Happy Sixth Birthday, Kevin!

Today is my son's sixth birthday and he's 24! I have taken the next few days off from work, and the whole family miraculously is off today and will be celebrating Kevin's birthday this evening. When you only get a real birthday every 4 years (most of the time), special efforts are made to celebrate the day.

Kevin came over last night to show off his new Nintendo portable toy and to humiliate me by having me play some game that shows your true brain age. My true brain age is 80. My true brain age was determined by the ability to say aloud the color I saw, even though the color in word was different. I also do arithmetic at a walking stage. That should come as no surprise. So, now I want one of those Nintendo things with that game. I'm hell bent to show my true brain age is 20!

I'll write more later. I have to find a picture of Kevin's newish tattoo of the band he loves so much that he's decided to wear its emblem on his skin for the rest of his life! Here it is, the Radiohead emblem:

Bob and Caramella

I can't stop looking at those knitted/crocheted toy patterns. I saw Bob on Ravelry and laughed out loud. Bob is inspired by the "plastic thing that floats in your toilet." I wonder what my brother-in-law Bob would think of this if I knit it for him. I love the other toys at Mochimochiland, too: Grass, Toilet Paper, the bathtub with the bubbles.



Tonight I went to spinning class and we learned about spinning alpaca and llama. I've loved spinning alpaca for a long time, but I've been pleasantly surprised by llama. More and more breeders are breeding llama for fiber and it's gotten downright alpaca like in softness. I like spinning alpaca and llama because it doesn't require the twist that merino requires and my spinning wheel seems to cooperate when I spin a fiber that requires a lower twist. I have a lot of alpaca from over the years, and I swore I wasn't going to bring any home, but I saw Caramella's washed, flicked, and carded wool and changed my mind. Such silky softness! There are 2 local shows coming up some time in April - one for llamas, which will be more work-related, and the other for alpaca, which will be more fiber related. I'd love to go to both, but they're the same weekend. I really, really want to live on a farm!

I need a new traveling spinning wheel. When we got home, the bobbin fell off the spinning wheel and went rolling down the driveway. I need to go put the spinning wheel back together. It's SO unportable!

Before I forget, friend, Nicholette, announced on Ravelry that she is opening a new store in Vancouver: StitchCraft! It's been great fun to see StitchCraft grow from an idea expressed about 4 months ago to becoming a real store in May. Not only will there be yarn (Claudia, Lorna's Laces, Blue Sky, Rowan), but there will be fabric and embroidery thread, too. And, it's all natural fiber and a lot of it will be organic, especially the fabric. Patterns won't be the typical Butterick, etc. you see at Joann's; there will be independent pattern designers, including local designers. Also, the emphasis on the patterns is on home design. It's enough to make me want to dust off my sewing machine. I have a hard time even putting together simple puzzles, so I haven't sewn much. This will change! The web page will be up some time this week, and if I can figure out how to make buttons appear on this page, I'll put on a button link to the site. Vancouver really needs stores like this. I love Portland, but hate driving there. I long for the day when I can get everything I want and need in Vancouver.

I'm in the middle of Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's painful to read, but oh my goodness, what a book! It's the best I've read in a long, long time and I've been staying up into the wee hours of the morning to read it for the last 4 nights or so. I think when I'm done I'll start Purple Hibiscus. I'm off to read!

Lazy Sunday

Lyn and Tim went to a Trailblazer game this afternoon, the second game of the 2 Tim gave Lyn for Christmas. I took advantage of the opportunity to have coffee with friend and coworker, Sandy. Sandy has been working out at Firstenburg Center on Sundays with her sister and daughter, and I may be joining them since the center is close to me. It's always good to see Sandy and be in face-to-face contact with coworkers. The only downfall to working at home is the isolation from people. The only consolation of working the Tuesday through Saturday evening shift is that Sandy works it, too. I know I complain about this shift frequently. I'm considering a few avenues to take to get out of this situation, including returning to school spring quarter.

I complete the last of my swaps tomorrow and have been excited about the possibilities of doing what I want when I want. Here are a couple of works in progress I've started. The first is the Elvera scarf by Evelyn Clark. I'm using fingering weight O Wool, which is my newest favorite yarn. The color is Tea Rose.



The second is a mindless social knitting project. It's the Braided Rib sock and I'm using Ranco mostly solid sock yarn in purple. I'm split between Araucania Ranco and Rio de la Plata as my newest favorite sock yarn. I've been very pleased with South American fibers. I only used the pattern on the leg, which is why it's a mostly mindless project that works for social knitting situations.



Yesterday I bought The Knitter's Book of Yarn for the Diamonds Diamonds and Pearls Shawl. I've been meaning to knit nephew Robert's wife, Oksan, a shawl. I can't be at the wedding in Cyprus this summer, so I wanted to do something to welcome her to the family. I have Silk Rhapsody and have had some trouble finding patterns for this particular yarn. There are a number of other patterns in this book I want to do, but that pattern swayed me to buy the book.

I've discovered Amigurumi and now need to learn to crochet. Until I have a grandchild, these seriously cute crocheted toys will be for me. I did find some knit patterns I liked, but I prefer the crocheted ones.

I also have downloaded the Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest from Classic Elite patterns (page 2) and have the yarn to do the Pearl Buck jacket from Best of Interweave Knits.

Now, in spite of all these projects I want to do, I did just join 2 more swaps - a caffeine swap at Ravelry and ISE-6. I love swaps and love to answer the question, "what part of the world are you knitting for now?"

Dinner is ready. Lyn and Tim just got back from the game. Lyn bought home Girl Scout cookies. Heaven help me!

Signs of spring!

I've been missing in action due to being under the weather. I'm on an antibiotic and I'm so sleepy I spend the day sleeping, then working and fighting sleep. We've had a few beautiful days with sunlight and warm temperatures, not that I can enjoy them. I'm supposed to avoid sunlight due to the antibiotics. I'm also supposed to avoid caffeine. Ugh! No wonder I'm sleepy!

I have managed to mostly finish 2 swaps and to finish the Loopy Ewe swap. My Loopy swap partner doesn't live too far away, so I'm assuming it is safe to post a picture of the socks I knit as she should have received them yesterday or today.



These are The Fluted Banister in Lorna's Laces Purple Club. Keri gave me the yarn for Christmas and it seemed to suit my pal's color preferences. I love the color, so I'll be replacing the color eventually.

I finished 2 face cloths and am debating about doing a third. They can be done so quickly and the colors are cheery.



Patterns are Elvin Leaves and Butterfly. I will edit with pattern titles and authors later this evening. The green is Rowan cotton, the yellow is Debbie Bliss DK cotton. The Debbie Bliss is a little short on yardage, but the softness was wonderful! The Rowan was very nice, too, and had generous yardage.

I spent Sunday (before antibiotics) in Portland with Lyn. We hit 23rd Avenue, where I accomplished a lot for my swaps. It was the one gorgeous day I was able to enjoy. I've never seen the street so crowded. My mother has always referred to people in the Northwest as newts - or as people who avoid sunlight, but I think we've all been craving it due to the mass numbers of people I saw out and about. I was able to hit Lush, Blue Moon Chocolates, and the library before coming home to...sleep.

As predicted, there are signs of spring in late February in my yard. I'm becoming more cheerful, the days are getting longer (sunset at 6 o'clock last night) and color is reappearing. I think it's the lack of color in the winter that is so tedious. It's time for work (UGH)and I'll leave you with some signs of spring in the yard:

Winter Doldrums Package

I received my Winter Doldrums package from swap pal, Esther, from Florida, today. She sent me a nice supply of hand towels for the kitchen (which I really was in need of), and knit face cloth and scrubber in nice cheery colors. She also included some Red Heart yarn in really pretty shades of green, a skein of green cotton yarn, and goodies like tea and dark chocolate-covered almonds (yum!).

Thank you, Esther!

Winter Doldrums contest #4

Yes, I'm behind on answering these questions, but this particular question certainly pertains to my reasons for joining this swap in the first place. So...

" Defeat the Winter Doldrums" for some of us we get the doldrums and others don't. For the ones who get doldrums what helps you get rid of them? For the ones who don't get the doldrums, what helps you keep them away?"

I live in the Pacific Northwest where winters are gray and wet. Once upon a time this meant I loved winters and loved the fact that the rain kept things clean and green. As I've aged (It's winter and I'm feeling ancient), I have a harder time with the lack of color and light, which pretty much exists from November to April. I have a special lamp that I use daily to help with the winter blahs, and I try to use natural light light bulbs. I tend to do some of my favorite things more in the winter, like reading and knitting, and hot drinks like coffee, tea, and cocoa are comforting. I believe the caffeine helps me feel more alert and counteracts that feeling of wanting to sleep most of the day. By mid February I'm on the rebound as days are definitely getting longer and color (bulbs) usually starts appearing by the end of the month. The change to Daylight Savings time is a month away, and I'm ready for it this year!

Theo's Better

I had a post ready for today, but received some tragic news from a friend and don't have the heart to write anything as frivolous as yarn right now. Let me just say that Theo is much better and is back to his ornery mischievous self.

I'll return in a few days. Meanwhile, please hold A and family in the light, or in your thoughts or prayers.

Weekend update

This is Theo, my cat with the most unusual and endearing personality. I got Theo when Shane (dog in tornado picture) was going to rehabilitation to help his very bad knees. My vet had a cage of a litter of kittens she had nursed back to health and put them in the lobby so she could entice new owners. I fell for Theo. He is a cat that thinks he's a dog, loves his buddy Aidan (Cairn terrier) and is a master of sleeping in strange positions and locations. He's also sick. I'm worried. He didn't eat this morning and is very lethargic. I wanted to take him into the vet but he's disappeared. When sick cats disappear, I get worried. So, think healthy thoughts for him, will you, and hope I find him so I can take him in for diagnosis and treatment.

I'm pushing through this weekend to finish up Loopy Ewe swap socks. I'm knitting them at the same time on 2 sets of circular needles. I finished the legs last night and am working on heels today. I have a week, and I should make the deadline at the rate I'm going. I'm just hoping I don't run out of yarn!

I spent some time yesterday perusing yarn shops in Portland. I could tell it was Super Bowl Sunday! Lyn took me to Twisted and optimistically brought along a book to read. There was not one chair available for him to sit down while I browsed. He took a walk and then went back to the car to wait for me. I suspect he was listening to the game. The screen was playing some movie at Twisted, but it was not the football game. Anyway, I scored on local stuff at Twisted for my Scavenger Hunt pal. I think I have funny, green and local, which now leaves something related to letter T, something round, something hard, and a category of my choosing.

While browsing through Scavenger Hunt blogs today, I happened upon the news of Gigi Silva's death. This was a shock although I had known she was ill and that the Socktopia site had been taken down. I joined Socktopia this summer after finding the site through some free pattern links at Pattern Central. There are a few knit-alongs in progress right now and I think I'll knit one of the patterns I printed off. She leaves behind young children and I think I'm going to look for a way to donate to a fund for them - maybe donate 5 dollars per pattern that I have. Socktopia is now a group at Ravelry and I'll see what's up there before I decide what to do.

In reading news, I finished Of Human Bondage (finally!). I recognized very little of it and I think most of my fascination and persistence in finishing the book (which I thought kind of boring) was trying to figure out why I considered this such a wonderful book when I was 16! Maybe because so much of it was about adolescence and young adulthood, maybe that it was one of the first books I'd read where someone questioned the existence of faith and God? I really don't remember. At any rate, I found Maugham's opinions about women bothersome (in the chapters about the family he befriended) and think this would be a much better book if Maugham had been able to write about his true sexual orientation. The women in Of Human Bondage were cardboard characters. He did a good job in The Painted Veil though. I found his years in medical school and later in internship to be the most interesting. I'm glad I reread the book, if only to find out I interpreted this book very differently when I first read it.

I'm currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. My friend Barb lent me this book as it was one she really enjoyed discussing with her book group and she thought I'd like it. I do. I think I'll return the book with The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices, by Xinran.

Next up is Multnomah County Library's Everybody Reads choice, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, and newly published library book called A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (the first in a trilogy about Bangladesh).