One pair of socks down 2 more to go. Well actually 2 socks, I have already knit the mates. I have gone back to the Broken Rib Cardigan
I have to admit I am a yarn snob. I really do not like moset acrylic yarn. But this stuff I love. I found it in Birmingham before I left town. I was with a friend who bought a skein to crochet a scarf. I then saw the same yarn in a simple sweater and decided it was time to pick up the knitting again. I haven't stopped since. I have not touched the sweater since last spring. I just have the sleeves to do. I think the final straw was frogging it for the 3rd time during a wine soaked stitch and bitch. And the weather was warmer. The sleeves are a little tricky, I have to keep up with the pattern and increases intuitively. A stitch counter helps a lot. Hope to finish by Christmas. It goes with everything that I own. Had a good weekend. My knitting book style sheets exploded at the end of the day Friday. I took the weekend to relax and get away from work. (yes I am blogging instead of working on the revisions!) I had good company at the coffeehouse Sunday. It seems I have become a part of a little clique of regulars. Went to a holiday party, an art opening, and saw a good movie.

2003-06-25T09:32:00.000-04:00

Wow no knitting again.

My knitting blog has turned into a blog of excuses for not knitting. I hope this does not boot me out of the ring. Maybe no knitting is par for the course win the summer. I'll have to reread old blogs. What did I do last summer?

Right now I am on the hunt for the latest Vogue Knitting. I assume it had yet to hit the stands. I have totally given up on Knitter's magazine. They have yet to publish an issue with ANY patterns that I would even consider wasting yarn on. Rowan, Interweave Knits and Vogue are my favorites. I like what Rebecca publishes online, but I have never ordered an issue.
Knitty is a big favorite as well (I guess I assume everyone who reads this knows about Knitty, if not go now!!!)

Work is busy but good. I am meeting about a freeleance gig. I hope just to do a trade for some lunch and coffee on the days that I do not bring my own. First time I have taken anything like this on since I closed shop in Birmingham. It has been nice to not have to worry about the business side of things for a while. My moods seem to have leveled out a little. The massage I had on Friday seemed to have moved some mojo. Enough to make me crave sleep like Megan did when she went to the accupuncturist. The post yoga euphoria on Monday was incredible. Off to the dept. meeting. SnB today at Lunch more later.

2003-06-24T16:43:00.000-04:00

{Over champagne at my desk}

Some coworkers pulled off an impossible deadline for a book that will make the company a lot of profit. The art department chipped in for their massage therapy and we toasted them for doing the impossible. How cool is that?
My soccer mother/daughter stitch and bitch is on hiatus for the summer. Too hard to work around vacations and summer camp. I miss those girls. I am really just not into knitting right now. I have been messing with my dyes and have been researching fibers to look for at the fiber festival this fall. Otherwise I am procrastinating. I hate having to reknit that stupid Vogue tank, but I am determined to not let it get shelved. I want to finish some WIPs before I start some new fall projects.

2003-06-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

I love how blogger has completely thrown out my counter. Yep I am thrilled about Moveable Type. Work is very busy. Lots of deadlines. Not much knitting to report. I actually got no knitting done at Beanstreets yesterday. I was not playing with a full deck and visiting with Paul and Suzie was not condusive to reknitting the Vogue tank. I am so ready to be done with that project. It is taking way too long for a pattern that could eaisily have been finished in a weekend.

2003-06-22T20:04:00.000-04:00

I am beat. I woke up this morning not feeling so hot. After a short visit to Beanstreees, went home to bed. I think it was a sinusy something or other from being in the moldy basement shooting last week. Slept all afternoon. I am having to redo the strap on the Vogue tank. I could have made 3 of these things by now. How frustrating. I am in the process of moving the blog and going with Moveable Type. Stuff is in place thanks to a techie willing to work a trade. Hopefully soon.

2003-06-19T19:20:00.000-04:00

Nursery Rhyme Knits hits the shelves this Fall. Designed by yours truly. We got advanced copies this week. I know, I know. It is a shameless plug. But I think it is one of the best books I have designed so far. NO I did not design the knitwear. Teresa Boyer, a fabulous knitter with vision, talent and LOTs of patience, designed the knitwear.

I mean who could argue a book full of cute kids in cute knitwear. The patterns are challenging (up to 5 colors per row, enormous charts, 9 st/inch). But truly some heirloom pieces.

2003-06-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

Fun and spunky, you link, there for you are! This
is all fun and games, and you do what you
damned well please!

What kind of blogger am I?
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2003-06-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

When you work summer hours, and take friday afternoons off, humpday happens around Tuesday afternoon. Boy I'm beat. And the rain makes me feel heavy and sluggish. I would love to be watching some movies right now. My review is not happening today. Just as well, I am too tired for any kind of deep discussions good or bad. I assume they would be fine. I have not had any repremands and have only had praise for the books I have worked on.

2003-06-17T22:02:00.000-04:00

No stitching today, just bitching.

I'm sleepy. Photo shoot days really take it out of me. When I used to work in advertising, we would do fewer shots per day and every one had assistants and there would be stylist to do the weeks of prep work. In publishing, you spend less money and most of the time it is just you and the photographer. Today we cranked over 20 shots. And I got to spend my lunch prop shopping. The studio is really just the basement. There is a water/mold issue and it was muggy. Tomorrow is the last day. Thank god for summer hours. I will be happy to spend Friday afternoon napping.

Some good friends from Birmingham are coming to visit this weekend. I am so excited to just be able to visit and catch up. I really have missed Matt and Kim. The whole reason why I go to Beanstreets every Sunday morning is because I used to spend it either at the Back Alley with them, at Kathy's house making blueberry pancakes, or with Philip at the flea market. I missed those mornings being with friends (or naked Sundays with boyfriends). So maybe I will bring Matt and Kim to Beanstreets to meet my new Sunday morning friends.

No knitting -- to tired to think. going to bed.

2003-06-16T08:46:00.000-04:00

Day 3 (2.5?) of the photo shoot. Luckily it is for the how to stuff. That is more of an editorial gig. Spent the weekend working on a batik sundress dress and hiking. Did break out the Vogue tank only to rip back the entire left strap (No--increase only at the NECK edge!) But reknitting is going fast.

2003-06-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

The Friday Five
1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but never have?
Learn to surf

2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest?
Depends on who is asking

3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn't? What happened?
Yes, I found out a dear and very loving friend had been arrested for a crime that is unspeakable to some people.

4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why?
That's tough. Any place that looked like a Maxwell Parrish painting. Dreamy and beautiful colors.

5. What's one talent/skill you don't have but always wanted?
I wish I could whistle loudly through my fingers

I did not work on the Vogue tank, nor did I mow the lawn. I did however dye some of my handspun singles. I used info from Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook and the Dharma Trading Catalog
Using procion dyes from my batik days.

The first attemp did not yield good color.

Rinsed and tried again using vinegar instead of Soda Ash and used an eyedropper instead of pouring. But it got all muddy bluish anyway. Rerinsed and this time just used some vinegar and poured the dyes and left for 30 minutes.

This time was better. (Yes they are overtwisted singles.)I do like the results overall.

Next time I will--
•animal fiber=acid dye; plant fiber=alkaline
•use a white pan
•try roving
•use less water

2003-06-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

Half day summer hours. If it rains I stay in and finish the vogue tank (will post pix regardless). If it is sunny and not oppressively muggy, I mow the lawn.

2003-06-12T12:50:00.000-04:00

{Over leftover chicken salad, crackers and cherries at my desk.}

Much better today. I am not going to have to kill the editor. She fortunately has to stay upstairs while I am shooting because of a serious mold issue in the basement. She actually has been somewhat helpful. Thank god. After a minor meltdown last night, I finally planted cayenne peppers, the raspberries (still in the pots, starting to bear fruit), and last pot of basil. Made a hemp trellis for the moonvine and morning glories to climb. And made pasta shells stuffed with spinach and cheese to put up in the freezer.

Again no knitting (does that pass as knitting content? I am just not feeling the love for any opf my projects. Here is a knitting link or two to balance out the bitching)

2003-06-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

You know I wrote another fabulous post this morning and this new Blogger setup, glitched and tossed it out.

Oy Vei the day. It is bagel day, a good thing. I hope to crank the Vogue Summer Sweater at Stitch and Bitch. (sorry I know not a lot of knitting content lately) I did not last long at Craft night. It was a high maintenance kind of evening. I just wanted to be at home with my dog. I ended up watching a silly movie that had little messages that hit home. I am embarrassed to say I was crying. I am ready for the funk to go away. I have a massage scheduled for this afternoon. I made plans to go on a hike with Barbara this weekend. I have had that urge to go hiking to reset my head. But it is not a good idea to hike alone. The plan is to hike and think.

The photo shoot begins tomorrow. It has gotten messy. Not the shots themselves. But the information I need to do these fabulous shots is crap. God help me.

2003-06-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

8:30am and Tuesday is not shaking out too hot either. It is early, it could turn.

The f***ing cat has decided to start spraying the house. Talk about one dead cat. I have no idea what brought this on other than maybe a stray cat hanging out on the porch. Have closed the front windows barricaded the bedroom, bought the big bottle of vinegar.

Went to UNCA concert on the quad last night. Had a pleasant time. Ran into my friends from Alabama, Paul and Christine. We had time to really catch up. It was great to see some friends from home on my lousy day. I really needed that.

On an up note, my photo test was passed with flying colors. I even got permission to spend another day on the photography if necessary. The big dog was totally blown away and now very excited about the photography. The editor however is being squirrelly. Enough to warrant a meeting....{{{sigh}}}

I did absolutely no knitting yesterday. But I did call a therapist and scheduled a massage.

2003-06-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

OH Monday.

Thank goodness I have a 401K meeting I can sleep through. But being Monday I forgot my info packet. I will just have to wing it.

I cranked on the summer tank and have just one strap and the edging to do. Should not take long if I will just sit and do it this week. Next itn the hopper? The damn corsetted sweater I keep putting down. That and some dyes!!! Got to get the garden figure done for a book.

The general funk continues. I had a relaxing weekend. Lisa cancelled on Mexican lunch (am I surprised?) and other than Saturday night and Sunday at Beanstreets, I was a bit of a hermit. Well I did get to the tailgate markets for some greens and mushrooms. But the weekend was filled with that antsy waiting feeling that was hard to keep down. Anxiety? Premenopause? Bad mojo draining? It just sux. I have been meditating like crazy just to pull my self back into my skin. I think I need to get out of town. An email to an old friend has me checking my schedule for a nice window of time to make my way back to Alabama. I think it would be good to gauge where I am right now.

Despite my lack of an attention span. I did get little spurts of gardening done. I have given up on the lofty ideas of getting the beds mapped out. I have planted the stuff with a deadline and maybe I can take my time cutting some fall beds.

Boy I wish I could bring the knitting into this meeting.

2003-06-07T23:38:00.000-04:00

There was some interesting knitwear in The Matrix: Reloaded. I liked the easy going sweaters, but they were all pretty dirty and full of runs. Enough to drive a knitter crazy. But I like this sweater that Trinity was wearing. I could see it as an easy raglan sans gaping hole in the shoulder. I bet I could alter the 3 day raglan to work with some nice linen. Judging from the stains on the sweaters, I suppose in the parallel universe they do not worry about laundry. Do I sound like my mother or what?

I thought the first movie was better. There was a lot of action, seriously psychodelic effects and a big fat cliff hanger.

2003-06-06T11:56:00.000-04:00

the friday five
Yikes! these are a little tough. JEEZ even the Friday Five wants to but my love life under the microscope. But I'm game--here it is.

1. How many times have you truly been in love?
Twice?

2. What was/is so great about the person you love(d) the most?
Complete trust. The comfortable silence. My best friend.

3. What qualities should a significant other have?
I have a list, but in a nutshell a best friend who's company I enjoy, with values similar to mine and there is that indiscribable thing between us (chemistry? hormones? love?).

4. Have you ever broken someone's heart?
Unfortunately I probably have. But I hope it was for the best in the end.

5. If there was one thing you could teach people about love, what would it be?
Respect him/her as an individual

2003-06-06T09:58:00.000-04:00

This guy should get these printed. But check out the deck online. The cards are beautiful. I love tarot cards. Must be where the New Orleans girl and the graphic designer intersect. I do have quite a collection. But it is really all about the pretty pictures.

Summer hours today. I am out of here at noon. My weekend is shaking out to be pretty full. There is a gallery walk tonight and I have plans to see a movie and eat some Mexican food.

2003-06-05T15:55:00.000-04:00

I survived the test photo shoot today. I am working with a good photographer, so it went pretty fast. Waiting to see what they will do about the mushrooming shot list.

Went back to Lisa's last night just so I would not sit at home alone and brood about my day. She worked the knots out of my back, I worked the knots out of her shoulder. Lisa Suzanne and I tested the chocolate covered pretzel rod idea to make magic wands for Malaprop's Harry Potter release party (Friday June 20th @11pm). It was good to hang out with my girls. I do not feel as funky today as I did yesterday. I am not really even sure what it is all about. But decided to stop trying to figure out why or what and just lay low till the mojo passes. Like I said yesterday....Lots of rescue remedy, yoga, bitch sessions, and sleep.

This morning I stopped at Beanstreets to get the breakfast burrito. David set the craving off when he described the breakfast taco he frequently gets as a tortilla filled with eggs cheese potatoes GOOD salsa. It sounded a lot like what Beanstreets served up. Lose the whole wheat tortilla (that's Asheville for you) and add some sauted onions and seasoning (like bacon) and I think it would have been fine. Not bad at all really. I have been on a bit of a taco kick anyway. Cook's Illustrated had a great recipe for taco filling in their March 2002 issue. Make a big batch, it is as quick as making a sandwich.

The Mountain Sport Festival is this weekend. Asheville will become the land of beautiful men for three fun filled days. The view from the window at Beanstreets should be nice this Sunday. Will have to bring the low maintenance knitting like dishcloths.

My knitting is not really worth writing about again today. Knit a few more rows on the Vogue summer top WEEEEEE!. My guess is I will be able to finish it this weekend especially if it rains as much as they predict.

2003-06-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

Rob Brezney writes the horoscopes in the Mountain Express. My birthday is July 23(you guys have a little less than 2 months to buy me something fabulous) therefore I am on the cusp of Cancer and Leo. A Cancerous Leo. I usually read Leo first and if I do not like what it says then I read Cancer. So this week....

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Can you find an imperfection on Halle Berry? We can't." So writes Hollywood.com's Scott Huver about the Oscar-winning beauty born under the sign of Leo. Huver also notes that People magazine has five times named Berry one of the 50 Most Beautiful People and that Playboy called her one of the 100 sexiest women of the twentieth century. And how does Berry herself feel about her looks? "To be totally honest," she told the German magazine "Journal fur die Frau," "most of the time I think I'm ugly." I absolutely forbid you to exhibit this kind of self-abasement in the coming week, Leo. You may not, under any circumstances, denigrate your own gorgeous radiance. It's crucial for both yourself and everyone you encounter that you celebrate your magnificence.

Well although Leo's horoscope is what I need to hear right now, Cancer seemed to hit the nail on the head.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you're swallowed whole by a whale or a dragon this week, don't panic: It's much better than being chewed into little pieces before being swallowed, which is definitely not going to happen. And according to my reading of the astrological omens, while you may spend a few days in the belly of the beast, you will eventually be…uh…*expelled* intact out the other end. Then it'll just be a matter of navigating the winding path back home. The entire experience will no doubt be humbling, Cancerian, but it will also have the salubrious effect of scouring you clean of a whole mess of karma.

I have felt a little funky overall. I knew I felt like shit {{{giggle}}}. But nothing really overwhelming if I can keep my head on straight (AHHHH the hard part). I suppose that is where the Leo horoscope comes in eh? Lots of rescue remedy, yoga, bitch sessions, and sleep. My new mantra...this too shall pass.

I have finished the reknitting of the back of the Vogue top. Wow that went fast, but then again it is the second time I have knit it. The fabric is much sturdier. Knitting with a single strand was pretty, but for this top it would only look good if I had 20 year old breasts. So double it is. Barbara has dyed the wool that I gave her for her birthday. It sounds beautiful--golden brown naturally dyed with tumeric and senna. I think need that obligation to get me back in the mood for some spinning. I really look forward to spinning it up for her.

My upcoming photo shoot is growing at the last minute but the budget has hit the ceiling. I don't need this. I get to go buy rocks this afternoon. It will be good to get out of the office.

2003-06-03T08:49:00.000-04:00

Much better today. Made headway on style sheets for my book. Had a very good yoga class. Met Suzie at UNCA for a concert on the quad. It was such a perfect evening. So good to visit with Suzie, people watch and listen to the kind of music my Grandfather played. Brought the knitting. I am back at the Vogue Summer top. The fabric is much better with the yarn doubled. I know I can crank it pretty fast. DAMN forgot my music again today. ARGGGHHH!!!! It is much easier to focus when I am chained to my desk by headphones.

2003-06-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

Eric Robert Rudulph should be arriving any minute. I think it is biazrre that I live in the area where he was captured. Or that I work near the court housewhere they will decide where he will be tried first. In 1998, my house in Birmingham was a few blocks from the abortion clinic. Close enough for the bomb to rattle my windows. That morning my neighborhood was filled with FBI agents, police and yellow caution tape. You could not help but feel violated. May wander towards the court house to get a little closure. Not sure why I think seeing the media blitz will do the trick.

2003-06-01T14:11:00.000-04:00

It has been a weird weekend. Can't put my finger on it. Except that friends have come out of the wood work to talk about my feelings about relationships. Yesterday got uncomfortable but worked itself out. Other than that quasi drama this weekend it has turned out rather dull. I miss having friends I could call on the spur of the moment to do whatever. Then again I am sure I could do that with some friends I just don't. I am in a weird place. And I do not feel like knitting or mowing the lawn. Did a nice long sitting at Beanstreet. I had not seen Suzie in a while. It was good to catch up. I unraveled part of the vogue tank and have reknit it doubled. Much better. Hope it will go pretty fast. Season finale of Six Feet Under is tonight. The season overall has been a little disappointing, but the suspense leading up to tonight is killing me. Going to Mark and Tom's. It is always good to get hugs from my boys when I am in a weird place.

2003-05-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

My fifteen minutes hit the stands this morning. Check out the audio clip and hear just exactly how thick my Southern accent has become.

Today is the first day of our summer hours at work and the weather is fantastic. After lunch with Jimmy and Kell, I have big plans for some garden time. I have had a couple of veggie plants mysteriously destroyed. My guess--Sebastian's best friend (the little old lady next door) does not have great aim when she lobbs her biscuits over the fence and the dog is jumping the barrier. The plants are almost big enough to not worry about. I just can't bring myself to split up that relationship over a garden I overplanted. She reminds me of a neighbor I had in Birmingham that I miss dearly.

I may make myself finish the sleeve of the corsetted sweater, even though I am just not in the mood to knit right now. Maybe I will just organize the stash and make a Christmas gift list. Who knows, my weekend is wide open for a change. It will be nice to let it be what it will be.

Friday Fiveis a little deep this week--a far cry from last week's toiletry questions.
1. What do you most want to be remembered for?
Being a good friend

2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life?
It is what it is

3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year?
Settling into a place where I am happy.

4. What about the past ten years?
Doing the ground work so I could settle into a place where I am happy.

5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say?
Trust your gut. You may not like what it is telling you, but it is never wrong.

2003-05-29T20:09:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I have comments and check out my album of FOs {the "what" button}

2003-05-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

It is going to be a blogging kind of evening. Which is just fine since I have not been in any kind of mood to knit. The Asheville Citizen-Times is running an article about weblogs. They interviewed me about this blog. It is a lot like expecting company. I feel like my links, images and all that crap that has been giving me fits should be loading properly. Got the buttons to work, fixed the archives index. Here's hoping I have not written anything offensive in the past before I really thought anyone ever read this thing. We'll see if I can fix some of the links without totally screwing up the code.

2003-05-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

Stacey Makes a Hat by Alice Pederson

How cool is this. I did make a hat for Alice. I used this pattern because I though it would make her feel better while she was going through chemo.

Hooray for summer hours. I am opting for half days every Friday. Work picked up a lot today. So adding 45 minutes to my day will happen easily. This Friday will be garden time.

The library was tied up with a photo shoot, so Stitch and Bitch was at Beanstreets today. Well just Suzanne and I. Everyone else was busy. I frogged my sleeve back to try to figure out where I left off. I just have not felt like knitting since I finished the Age of Aquarius sweater. I am having to break out the batik supplies for a book project, so I may dye some fleece to spin while I have the dyes out. Maybe I will hand paint the yarn I spun for the original Age of Aquarius and the blank rayon dress I have had for years. I'd love a new summer dress.

2003-05-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

The last evening of my little vacation. I managed to not even touch a computer for 4 days. Had a good visit with the folks. The hike was nice except for the part where I threatened to throw my nephew's cell phone off the mountain. I managed to get quite a bit of gardening done while waiting for them to get here. I tackled the last bush in the front yard.

I am at a knitting lull. I decided I need to double up the yarn on the Vogue tank. Will have to unravel and refresh the yarn. I am not too eager about working on the corsetted sweater either. I don't think it is the pattern, I think I am tired of working with off white cotton yarn. I have been reading about dyeing yarn and fleece. I think it might be a good time to pick the spinning back up and get some yarn ready for some fall sweaters and Christmas gifts.

Both of my books come in next week, and I have to prepare for a big photoshoot in a couple of weeks. Glad I was able to squeeze a little time off in before it gets crazy at work.

2003-05-23T23:39:00.000-04:00

Friday Five

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
What ever is on sale.

2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Charmin or kleenex double rolls

3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
Birks, Earth, Dansko, Blounnies, New Balance, Naot, brandless third world Asian shoes, and teva-like knockoffs

4. What brand of soda do you drink?
Regular Classic Coke over lots of cubed ice

5. What brand of gum do you chew?I
I don't chew gum very often

2003-05-23T01:15:00.000-04:00

This is not my cat.

Although he seems to think the seed basket is his bed. Spiderman is always picking fights through the screen door. He is such a bully I can not afford the vet bills if he was an outside cat. Last week he did a superhero dive through the screen (cloth mesh) and I found him in the yard. Thank god I heard the crash. Thank god I have a great staple gun.

Okay, so maybe I am a fast knitter. I cast on the back of the cross back summer top from Vogue Knitting/ Summer 2001 at lunch and finished the back and the ribbing of the front tonight in between laundry loads. If I get my house clean by lunch tomorrw I could crank the rest of it tomorrow afternoon.

I am glad to have a nice long weekend. I am taking Friday to get ready for the family visit and Tuesday to get all the things I will not be able to do over the weekend while the folks are here. I suppose mostly garden stuff. I was a little ambitious this year. But then again the growing season here is 2 weeks behind what I am used to. And we have had lots of rain and cool nights. I have a lot of seeds I have not gotten in the ground yet and a mulch pile that is getting on my nerves. It just needs to be moved. Trying to let is sit until I get the garden out of the way. Then I will have lots of time to move it. It's late. Off to bed. I think I can crank out the house by lunch.

2003-05-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

The sleeve of the corsetted sweater is going surprisingly fast. I cranked most of the ruffle (which I have decided to mak only 2 inches instead of 5) during lunch and 5 inches of the main part of the sleeve at craft night. It is in the round and is the same stitch pattern as the front panel. Hooray for one less seam to sew. My guess is I will have this sweater done by the end of May. I think my next project will be a great summer tank from the Summer 2001 Vogue using the taupe yarn I got a couple of weeks ago at Yarn Paradise. No big news otherwise. The folks are coming this weekend. I am taking Friday off to blow through the house and get ready for their visit. Probably Tuesday as well to do all the garden work I missed while they were here. If only it would stop raining!!! But then again I can't complain the tomatoes are looking great.

2003-05-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

I am killing time before a meeting that I do not want to go to. Mercury is in Retrograde. I am thinking now is not the time to have a Kumba Ya interdepartmental meeting. Wore my garden shoes (because that is where I'd rather be). Left the TV on so the cats can watch movies all day. Got my frequent flyer free coffee and a muffin, hugged a handsome French man and I suppose I am set. May try to slip the knitting in. I am starting the sleeves of the corsetted sweater.

2003-05-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

I finished the back of the corsetted sweater at Beanstreets yesterday. No, I do not knit that fast, but was pretty far along when I put it aside to crank the Age of Aquarius. This weekend was one of those bond with my stuff kind of weekends. I did get in the garden a little. I felt better after just being at home. As sick as I am of the rain, it was nice to listen to while I was relaxing at home. And the garden loved it. The evenings cooled off enough for me to wear the Age of Aquarius sweater.

2003-05-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

Ta-Da!

The Age of Aquarius Sweater 5/13/03

I finally worked up the nerve to throw it in the dryer. It did shrink more lengthwise than width wise (the swatch did the same, I was afraid that would happen) But it still comes mid hip length The sleves are only a little shorter. But I love the fit non the less.

2003-05-17T19:28:00.000-04:00

SimilarMinds.com Compatibility Test

Your match with Shetha
you are 63% similar
you are 72% complementary

How Compatible are You with me?

I suppose I have not been home much. I definately was not home Monday Tuesday Thursday and Friday evenings. Full moon, lunar eclipse, PMS , and more f***ing rain—I woke up a bit crabby again today. I am a little better after going to Painter's Greenhouse in Old Fort with Lisa. Finally got my basil in the ground along with the rest of the herbs I was holding out for. Also got some hanging baskets for the porch. They had some gigantic ferns that would look great but they were a bit pricey. Everything else was pretty cheap. Well at least the rain is good for the garden. I am skipping the West Fest altogether. Just felt like staying home and playing in the garden between rain showers. Who wants to be at the festival in the rain? My seeds have sprouted. The tomatoes look happy. The front bed is filling out. I managed to get 5 gerber daisies out of this weeks photo shoot. They are in pots on the front steps. It was a good consolation after a Friday afternoon with 7 antsy children all scheduled for the same time slots. Next time, I do the calling.

Have not touched the knitting since Wednesday. Again, maybe that is also part of the problem. Look forward to Beanstreets in the morning.

2003-05-17T00:11:00.000-04:00

Friday Five

1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
Purified tap with lots of cubed ice.

2. What are your favorite flavor of chips?
Pringles

3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
Chicken Parmesan

4. How do you have your eggs?
Over easy medium well with lots of pepper and toast

5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
Lisa, good and cheesy.

It is late. I am tired. Two days of photoshoot with lots of kids. I'd like to think I would have kids one day, but days like today makes me contemplate hysterectomy. Went to Moonlight Over Downtown and saw a movie No knitting since Wednesday. More after my trip to Old Fort and a neighborhood festival tomorrow.

2003-05-13T09:10:00.000-04:00

I really have no knitting news to post. I am slowly working on the corsetted sweater. Was too busy to do any knitting last night. Errands and Quizzo. I even skipped yoga. We have gotten lousy at Quizzo. Last night the questions were particular bizarre. And there were a lot of things that we second guessed on and got wrong. Back to the grind. Not a lot happening at work. Waiting on the 2 books to come in. Got lots of prop stuff to do for this weeks photo shoot.

2003-05-11T14:11:00.000-04:00

This morning at BeanStreets flew by. I literally rolled out of bed and left. I am back to the corsetted sweater from Spring 2003 IK. Of couse It took half an hour to figure out where I had left off and to decipher my counters. So now I am to the arm decrease of the back. I am thinking this will be done in no time after the complex Age of Aquarius project.

So I went to the LEAF Friday night and Saturday during the day. No incredible music to speak of besides Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys, but I had a great time. I was exhausted with just the heat. It was so muggy. But that meant lots of handsome shirtless men. AHHHH Summer. I wimped out by 5pm (as did Barbara thank god), went to a birthday party instead.

It is raining, so I will put off mowing the jungle yard another day. Good movie/knitting/laundry and cooking weather.

2003-05-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

Friday Five

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
Sort of. At work and in the kitchen-yes. My closet, studio, file system-no.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
Absolutely. I guess an old habit from my freelance days. Full of to-dos, schedules, time tracking, memos.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
Not really. Lots of little piles waiting to be organized.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
No. I just start throught the rack until the right one catches my eye. Hell if it was alphabetized I would never watch anything that started with a K or higher.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
My f**king freelance tax shit for the accountant. I was so glad to not have so many little tiny pieces of paper to keep track of this year.

2003-05-09T11:52:00.000-04:00

I was not meant to work on any books today. The one thing I had to do today has been put on hold until everyone gets back from vacation. I am brushing up on my web skills. I am totally baffled by the little flukes in my blog. I can either have comments or 3 columns. I can have animated GIFs or blogger buttons. And I may or may not have a background color. All this depends on whether or not blooger has decided to read my code. I am not sure if it is my code. I reread it all to look for errors. But sometime these things will work fine then all of a sudden, with no revisions to the code, just not work.

I ran into an old friend from college yesterday. It took me a while to track him down, and both of us have been too busy to try to hook up (he with family, work, and film projects; me, mostly new house stuff) He works around the corner from me so I am surprised that It has taken this long to run into him. I swear it has been 7-8 years since I have seen him. But of course it is like we have been in touch all along. Running into him totally made my week.

So I am on a little bit of a knitting hiatus after giving birth to the Age of Aquarius sweater (I know, I know--the pix are coming as soon as I can take one that looks good). I will go back to the corseted sweater and the cabled shell I started last summer.

I have grand plans for revising the blog... but who has time. I can easily be sucked into an all nighter when I sit down to do web design. David had mild sweater envy (really it was all about the speed, his aran is looking fabulous), I have blog envy. Where do you find the time?

No knitting this weekend Just dancing and other socially leisure activities at the LEAF (Did you really think I would forget to post that link?) Planted 19 tomato plants yesterday evening (yellow pear, green zebra, roma, brandywine, early girl, and sweet 100s). Burned the crap out of my leg on the tiller of all things (long story). I have decided that I will have to compromise with the dog over the bed near the house. He really has no interest in any other part of the garden. But the back bed is the closest to the house that he can get. I am thinking I will make a cool little shelter where he can nap out of the sun, but close to the house. Maybe I will dig out and mosaic the area so it will stay cool for him. The baby lettuce can go elsewhere.

2003-05-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

Did I mention the LEAF is this weekend?

2003-05-07T11:38:00.000-04:00

My knitting bag is lighter.

I finished the age of Aquarius sweater last night. Pix to come this evening. (yes I resolved the web server issue)

I am wearing the new sweater today. The downfall of a cotton aran-- It grows as you wear it. It was big to begin with. OY! The sleeves were enormous. Now, It is like wearing an afgan. But I love it just the same {{smile}}. It is so comfy.

Today is a good day for the large afgan sweater (I think that is its new name). The rain continues. The back yard is a swamp. The dog did not fair well in the downpour. He evidently did not want to hang out in the potting shed, jumped the garden barricade again stood on the chicken wire was clammering to get into the house (dirty paw prints all over the siding). So he is at work with me today sleeping peacefully at my feet. He is nice and dry and being VERY good.

The cat on the other hand has been bad. After steam cleaning the futon until 2am, I mixed some homemade kitty NO-NO spray and doused select pieces of furniture. A dash of wintergreen essential oil, tea tree oil, a little mouth wash, diluted with water. The house smells like mouthwash and the cat was sulking under the chair all night.

I can not remember the last time I have seen this much rain. The rivers are dangerously high and some of the roads South of town were closed this morning. My grass is going to be soooo tall. It is not going to let up over the next week. I can deal with it so long as It clears up by this weekend for the Leaf. (yes I will be posting that link everyday)

So I am not as crabby as yesterday. Knitting helped, finishing the sweater helped. As did a healthy home cooked dinner (haven't cooked much lately) and a good cry over sappy TV. Of course I wish I could have gotten more sleep and normally when I am blue I go to bed very early. I will take a short cat nap this evening listening to the rain.

2003-05-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

Sarsaparilla holding down the body of the Age of Aquarius Sweater.

Just testing my webmaster karma.

2003-05-06T10:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry folks, I am crabby today and am going to blog about it. There is very little knitting content today. I finished the Age of Aquarius peices, that's it. Haven't knit since Sunday.

Maybe that is why I am so crabby.

The weather pixie should have water to her ears. The rain is really getting on my nerves. It was nice to sleep to Sunday night. But 24 hours later and the threat of continued showers for the rest of the week sux. I have discovered that my gutters were not installed properly. The rain cascades off the corner where they should have slurged on just 4 more inches of metal. The pool forms right over the borage seeds. I am sure they are water logged. The rest of the seed beds just seem well watered. But the borage can be replanted. So I won't sweat it. Thank god for triple ground hardwood mulch. I am afraid to go in the basement. There is a good chance I will find lots of water.

I am not really sure why I am grouchy. I think it has to do with a boy, but I am in denial. It is not a boy I am dating, so it should not make me crabby. I am probably crabby because I am not dating this boy. But after last night, I think I would probably be crabby if I was dating this guy. Amazing how I am able to deduct this without having to try on a potentially painful relationship. Then again I have not been in a relationship for quite some time so I can't really say this approach is working for me. So, there was a lot of discussion last night about his midlife crisis thanks to a mutual friend who occassionally digs into his issues. It was draining. Thank god she does not want to dig up my issues. I am hoping it is because she thinks I either have no issues, or she does not give a shit about my issues. Either way I am thankful it was not my life under the microscope. But what can I say, he seemed okay with it for about a 30 minutes before he was ready to leave. It felt like drama.

I am going to The Leaf this weekend. Have plans to listen to some good music, dance, dance,dance, and just sit in the sun by the lake. Going with Barbara on Saturday. It will be good to have the company, but I really love going to festivals by myself and letting the day happen. The good cajun music happens on Friday Night. Friday night I will go by myself.

Lisa just called to cancel craft night. I really need to see my girls, but oh well. I invited them to come to my house, but usually they do not show up when I do that. Besides who wants to get out in the rain.

Work is in waiting-on-the-editor limbo. It is like waiting for the storm (rain again! ARGGGGHHH!). I'll have 2 books at once and very little time to do them, but thankfully I will get the help of a production artist. I guess I need to find something better to do. I wish I could bitch some more. Maybe later.

2003-05-04T20:04:00.000-04:00

Wow and now my background color is missing and I am not able to log onto my web host server.

I worked like crazy in the garden. I would post pix, but Again I am not able to log on to the web server, damnit. The dog and I are fighting over garden space inear the house in the back yard.So I have piled lots of screens and chicken wire over what is left of my seed bed in hopes that he did not COMPLETELY destroy what is there and will not want to dig a spot to lei down near the house. Talk about one dead dog. It looks like hell. The front however is looking fabulous. Again I'll post pix when my web master karma improves.

Almost done with the Age of Aquarius sweater. 8 more rows , the neck edge, seams and blocking. YEAH!

2003-05-01T15:29:00.000-04:00

I have no clue why Blogger is not posting my entries other. I am sure it is related to the reason why my animated GIFs are not reading as well. How frustrating. I hope I have finished what should be the last of the furniture shoot. There is a good chance I will have to reshoot one piece. The room was just too small to get a good angle without distorting the piece. Came home with daisies and apples from the shoot.

I will sit and knit tonight after I clean the kitchen. Hopefully I will be able to finish thesleeve. I really do not have that much more to go. The weather will be a little cooler this weekend. I had hoped to get a little gardening done but there are some afternoon storms bumbling through. I have missed the window of time to get some of the spring stuff in the ground. I am thinking some of the summer bulbs will not flower as well. Next year. It is so hard for me toi think in terms of the long term garden. Right now I just want to plant stuff. I can move it next year.

2003-04-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had a steaming 10 cu. yd. of mulch delivered to my house. It is about 4 ft tall and completely covers my driveway. Today I bought a garden cart and a big shovel. I know what I will be doing for the next month. The pile has to be moved to the other side of the potting shed. I will not have to buy mulch for a couple of years.

It was such a productive craft night last night. I cranked out over half of the Age of Aquarius sweater and made plans to go to the big herb festival at the farmers market. Everyone showed up last night for the first time in months. Unfortunately I had to leave just as Suzanne got there.

Got the last of the furniture photo shoot tomorrow. Amen.

Off to a benefit dinner with some quizzo folks

2003-04-29T12:59:00.000-04:00

It is hot outside-- 70 degrees. I have not been in the mood to knit at all. But I am so close to finishing the Age of Aquarius sweater, I am just making myself plug along. Nothing new to report. I was the math genius at Quizzo last night. There were some SAT algebra questions. I was the only brave soul to attempt. A little rusty (How often does an Art Director REALLY need algebra?) I got the three math questions nailed. Maybe it is all the math I have to use in knitting. The soccer girls always groan when I make them do the math when figuring their gauge. Anyway...dispite my math efforts, we only ranked 4th place last night.

It is a day meetings...off to the next.

2003-04-27T15:02:00.000-04:00

It is 70º outside and I have tilled up what Sebastian thinks is his flower bed. Started the what will be the big veggie bed. Ran out of gas, flooded the tiller, decided to come in to blog while I wait.

So far a relatively uneventful weekend. Lisa and I went to the yarn store yesterday. No linen yarn, but some nice cotton. Got enough for a summer tank. The color is not reading very well online, but it is a weird grayish/brownish/purply color. I finally got to meet Jenanne. Lisa and I came back to my house hung out on the porch looking at magazines eating easter candy and garlic stuffed olives. PMSish--the package from mom with the chocolate goodies came at a good time.

Did lots of laundry Friday night (Mark and Tom were just as ambivalent about getting out on a dreadry Friday). Did not get much knitting done at BeanStreets. I was very tired and really just felt like staring out the window. Paul and Ron sat with me. A nice diversion, it was good to listen more than talk. Although, I am sure I did my share of gabbing. Not sure what has happend to the knitting girls. But either way it is a great way to spend Sunday mornings.

Back to the tiller. It is just too nice outside to be in front of the computer.

2003-04-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

Management is out of the office.The only pressing thing I had going on today took all of 20 minutes to do. It is not even 3 p.m. I may have to step out to do some "book research." Took a long lunch with Jimmy and Keller Anne. Sat at BeanStreets for 20 minutes with Suzie. Paid some bills, surfed the internet. It is pretty dreary outside. I hope it rains in the a.m. I would really like to have a good excuse to sleep in.

Yarn Paradise opens tomorrow. Fellow blogger Jenanne, has some truly tantalizing pix of inventory. Lisa and I have redirected our West Asheville Mexican lunch plans to a restaurant closer to the shop. If I don't go to the Camper Van Beethoven show at the The Orange Peel tonight, then I will be organizing the stash to make room for the possible enhancement. Not that I do not have enought yarn and fleece to keep me busy for months. And actually I am not really in the market for additional yarn, but I have been craving some Rowan Magazines.

I packed up the wool sweater. It was sad to put away the ones I made this year for the first time. I have them stored in a big truck with my special anti-moth herb mix in a big mesh bag. One part cedar shavings(from the pet section at Wal Mart) / one part bay leaves / one part lavender. Smells yummy.

I love my summer clothes. Lots of hawaiian dresses and linen. Maybe I will spring for some linen yarn to make som summer tops. It is soooo expensive. Thank goodness summer tops do not require much yarn. I am setting a tight limit on what I can get.

Friday Five:

1. What was the last TV show you watched?
Good Morning America This morning while getting ready for work.

2. What was the last thing you complained about?
A current work project gone awry

3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
I told my friend Susan she was a good mom. She is having to juggle work and 5 year old while husband is in Tampa on business for the next few months.

4. What was the last thing you threw away?
My paycheck envelope

5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited?
My online banking account info (I know boring, but it is payday)

2003-04-23T19:20:00.000-04:00

{Over libations at 7 pm}

We cranked out 9 big furniture shots today at the photo shoot. I am sore and tired. Luckily we were just at the senior ADs house. I missed bagel day, but had time to make breakfast this morning.

Here is a before and after pic of the rib I dropped. I finished the sleeve last night at craft night. I may be able to crank the rest by the end of next week. Too bad it isn't finished for tonight. There is a frost warning. I am sure there will be many cool mountain nights.

So, last night we planned our Second Annual May Day Craft Girls Camping Trip. Not the hike into the wood with a pack trip, but the pull the car up and unload the portable kitchen kind of trip. Grilling steaks, a nice pit fire, mehindi tatoos. Last year Suzanne said it is like camping with Martha Stewart. But this year we will not go to Bent Creeks free camping. Lots of transient folks. Got to scout a new place.

2003-04-21T15:03:00.000-04:00

Egad! Has it really been almost a week since I have blogged. Work has been insanely busy and rather hellish.

I did end up losing the extra ribs charted on the Age of Aquarius sleeve. I brazenly dropped each of 4 stiches14'' to the cuffs and picked them back up as purls. I did get quite a bit done this weekend. In between garden time and house cleaning time at home and then a nice healthy couple of hours at Bean Streets (even dispite "distractions" and somehow miscounting rows--I put it down before it could get reallyscrewed up). I really only have a row or 2 to go on the first sleeve, but just could not squeeze it in between chores. I may finish this puppy by the end of next week!

I managed to get one of the front beds planted with shrubs. I got rather small ones but filled in with butterfly bush that I can move later once the other stuff catches up. I will go back next weekend with seeds and bulbs. This weekend was the first week of the tailgate markets. No veggies or goat cheese yet, but some nice plants. Got rosemary, lavender, and hops (no I do not make beer, but the flowers are great for a truly relaxing bath tea).
Yoga this afternoon, Quizzo tonight.

2003-04-16T09:56:00.000-04:00

And now my animated gifs aren't working either. {sigh}

I am about 80% through the first sleeve in the Age of Aquarius sweater. It is going very fast. The pattern chart is not matching up with the beauty shot. I kind of like the picture version better, but I am NOT frogging it. I am sure I will not even remember the difference when I get it finished and blocked. I am kind of ready to be done so I can get back to the corsetted sweater. It is about the right weather for that one. I also have some great magenta yarn for a bolero sweater to go with my CP Shades summer stuff.

I am finally getting back to normal after being wiped out with the sinusy/cold thing. Yesterday was a little bit of a struggle, I was so tired. And I have not been sleeping too well. I wake up at 2 am. Last night I had horrific war nightmares. Yes I was watching the news before bed. But that is the norm, and I rarely have nightmares. Food for thought.

It is going to be a day full of concept meetings. Hoping to get the back yard mowed before I go to Ailey II.

2003-04-14T20:17:00.000-04:00

What in the Sam hell happened to today's post? and now blogger is showing my old template in the template edit window. Wow, what a pain in the ass. Damn.

2003-04-13T20:33:00.000-04:00

Well, Blogger is being screwy. I am not able to update my template. For some reason on that page there is just the edit box and at the end of my code is the blogger code for all the text and buttond that should be on the template edit page. Too weird. Same on home and work computer.The only way around is to save the code in a text file, change the template to blog prefab version, at that edit box, cut and paste my code and save. it then changes the template but I have to do that all over again is I need to revise. What a pain in the ass. And of course since it is a free service there is absolutely no way to report the freakish bug to the techies that be over at Pyra.

Anybody have any words of wisdom? Email me because the comment javascript is also not working. In the mean time I am getting a crash course in Moveable Type. I let y'all know what the new address will be.

After frogging the neck to the Age of Aquarius sweater three times. I put it back on the holders and cranked 7 inches of sleeve No. 1. I think I may have found a knitter to stitch and bitch over beers on Thursdays. Thank heavens for smoke freepubs. Westville Pub is half way bertween her house and mine. Heck we might have even talked Suzie into coming there to learn how to knit.

2003-04-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

It is a beautiful day out and I am blog obsessed. I did something to totally screw up the blog and had to go in to fix. What the hell, might as well give it a bit of an update. Something funky happens when I try to add Javascript to the first two columns. Worked until the wee hours troubleshooting. Woke up this morning with ideas of how to fix. I am overall happy with how it is looking, if only I could fix the damn java issue. Therefore no comments for now. Any clues email me PLEASE!!! I guess it is for the better that I am inside the stress of the photoshoot along with a sick photogreapher had me a litttle under the weather last night. I pumped myself up with all kinds of goodies and feel a little better this morning. No knitting so far. Started to swatch a pair of koigu socks last night, but opted to blog instead. I figures socks would require less attention that the neck of the Age of Aquarius sweater, although I am itching to get through that mess and on to the sleeves. But I need social knitting tomorrow for the coffeeshop. I know I will have at least the company of Nicole. After our trip to the yarn store last week, she came back with yarn and needeles for her first project.

2003-04-12T09:14:00.000-04:00

testing my new blog

2003-04-10T19:06:00.000-04:00

Spider Martin, Civil Rights photographer died Tuesday. His images are the historic ones you remember from the March on Selma or the demonstrations in Birmingham in the 60s. Not much more than 5 feet tall with a handle bar mustache, you just couldn't miss him. He always looked like he was living large. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

It snowed like crazy today. I would post a pic, but it would look like last weeks snow pic. This weekend will be back to the 60s. The 4 inches we got came so fast that, the die hard New Yorker office manager closed the office at lunch. We were having the end of the season department lunch at Heiwa and the only ones in the restaurant. The waiter was convinced we wanted to spend the night. I left my car at in the parking lot and hitched a ride with the photographer and his 4x4.

Built a fire and finished the shoulder seams of the Age of Aquarius sweater. Started the neck band, but I am having a hard time keeping up with where I am.The instructions are very long per round. Have ripped it out twice and need to do it again. GRRRRR!!!! I would pick up another project but I am itching to finish this one. Today was just the perfect laundry/knitting in front of the TV kind of afternoon.

2003-04-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

Today my photo shoot schedule worked it self out. I was able to stretch out 2 weeks of intensive shoot over more time. Thank goodness. People were beginning to tell me I looked frazzled. I was too busy to notice that I was. Mom sent me some yoga props since am not able to go on photoshoot days. (Thanks! Mom) It has become vital. Sarsaparilla Kitty would not get off my sticky mat. She like doing yoga with me. She especially likes walking under me while I am in Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Tonight I worked on the neck edge on the Age of Aquarius sweater while watching TV. I still have one neck edge to the shoulder seam to go. I think the sleeves should go pretty fast. My guess is it will take me 6 more weeks. I will still be able to wear it on cool mountain nights.

It is supposed to snow tomorrow. One more chance to build a fire and wear the wool sweaters. But back to the 70s this weekend In time to work on the garden.

2003-04-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

Today was a little better at the photo shoot, but my body outright hurts from the tension and moving the furniture we were shooting. So tonight, craft night was really massage therapy night. Everyone had some crazy knots to be worked out. I did manage to get 3 rows cranked on the Age of Aquarius sweater. Boy It will take me forever to finish this last part, I just don't see where I am going to have the time to knit in the next few days, other than Sunday at the coffeeshop. That is if there are no distractions--and I am kind of hoping there will be {smile}.

2003-04-07T23:44:00.000-04:00

This daylight savings thing has me totally screwed up. I woke up at 8:00. Luckily I had showered the night before. It took me all of 20 minutes to dress, feed the dog, and gather extra props for the photo shoot today.

Boy that really set the tone for my Monday. I guess I can't complain, I had a string of great days, but today was annoying. The photo shoot was high maintenance, but thank heavens I had a great photographer who is very laid back. Hope tomorrow is a lot better.

Got no knitting done. Maybe that is my problem. And I did not get to go to yoga because of the shoot. Or maybe I was just due to have a blah day. I am to the point of needing to pay attention to my Age of Aquarius sweater and need a block of uninterupted time to do so. And I am thinking tomorrow night at craft night will not be the time as well. We'll see.

Quizzo was fun, but we did not so too well. It was just good to see everyone, get out have a beer and give the day the big raspberry. God, I hope tomorrow is better.

2003-04-07T00:11:00.000-04:00

Lee and I had a great visit. Yes I finished her socks Saturday morning over coffee. After a great stormy morning, the sky cleared up and we hit the trails. Would have worked in the garden today, but I was so tired, I napped for 3 hours. I am to the neck decrease on the front of the Age of Aquarius sweater. Will post pix when I finish the front. Just the sleeves now. Hope that will go very fast. I am ready to have some new spring sweaters.

2003-04-04T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well I am past the heel of the second sock. I have 5 hours till L is here. And I am at work. I might try to sneak in some extra knitting time around lunch. Looks like plans for hiking might be panned because of the weather. It might be a gallery hop weekend instead. Oh well. It will be great just to catch up with my buddy. I am going to the yarn store today with the publisher's assistant. I will only allow myself to buy a Rowan Magazine.

Friday Five

1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?
I know we moved alot before I was 5. But since then 11 dorms/apartments/houses in 31 years.

2. Which was your favorite and why?
I loved the big Senators Mansion I lived in briefly with my boyfriend and a coworker in 1991. It was in a historic part of Birmingham near some beautiful parks. Built in 1900, the architectural detail was incredible, I had a working fireplace in my bedroom. It was a crazy living situation and I was only ther for 4 months. But I loved that place.

3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why?
Stressful! My pad is where I like to go to feel grounded. I have a lot of stuff, moving is a pain in the ass.

4. What's more important, location or price?
Wow that is a toss up. I think I am happier when I live in a neighborhood I like, but I am also happy when I am not strapped for $$$.

5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?
Good garden space, a killer front porch, working fireplace, studio space, and lots of old windows the open properly.

2003-04-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

So maybe L will end up with one sock as well. Unless I can work on it during my budget meeting tomorrow morning. Did some prop shopping for next weeks shoot. Took the top off the jeep and picked stores that allowed me to take the Blue Ridge Parkway. Another 75º day. I can't remember when I have felt so happy and relaxed. My house is clean, it is such a beautiful time of year. I had to buy some plants and took my time exploring the garden shop, looking at the bushes. Yesterday as I mowed the lawn, I saw what looks like daisies coming up behind where the spirea was. And I have red tulips in the side yard. I have a rose bush near the chimney. Can't wait to see what color it will be. I am hoping deep red so I can make some rose beads. House in order. The basement needs work But I think that is a nice rainy day project. I get that settled and I will have space to do some dying and stained glass. Happy HAppy Joy Joy, off to crank on the bday sock so I can get back to the Age of Aquarius sweater. About 2 more inches to the neck decrease of the front.

2003-04-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

Three days and 40º later. Doesn't even look like the same yard. Took the day off and have blown through the house. Knit at Beanstreets and talked with S this morning. L came over after work to sit with me until she had to go get her son from school. Such a good day. The house is looking good. Hope to take time out to finished L's b'day socks before she comes. Maybe it will be warm enought this evening to knit on the porch. I know I probably look like an old granny in my rocking chair, but it is my second favorite place to knit. Tunes cranked watching the cars go by. What a good day.

2003-04-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

So today at lunch I ripped out 3 rows of the Age of Aquarius sweater that I knit on Sunday. I must have been flustered over a boy at the coffee shop because I kept messing up. Next time I am bringing a backup dishcloth to work on. Met my friends at QUIZZO again last night. This time we got first place--a $40 gift certificate to the pub. I am in between book schedules. My office is clean and I am taking tomorrow off to plow through the house and play in the nice weather. Notice the naked weather pixie? It is like summer outside. I get to go to the yarn store Friday for work. I love my job.

2003-03-30T08:27:00.000-05:00

What the Hell? I guess I wount be playing in the garden today much less trying to make my way to Beanstreets. The weather channel says we are getting an inch an hour and still coming down. I guess it is a good thing. I have to clear some boxes for and straighten up for L's visit next weekend. I am cranking out some socks for her. They are going amazingly fast. Cranked one in about two hours total. Almost finished the front of the Age of Aquarius sweater, got about 6 more inches to go. Would have been nice to have had it to wear today! but then again it is cotton, so I am sure there will be some cool mountain nights this spring.

Saw an incredible show at The Orange Peel last night.Sparklehorseused to tour with Mazzy Star and you can see the influence in the music. My new favorite band.

2003-03-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Is it Wednesday already? No time to knit much less blog. Work has been busy with end of the season book deadline. B and I went to klezmer madness last night. Fabulous show. David Krakauer mixes some great klezmer music with jazz and funk. He was accompanied by one of the best guitarist I have seen (heard?) Great show.

Played Quizzo at Jack of the Wood with some Beanstreet regulars and B&N employees on Monday. We won SECOND PLACE!!!! We are cashing in the $20 gift certificate next Monday. We were all shocked. Sure didn't feel that smart that night, but I suppose we just weren't as toasted as the rest of the teams.

Other than that no knitting. Just work. Got the Soccer mom and girls knitting night this friday. And getting ready for company who is now coming the first week in April.

2003-03-23T20:17:00.000-05:00

I am hitting that phase where I do not really feel like knitting, but I want to read a lot of patterns. I probably have enough yarn and fleece to keep me busy for a year. Lots of wool. But I want to knit some summer stuff. I am using cotton. I would love to do a nice linen sweater, but it is SOOO expensive. I have been plugging away at the age of aquairus sweater. I made it to the armholes tonight. But I really want to dye some fleece and spin. Can'rt do it for a while. Got too much o my plate with work and out of town company coming. got to get the house together. Bought a lawn mower and a used bike this weekend. I loved mowing MY lawn. it smelled like fresh cut grass all afternoon. The bike is a used Marin. It is a 15" frame--I am pretty short. I did not think I would be able to find a used bike with frame to fit me. Of course I was completely humbled when I biked to the end of my street. I thought I was going to die. I can't believe at one time (in my former life) I used to do this with ease. I know the roads are hilly here. But not that bad!!!! My goal is simple to be able to ride to work regularly. Right now I am shooting for around the block. JEEZ!!

2003-03-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

The orchid I got at the orchid show bloomed yesterday.Brassolaelia morning glory seems to like the kitchen window. Worked on the Age of Aquarius sweater as I watched CNN. Obsessed with the news. I would normally saw something like "I am glued to the TV. It is like watching a train wreck." But needless to say a train wreck would by no means be as tragic than what is going on right now.

The designer of the Age of Aquarius sweater created it with ropes and hearts to represent love, harmony and balance. Kind of fitting for an earthy chic living in the Haight-Ashbury of the South wishing we weren't going to war.

2003-03-19T12:03:00.000-05:00

Ahhh... Coffee... much better. About to go into lunchtime stitch and bitch. Last knit I realized I am missing my favorite cable needle. I often find needles in my ponytail (best place to store between cabled rows), so there is no telling where this one is. I may have to take a trip to Black Mountain just to replace it all the while chanting "say no to stash enhancement." I may have found a good used mountain bike with a frame small enough for me at a reasonable price. May become a neccessity after we go to war and the oil prices go thru the roof. Off to plug away at the Age of Aquarius sweater. Maybe I will get my shit together tonight and post some progress pix.

2003-03-19T08:55:00.000-05:00

Ahhh. Bagel Day. I am waiting for B to get to work before I get my coffee. She wants to scope out the handsome rasta man working at the furniture store on the way to the coffeeshop. I really need her to get here soon. I need my coffee this morning. I had goo intentions of taking the bus, but did not make it out of bed until 7:45! I have slowed down on the knitting. I did crank a lot Sunday, no knitting on Monday. Finally.... More post java.

2003-03-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

A nice but uneventful weekend. The weather has been dreary, so I have not really been inspired to be in the yard. But it was great weather for knitting in the coffeeshop. Stayed later than usual visited with lots of folks. Had 2 women join me with their knitting. I went to a fabulous St. Patty's Day party and ran into a woman I have met months ago thru a fiber art friend. She has offered to give me a knitting machine and some of her yarn stash. She used to be a knitter but has not been able to do it for years because of a back injury. It is a generous and overwhelming offer. I do not think I have ever seen a knitting machine. I have seen some machine knitting books upstairs at work. I have cranked 5 inches on the Age of Aquarius sweater. Got some magenta cotton to recreate a cropped cardigan I love that is wearing out.

2003-03-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

I have finished the back of the Age of Aquarius sweater and am on the last row of ribbing on the front. I have put down 3 sweaters on needles to work on this. After tackling a large sweater with so many cables I feel like I can finish the other three in no time. I am itching to break out the dyes, but will not let myself until I get into it until I get some things worked out around the house. Got company coming the end of the month and the futon is in pieces behind a wall of boxes in the "computer room", and it is time to get the garden together. I am thinking the house warming party will be after mid April. If I make it a garden party and ask people to bring me something for the yard (preferably from their garden) I will be able to fill the beds in no time. Craft night girls are coming over to help move boxes to the basement next week.

Friday Five:

1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?
Not really. I would much rather talk in person. But I could talk to a brick wall and have been known to have really high long phone phone bills so I guess maybe I do like to talk on the phone.

2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?
B a coworker. Does work stuff count?

3. About how many telephones do you have at home?
2 pluged in.

4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened?
Anyone in customer service for the phone company. BellSouth has been charging me for DSL service that I do not have and the customer service rep was not very nice or helpful, and when I wanted her to explain further she was impatient and angry. I have found them to consistently be rude enough to consider dropping service with them and getting a cellphone.

5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?
It would depend on the nature of the conversation. Just to catch up, email is fine. But when I require a response i.e: what movie should we see? the phone is more efficient.

2003-03-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

What a sad day.

After a month without updates, Carolyn has posted her farewell blog entry at Dangerous Chunky. I know so many knitters were inspired by her creative and witty blog entries.Carolyn, I hope you have moved on to good things and will still haunt the ring in commentary. I am gonna miss reading you.

2003-03-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

I love this book. It is so not the book that I thought I bought. But it was a book I very much needed. Unfortunately it looks like a book that focuses on socks, and I guess it does in a way. But 2/3 of the book talks about dying fleece and spinning yarn. Author, Lynn Vogel, uses socks because it lets her quickly experiment with her yarn. As Lynn points out, you can approach dying scientifically or artistically. Scientifically you are better able to recreate successful results (or learn from unsucceessful ones) Artistically, you learn to appreciate the results you get. I have been bitching and moaning about all the white yarn and fleece I had to dye. Found the box of dyes left over from my batik days. I am inspired to dye the yarn I spun for the Age of Aquarius sweater that I am not using.

2003-03-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Finally progress pix of the Age of Aquarius sweater. I love this pattern, lots of cables and challenging, but easy to hit a rhythm after a while. I do not know if it is published in Interview Knits or an addendum to The Knitters Stash, but there is a mistake in the chart for both.

I spent the better part of the day outside, wrestling two more bushes out of the yard and knitting on the porch.

Yep that is the honking wheel of mill end cotton yarn that I got from the Earth Guild's annual sale. I may be able to get another sweater out of it.

So here is before.

And after today

I know it looks like crap, but oh the potential... So maybe this is really before, and I will post after in July or so. Quite the task, and I am exhausted. Off to shower and it is off to T and M's for Six Feet Under.

2003-03-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

I really have no intriguing knitting news to post. Still working on the Age of Aquarius sweater and probably will be for a while. It is big with a lot of cables. I am thinking I will need to break out the dyes for all the cotton yarn and white fleece I have. But other than that nothing. The weather has been so nice lately. Good knitting on my new porch weather. I slept with the windows open last night. I love this time of year.

2003-03-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

I cranked 4 more rows of the Age of Aquarius sweater on the bus this morning. I am now up to 8.5 inches of the back. I love this pattern. I am getting in the rhythm of it. Easy to do, it has a lot of cables, but it is the same 8 rows for the most part. Last night's yoga class saved me from being in serious pain after my gardening weekend. We did a lot of back bends which evidently stirs up energy and possible irritability. Yep I am a little irritable today, but not bad. Thing are good, I am just more apt to snap at my editors. I am designing 2 scarecrows for a book. Was about to turn the project down, but pulled it off in the last minute and I hope they get approved. I may do them for myself if they don't.

2003-03-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

It is so spring like right now I can't stand it. Well the tourists are back for starters. Lots of Georgia tags this weekend. It is 60º I am dying to get in the garden. My yard is a blank canvas. Well almost I have a few hedges I want to dig out. And I have spring bulbs blooming. Daffodils, crocus and what I think will be tulips.

Blew off the spinners guild meeting today to tackle one os the spirea bushes in my yard.

It took a little less than an hour to dig that baby out.

The dog has been doing a little gardening himself.

But he is not digging as much lately. His new hobbie is stick.

I'd like to think of it as an organic wood chipper. I have 5 inches completed on the Age of Aquarius cotton sweater. At the coffee shop today I was pretty much on my own. There was a lady from Winston-Salem, who comes to Asheville with her husband often enough to know that she could find me on Sunday. She needed help trouble shooting the knitted bag she was making. Yep, I have become the barfly of the coffee shop.Six Feet Under's third season kicks off tonight. Can't wait. My absolute favorite show on the tube. Going to M and T's and wearing black. And yes I am bringing the knitting.

2003-02-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

I totally missed the bus today. I need an alarm clock. The one I absolutely love got damaged in the move. I usually do not need one. But every now and then it helps get me to the office on time. Thumbed through some knitting mags last night. Knit a guage of some cotton yarn I got at the Earth Guild sale last week. It is a lot softer than I thought. Will make a nice sweater. Not a lot to blog today.

2003-02-26T13:31:00.000-05:00

Bring on the snow.

I mean big snow. The stay at home and knit in front of the fire to a good line up of movies with chili on the stove kind of snow. But the best I can hope for will probably just be a lot of rain. I know I will be going home to a soggy dog. Rather than napping in his dog house, he like to play in the rain with his new favorite toy – stick. So in addition to knitting by the fire tonight, I will be bathing the dog.

I have ripped out a couple of the rows of the tie front cardigan yet again. I am so ready to be done with that one. And it really should not take that long, but I keep screwing up. It is a busy fiber art weekend. Spinners guild meeting, Soccer mom/daughter knit nite, Margarita knitting Saturday. And of course the coffee shop Sunday AM. I need a low maintanence project for my fiberarts social agenda.

Yesterday was B's birthday. I gave her some fleece to dye that I will spin for her. She makes hats and has been experimenting with natural dyes. I love that we will be working on some stuff together.