Manic Monday

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted on a Monday.  I know, so don't faint and don't worry.  Everything is perfect!  Life at Chez RubyRingz couldn't be any better.

A while ago (I'm too lazy to look for the post at the moment) I threatened to announce my Self-Imposed Sock of the Month selections for 2011.  Okay, so it is February.  January's Sock was the "Blame It On Jordan".  I used the leftover white from a test knit for USS and the leftover yarn from the USS Knitting Contest.  They were a birthday gift for Megan and she was so very pleased.  Evidence below of the sock:



February's Sock was test knitting for Amy (DeathByYarn) and this is the only picture I have loaded so far:



I have three inches of the leg, the cuff and the bind off and they are DONE!!!  They are lovely and Amy's pattern was very well written.  I'll have a better post about them later this week to and it will include the Ravelry link and the yarn info as well.

So, here is the grand master plan.  I looked at my queue in Ravelry and it was QBLE (QueueBeyondLifeExpectancy).  So, my logical decision was to tag every entry in the queue (starting with the socks) and thus my 2011 Sock of the Month was born.  I also looked at my queue and I had the RPM's for myself already cast on (just one sock).  Thus, they will be the March sock.  I will take each pattern as it is in the queue and cast on.  I will pair the yarn as I get ready to start the sock.  I can't bring myself to stress about the yarn until then.  Life is TOO short for me to stress.  If some of the patterns are easy I may be able to squeak in a second pair but I will not stress about that either.  One thing is certain: I will work my way through my queue and make myself some snazzy new socks this year.

Now having said that, I am also going to finish tagging all of my queue and then I plan on getting all the WIP's on the Project Page DONE!!!!  That means that I should have a nice pile of FO's by the end of the year.  Now, I have some special knitting to do for a few special friends that sent me emails earlier this year.  Their items will be incorporated as I get all of this laid out.  Most importantly, it will be stress free!

I'll have more pictures of the January and February socks later this week!  Tomorrow I plan of getting together with the USS ladies and then with the gang at PAY....more later ya'll!

Rare Monday Sighting

Today was scheduled to be a day for me.  The office was closed and I had only planned three things:

1. Take Eraser to the Vet
2. Get the car inspected (and washed)
3. Renew the registration for the car

That all sounds simple enough right?  So it seemed to me as well.  I got up with SF, amid all her protests that I should sleep in since it was my day off.  I wouldn't hear of it because I wanted to keep the regular hours that I am accustomed to so I would be certain to be ready for bed at the correct time.  Somehow, that first cup of coffee in the morning while she is getting herself ready is much more enjoyable.  We have time to chat a wee bit and she is in a good mood.

After she left, I fixed my breakfast and started a load of laundry.  I was only planning on washing what I needed for a three-day work week and holding off on the rest until this coming Friday.  The load finished while I was cleaning out my knitting bag.  It had become stuffed with WAY too many patterns and items I was not utilizing for any of the current projects.  I promptly placed the clothes in the dryer and began to gather up the things I needed to accomplish the THREE things on my to do list.  All very organized and efficient things to be doing.  Dryer finishes, clothes get folded, hung or laid out to finish drying.  Off I got to get showered, dressed and generally presentable.  So far everything is going as planned.

Now anyone with a cat can tell you that what you wear to take said cat to a vet's visit is interesting.  In Eraser's case, she sheds quite a bit more than normal when she gets nervous, so I never wear white or black, as her fur shows up far to easily on those colors.  But today with the cold I wore dark green corduroy pants, my cowboy boots and a black log-sleeved tee shirt from the last Lone Star Rally.  Seemed safe enough to me considering the weather and the fact that we were going to a feline specialist.  So, no make up since cat fur sticks to that and makes my face itch.  I scooped up the pet carrier and before Eraser knew it she was safely locked inside and we were headed out the door.

We arrive at the new vet, Feline Medical Center, with plenty of time to complete the new patient interview and history gathering phase.  They have a wonderful front staff that instantly put me at ease and listened to Eraser's issues without any negative feedback.  The vet herself was wonderful.  My thanks to Dr. Julie Molitor would not be enough if we are able to get Eraser back to "normal".  The "house" cat, Isabella tried to be nice to Eraser but she was not really in the mood to make new friends.  Dr. Molitor patiently took more history from me and as we talked, we discovered some potential issues that we agreed merited closer investigation.  Now, for those of you that don't deal with Her Highness on a regular basis, you will not understand the strength and aggression that she gains when she visits the Vet.  She becomes extremely hard to handle and has drawn blood on more than one occasion.

This visit was no exception.  The tried Feliway to make the exam easier but Eraser would have nothing to do with it.  It calmed her for about three seconds.  End of discussion.  We placed a large bath towel sprayed with it over her and then the Vet and I worked in tandem to examine her.  She only got bad one time and that was when the Vet needed to look at her teeth and gums.  Blood was drawn from the Vet but not too much or too bad of a bite.  We agreed that she needed to be sedated so that they could get a blood sample and a urine sample without stressing Eraser or anyone else out too much more.  Thirty minutes later the visit was concluded.  It took just over two hours to get all of it done.  I'll spare you all the details, but I certainly hope that the test results tomorrow show us anything else that will help get her back on track.

Off to get the car inspected.  Should be a snap since the car is only two years old, right?!  Guess again my friends.  I lug Eraser and my knitting inside and get comfortable.  About thirty minutes later the tech comes in and advises me that the car cannot pass due to a faulty gas cap.  Seriously, a faulty gas cap and I had to lug all the stuff back inside and call SF for the nearest Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer.  She was wonderful.  She located one about five minutes away and even verified that they had the correct part before I drove there.  Another twenty two dollars later I was headed back to finish the inspection and get the car washed.  Once again, I lug Eraser and the knitting inside.  This time the car passes and in thirty minutes we are all finished and back in the car once again.

Eraser falls asleep from all the stress and the ride home is quiet.  I drop her off and then go tot the laundry mat to wash all the cat bedding.  Part of her "issue" causes this weekly trip.  After that, which was not scheduled, I drop off the bedding and head to the Kroger's to renew the registration.  I stand in line for forty-five minutes only to be informed that they no longer provide that service.  A thousand horrid words wanted to escape my mouth but they didn't.  I head back to the HEB and when I got to the Courtesy Booth there was no one in line.  BONUS!!!!  It took about five minutes and then I did a tiny bit of shopping and headed to the next stop.  I had to go to PetSmart for some canned cat food, a second litter pan, a scoop and a special litter.  I must really love this fluff ball.  Finally done I got back home at 4:45 PM.  I left home at 8:00 AM to start the day of three errands.  Not exactly how I planned to spend my day off.

Starting this evening, Eraser and Sassy get 1/4 cup of dry food and two table spoons of wet food.  Before I go to bed all food is to be removed.  They are no longer free feeders.  Ms. Eraser went up by almost two whole pounds from last year at this time.  They will get food two times a day and that is that.  They will need to learn to eat when the food is out.  We should have all the test results back by the end of the week, so i am hopeful that we can get to the bottom of the issues and get them all resolved before anything else develops.

Keep your fingers crossed and send healthy kitty mojo to her....

Monday

What does one do an a generic Fall weekend?  It seems that as of late I have not been in the mood to be outside as much as I should have been.  Fall is an odd time of year here in this part of Texas.  The mornings have been crisp and I have enjoyed my early morning runs outdoors.  The afternoons have been mild, for us that is always a plus.  And the humidity levels have been low.  All in all, the perfect weather to want to be outside doing something.  But me, no way.  I have felt like a slug, a mole or a bear that wants to hibernate.

I think that it was part of some weird depression and it just had to work its way out of my system.  Thankfully, it has done so.  It happened to do so on a Monday of all days, but I'll accept that and move onwards.  Funny how the mind and the body work against us, regardless of what we plan.  These two devices hold their path and make us deal with them before allowing us to move on the path we thought we wanted.

At the moment, I am sitting in the Crane Garden in the Dunn Tower of the Methodist Hospital.  For the next two days I will be sitting here with a laptop as part of my job.  Hospital lobbies are interesting places indeed.  I am camped out with knitting (Shurt'ugal Socks) and a book (The Victorian Internet) as well.  Sitting here on the laptop does not garner much attention from onlookers at all; however, when I start to knit or read that anonymity disappears.  Even the dogs that were here for a while got less attention than I did while I knit.

Normally, knitting allows me to blend in.  I'm not sure why it seemed so foreign in the setting today.  Usually people get comfort from watching me knit.  I can only surmise that today it evokes memories of a lost loved one and has made them a wee bit melancholy.  I do not take it personally, I just observe and forge on.  At the moment, there is a wonderful piano concert being played in the lobby, so the voices have lowered and the mood has lifted.  The Starbucks seems to be the loudest noises to be heard.

Back to the weekend.  Friday I left work at 12:30 PM and headed to Upstairs Studio.  In was hoping that the gals there could kick the funk right out of me.  No such luck.  I did enjoy their company and had a great time fondling yarn combinations for a hat.  I headed home hoping that the cats, dogs and SF would be the answer.  No such luck.  SF was out on the motorcycle.  The dogs were happy to see me for supper and a trip outdoors but not much else.  The cats, well, after all they are cats and it is my job to serve them.  I headed to bed at 7:30 when not even more knitting or any reading could snap me out of it.  I felt doomed.

It is amazing what the power of human touch and TLC can actually do.  At some point in the night SF pulled me up against her and I slept like a rock against her back until 9:00 AM.  That may not seem late, but I normally get up at 6:00 AM on Saturdays.  After we ate, we had a heart to heart conversation, which both of us had been avoiding but knew we needed.  After we were done and in agreement, it felt as if a HUGE weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  Both of us looked relieved.  We decided to get cleaned up and take the motorcycle out.

We went to the Mucky Duck to get concert tickets for the November Sisters Morales show.  From there we went to Casa Buick GMC to test drive a vehicle so that I could get a free tee shirt and get registered for the Terrain that will be given away during this year's Lone Star Rally.  I test drove and Acadia.  I love it but it is a gas hog and is really expensive!  From there we took the scenic way home.  It was almost 7:00 PM when we got home and the dogs were way past due for their supper.  I fed them and SF got our dinner ready.  We didn't even turn on the TV until almost 8:00 and that was just to see some of the college football scores.  We were both so tired that we went to bed at 9:45.

Sunday was just as wonderful.  Again that comfort of sleeping up against the one you love.  We slept until 9:00 AM again.  If the dogs and cats could have taken care of them selves I think we would have stayed in bed longer.  Alas, that is not the case.  After breakfast, we agreed that I would do house work and she would tackle the palms.  So the day went.  We both seemed happy and back on the same page.  The evening was quiet and we spent quality time together before we both drifted off to sleep.  She will be out of town the rest of this week, leaving very early Tuesday morning.  I will miss her now that we are "back to normal".

I have been knitting up a storm and now that I feel better I'll get some pictures up and post about all the projects.

Have a great week and don't forget that no one can read your mind.  If you have something to say, please say it.  You will feel better and it could be the very thing that the other person needed to hear as well.

Monday

I posted these two recipes on Ravelry in response to question number two of the Scavenger Hunt Swap.  I decided that I should share them here as well, because they are just too good not to share with more people.  For my non-knitters and those not participating in this swap, what are your favorite Fall recipes.  Please, share with me, as I am a sucker for cooking in the Fall.

Potato Leek Soup
3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean (Use only the white parts and pale green parts) and chop
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegan option)
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2” pieces
Dash of Marjoram
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme OR 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce

Cook leaks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan and cook on low heat for ten minutes. Check often. Do not brown or burn! Add water, broth and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for twenty minutes. Scoop about half the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add marjoram, parsley and thyme. Add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce or chili sauce (to taste) and some freshly ground pepper.


Banana Pumpkin Bread
2 ripe bananas mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pie spice and cinnamon. Stir into the wet mixture until just combined. If adding the raisins, do so now. Pour into pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Monday

Okay, so I am stumped.  No, not really stumped.  I have a color challenge and that is most unnerving for me.  Color is something that I usually have great mastery over.  So, I am asking all those followers, stealth or otherwise, to help me on this.

This wonderful picture is ShiBui Knits Sock Yarn in colorway Roppongi (#4103).  It is a combination of Peony (intense berry), Lily (bright peachy orange) and Mulberry (deep Merlot purple).  My challenge is that I need to find solids from The Loopy Ewe - Solid Series that work with this wonderful yarn.

Now, I could be safe and get the black or white and that would work.  Or I could be totally unoriginal and get the Mulberry and it too would work.  What I want is two colors that will make this colorway sing.  Not like a little nursery rhyme.  I want a big chested jazz singing diva combo.  Some combination that will slap you awake without being gaudy.  I want to say that Malachite and Lake or Malachite and Oyster would be the best combination choices.  What do you think?

I know you have opinions....please share or I'll be forced to ask random strangers for their thoughts....  Come on Miss Ginger.  You have the best fashion sense going...what would you choose?

Monday's visitor

Some time ago my friend Dharma wrote about symbols and learning their hidden meanings.  To top this off, Stephanie, aka Trouble, has been talking about totems.  She has been working on hers and I admit I find it interesting in an unconventional way.  You are wondering what this is all about, I can hear your brains ticking.  Simple.  I posted some beautiful pictures yesterday of a dragonfly that landed on SF and stayed with her for about thirty minutes and then spent the next three hours on my knee, my fingers and my midsection.  So, when the little guy landed on my shoulder this morning while I was finishing up the pool brushing and adding the necessary chemicals before heading out I began to wonder why he was visiting me again, especially since the sun was not even up.  He was trying to tell me something and I needed to figure it out.


Symbolism of Dragonflies - As a creature of the wind, the dragonlfy totem represents change.  It's iridescent wings are incredibly sensitive to the slightest breeze, and so we are reminded to heed where the proverbial wind blows - lest we run into stormy weather.


Dragonflies are also creatures of the water, and any creature whose habitat is in, or around water carries symbolism relative the the subconscious, or "dreaming" mind and thoughts.

This is because in the animal world, water is symbolic of the subconscious mind ("deeper mind," "dreaming mind") and relates to the thoughts we have in relaxed/meditative/sleeping/subconscious states.


Quick-list animal symbolism of the dragonfly:

• prosperity
• good luck
• strength
• peace
• harmony
• purity

These symbolic meanings of dragonfly are particularly associated in Asian (Japan) and Native American (Plains region) circles.


Dragonflies carry messages that deal with deeper thought - and they ask that we pay attention to our deeper thoughts and desires.


Further symbolic insect meaning of dragonfly comes into play when we observe the dragonfly's mode of transportation as it skitters across the top of water surfaces.  This implies that our deeper thoughts are surfacing and we must be mindful of the outcome we wish to have.


The dragonfly is a reminder that when our deeper thoughts rise to the surface we must pay attention - there are lessons to be learned, and we are also reminded that what we think is directly proportionate to what we "see on the surface." ...In short, our thoughts (even the deeper ones that we might not be as in-touch with as we are with our conscious thoughts) are responsible for what we see in our lives - in our physical surroundings.


The dragonfly gives us a very powerful meditation tool.  Close your eyes, and focus on a thought - let it rise to the surface of your mind's ocean - see that thought float lightly up to the water's surface.  Now upon the top of a smooth, calm glass-like surface - visualize that thought moving across that water - sliding across - smooth and fast.


This exercise is useful when we want to visualize positive outcomes in a situation.  We see the thought of hope happily moving across an ocean of peace (peaceful mind) and skitting to a perfect outcome.


Lastly it should be noted that the Dragonfly lives a short life, and it knows it must live to the fullest with what it has.  This lesson is huge for each of us.  When you see a dragonfly, be aware of the gifts it has to offer by keeping its animal totem meanings in mind.


Being a cardinal water sign in the "regular" zodiac world I began to wonder if this little guy was trying to tell me he was a part of my totem and that I needed to pay attention, because he was very persistent.  Now I know I cannot devote my entire day to this pursuit; however, the information above has provided me with a foundation to build upon.

I asked myself if this was part of the planning that SF and I have been discussing with regards to retirement back to Tennessee, since he seemed determined to get both of our collective attentions.  Was he trying to get us to a new place in our relationship?  With so much information flowing through me I know I will need a cup of tea to relax my mind so that I can focus on the job at hand and return to the dragonfly when I am safely poolside this evening.

Interesting way to start my week.....

Monday

Well, we lived through yet another weekend only to end up at Monday all over again.  Hopefully if you are in a heat advisory you are staying in the AC and getting enough fluids.  I can tell you that the pool water temperature this morning at 4:30 AM was 86 degrees and the air temperature was 87 degrees, at least according to the equipment that monitors our pool.  The heat has depleted the chlorine levels so we had to add another fifty pound bag of salt this morning before we left for the day.

So, Thursday SF came home and was as pale as a ghost.  It seems that some one kind enough to pass on a little bug that was going around her office.  She had thrown up around 4:30 in the afternoon and slept all the way home on the van pool.  When she got home, I sent her straight to bed.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $100 dollars.  And do not pass it on to me please and thank you.  I took a bottle of water into her and put it on her night stand.  She slept from 6:30 PM that night until 8:00 AM the next morning.  The only reason she woke up is because I needed to see if she was going to go to the dentist.  A resounding no.  I called them and rescheduled her appointment and left for the day.  I got back around 4:30 PM and she was still asleep.  She had not even been aware that the day had gone and that I had been out of the house.  She got up and I got her some 7-Up.  She ate some scrambled eggs and a piece of toast but complained that her head hurt so bad that it was making her sick.  Back to bed.  She slept the remainder of Friday and did not get up until around 9:45 AM on Saturday.  Her color was back and her appetite was as well.  I made her stay in the AC and she was happy to do so.  We did venture out long enough to go to the movies but that was all.  Sunday was also a low key day with me keeping her in the AC and hydrated.  It seems she is over it all now and I did not catch it but it was not an ideal weekend.

Yes, we did go to a movie.  Movies are one of our favorite past-times.  We were also going to celebrate out second anniversary of our first official date.  On 08/08/08 we went to a movie as our first official date.  That seems so distant now but still fun to remember.  We decided to go and see "The Kids Are Alright".  We had seen the reviews on TV and read about it and so we agreed it was worth seeing.  Funny how life often seems to resonate art.  There were pieces of this film that hit a little too close to home and had me sniffling a few times.  There were other times when it was hard not to choke on the popcorn from laughing.  All in all it was a good movie but I could have waiting and gotten it on Netflix I think.  As we were leaving SF reminded me that the movie we saw on our first date provided me with the same range of emotions.  We laughed and I asked her if she was okay having such an emotional woman in her life.  She called me a little idiot and I knew we were ok.  Just to set the record straight, little idiot is a term of endearment when it comes from her.

I have been knitting up a storm as of late.  My dear friend Joe posted about a secret project and when I commented he was worried about the outcome.  Curious as I am, I ran to the stash and grabbed some sock yarn, cast on and knitting away.  A flurry of emails drifted between us and then I realized that I was comparing apples to oranges.  So, I ran back to the stash and found two skeins of JustSoya from a swap and cast on again.  It took about 15 hours and I had the second one completed.  Note that Sassy decided to supervise.  I think she thought that if she sat on the pattern and my notepad that I would stop and pet her.  No dice.  Proof below:

I will tell you that the JustSoya looks wonderful and feels divine but was a pain to work with.  It tended to be a bit too splitty for me, especially with the lace application (ssk/k2tog/s2kp2o).  I like the fact that it is machine washable but would not purchase it myself.  This was a true DK weight yarn, so I was able to do the pre-blocking measurements and after-blocking measurements and report back to Joe so he would have more insight into his own.  The Handy Dandy will be gifted to my neighbor Jeannie.  She saw me taking pictures of it and fell in love with the color.  She and her husband Pat have decided that it is time for him to retire and they will be moving to outside Knoxville as soon as they can get their house here sold.  We will miss them immensely but we have been planning to retire near Knoxville ourselves so we will see them again.  Plus we can always go visit!

I have also been working on my Clementine.  I have one whole half completed and am about one quarter of the way on the second half.  After looking at other projects on Ravelry I think that I will do a three needle bind off in place of the Kitchener that is called for.  Pictures below:

I am also working on the Red Robin for the Finish-A-Long.  I am not sure if I will get the pants done but I will get the shirt finished easily.  I'll post pictures of it before the 13th, as that is the deadline for the contest.

Okay, off to find a recipe for Mahi Mahi.....

Monday....

Well, it is indeed Monday.  We have had a good dousing of rain this morning and it has managed to stay overcast most of the remainder of the day.  Good news for the energy bills and the water bills.  We are still keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Alex and are hoping that he decides to stay far away from out part of the Gulf so that the oil spill cleanup can continue.

This weekend I was craving a hamburger and a good beer.  Well, SF is not one to turn down a good beer so we decided that we should go to the HEB and peruse their vast selection and get something for each of us.  We also decided to get some chips and salsa, as we were out and it is great for watching TV.  We also agreed that burgers from Whataburger were the best choice.  We could both get the burgers we wanted without any delay and could get home to watch TV.

Beer was a harder decision than either of us had expected.  I immediately saw Left Hand Milk Stout....I wanted that!  SF was pondering and looking.  It was taking her longer than I thought it would.  She really prefers wheat beers, so I was sure she would be ready before I was.  Fooled again!  What happened next was funny.  I am not one that likes confrontation, so I asked what she wanted to see if we could meet in the middle.  Much to my surprise, so showed me a sampler pack from Michelob that had four beer types.  I looked them over and three of the four sounded great to me.  I knew that the Shock Top was what she was after.  The sampler pack contained three each of the following: Shock Top, Hop Hound, Ginger Wheat and DunkelWeisse.  Well, I knew that I liked the DunkelWeisse and after reading the Hop Hound I was confident that I would like it as well.  The Ginger Wheat sounded interesting enough so we both agreed that we should try the sampler pack.

We got home with the hamburgers and the groceries.  We popped the burgers into the microwave to stay warm and put two of each beer into the freezer to get really cold.  We put the rest of the groceries away, got the chips and salsa into bowls and got the burgers out and finished.  We both added a few things from the fridge.  We also opened jars of pickled okra.  SF had picked spicy and I have, of course, chosen mild.  We made the burgers ancient history rather quickly and snacked on the okra.  Once we were done with that, we agreed that it was beer time.  In the spirit of a sampler, I got two beer coozies that covered the entire bottle.  I opened both of them and secured them in their coozies.  It was a total surprise to SF.  I had chosen to give her the Ginger Wheat first due to the pairing sheet that said that it could cool down heat such as wasabi.  I had a DunkelWeisse first.  She was very pleased with her first selection.  It was her turn next, so she got herself a Hop Hound and got me a Ginger Wheat.  It was better than I had even guessed.  Our third ones were Hop Hound for me and Shock Top for her.  We both agreed that we needed to get another one of these packs, as there was something for both of us and that is always a bonus!

Okay, enough with that.  I have also been knitting.  This weekend I finished the Sugar Rush Tank.  This yarn is SO yummy!  I have been looking at my Ravelry queue and my stash of patterns to see what else calls to me to be made from it as well.  I took this picture before I had the straps sewed on, as I had to enlist SF to help me place them.  I wanted to be able to wear a bra with it, so placement was key.  I'll post pictures of it finished and perhaps one of me modeling it as well later this week.

I also finished the Ballerina Wrap for Zoe.  It was blocked heavily prior to assembly, as suggested by the Yarn Harlot herself.  I was glad that I did, as it made the seams much easier to match and the finished piece is lovely.  I can't wait to get it to her.

And two shots to leave you with this afternoon.  The one above is the daylily above with the fresh rain upon it.  The one below is Sassy in her overlord pose.

Until tomorrow....

Monday....

Happy Father's Day to my dad!  This is a picture of him at one of his Motorcycle events.....funny, when we were little he was never near the kitchen...let alone serving the food.  My how times have changed.

Well, this weekend we got our hair done.  SF had her color done and a lot taken off her length.  She has Cherokee Indian blood in her, so her natural hair color is deep black but when the gray starts...well we all know what we do.  Cover it as fast as we can.  Now I can't show you a picture of mine, as I rarely let myself be in photos.  But what I can show you is the picture with the first stage of the growing out process.

Yes, it is Jodie Foster.  MEOW!  I think that we both look pretty damn good to be our newest up coming age.  My layers have finally grown from their original 2.5 inch length to this.  It has taken about eight months to get them all grown out to this stage.  I still have a section that is about two inches behind but that is okay.  I'm not one for traditional bobs, so I will not be keeping this cut for very long.  I was also bored and tired of the color.  I convinced Dawn to color it Black Cherry Cola.  We agreed on this without telling anyone what we were up to.

Fast forward to the shampoo and rinse stage.  I have been going to this salon for over a year and they know that I change cuts faster than a revolving door but not as true with my color.  When I emerged to have it checked out by Dawn, everyone's jaw dropped.  At first I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.  What I can tell you is that I love the results.  It is a complete difference from the medium brown with copper and blond highlights.  The underlying blond and brown gave the overall color a lot of variations as well.  SF loved the change.  I was worried at first, as she had never seen me with my color this dark before.  She loves the way it makes my eyes appear even more blue than they really are.  BONUS!  Added suspense is the fact that she has no idea what Dawn and I are working towards and we like that part.

Just as a tease, this picture is close to what I have in mind.

Today I had a Jury Summons.  I was required to be at the Brazoria County Courthouse and in the correct room on the fourth floor by 8:15 AM.  I arrived there at 8:00 AM and passed through the security check point.  The judge was nice and made the first part amusing.  He called out the names for Group 1, gave then their assignment and  dismissed them.  He repeated the process for Group 2.  That left me in Group 3.  He began to call out our names when one of the elder gentlemen that volunteered fainted.  Luckily there was an ER nurse, two EMTs and a doctor in our Group.  It took the paramedics a little over twenty minutes to get to him but the foursome had him stable it was relatively calm.  He was an amusing man, even with all of this going on.  When the ER nurse asked him if anything hurt, he retorted, "I'm 80 years old, everything hurts...".  Hopefully it is nothing.  He is a diabetic with high blood pressure.  Combine that with our heat (81 degrees at 8:00 AM) and with him in a suit it is no wonder that he didn't pass out earlier.  After the excitement, the Judge finished calling out all of Group 3's names.  Our assignment, report back on Tuesday at 9:30 AM.  WTF!!  We were all given a piece of paper with numbers to call to see if we had been dismissed by the Judge, in the case that the matter was settled or they had already selected a panel of jurors from the first two groups.

Seriously, this is the most archaic set up I have ever seen.  These people need to get into the 21st century PRONTO.  You can't register to vote on-line.  As a matter of fact, there is little that you can actually do on-line.  Bonus, if there is one, I get $10.00 for today and $40.00 for tomorrow.  That should just about cover the tank of gas and the 2 hours drive time.....seriously...I know that I must do my civic duty but this is so very unreasonable.  The County really needs to overhaul this process.  Our County is very sprawling and some people drove even further than I did today.  I felt badly for those that are hourly workers that will now have to miss a second day.  Some will get paid by their employers but others do not.  It just seems like a cluster fxxk either way.

Okay...off to get an adult beverage and dip into the pool to celebrate the first day of summer.  Happy Summer Solstice everyone!

ETA -  I just called the special hot-line and guess what...no changes I must report as directed by the very nice judge this morning.  Can we say that I am beginning to hate the county politicians and will be doing some serious research before the next elections....

Monday....

Well, this was one of those weekends that I could have slept right through.  As a matter of fact, I don't even really remember what we did that evening.  I know we watched TV but for the life of me I can't recall what it was.  I wonder sometimes why I can't recall such little things but then I am reminded that the brain recalls what it is trained to remember, so the TV show must not have been all that stimulating to the brain.

Saturday was slow and easy.  SF is still not 100% yet, so we did some light yard work.  The temps here combined with the humidity were such that I insisted that we be finished before 11:00 AM.  We managed to get it all done by 10:30 AM.  After showers, we spent the remainder of the day inside with the remote and the AC.  We watched sports during the day and then we watched Three Rivers and Cold Case that night.  SF remembered that I love Katherine Moennig  AKA Shane McCutcheon and I know how much she loves Cold Case.  Sadly, both shows have been canceled by CBS, so after we catch the remaining episodes, we will be looking for replacements until the fall lineup starts again.

Sunday was slow and easy as well.  We read the paper and ate out breakfast while we discussed the day ahead.  SF was feeling well enough to want to get in the pool, so we agreed to do that early on so that we were out before the inferno starts in the afternoon.  We spent about three hours in the pool before she announced that she was hungry.  Actually I think she said she was starving.  I was as well, so we pondered our options since we were in our swim suits.  We agreed on Taco Bell.  We dried off a bit, threw on tank tops and shorts over our suits and headed to get grub.  I will not say what we got but there were eight items in the bags...four each.

We got home and ate while we watched the Atlanta Dream beat the San Antonio Silver Stars (WNBA).  It was not pretty but it was great to see Sancho Lyttle play.  I saw her play as a member of the Houston Cougars and as a member of the Houston Comets.  She is an exciting player that seems to get better as she ages, not that she is old.  She was born in September 1983, so she is only a month older than Stephanie.

We also watched the America versus England soccer game.  I remember watching the FIFA events in 2006.  Megan was excited, as she was just back from her Summer School trip to Italy.  We watched as many matches as SWCNLBN would allow.  We were thrilled when Italy won.  I think that Megan wore her Italy shirts for a month.  I watched today as Italy finished with a draw/tie.  I'm so glad that there is ESPN3.com available!  I will be watching as many of the matches as I can get away with....

We also watched the Celtics versus the Lakers last night.  I was cheering like crazy for the Celtics.  We had watched the Thursday event when Big Baby Davis drooled.  We had also watched the press conference and I was howling with laughter at the Shrek and Donkey comment.  It was a hoot!  I want one of the posters that we saw being waved at the game last night.  We will also probably stay up late on Tuesday and watch the next game unless the Celtics fall too far behind, which I hope will not happen.

All of this got me to thinking about my sports identity.  I realized that over the past 28 years I have always rooted for whom ever my partner rooted for.  Case in point, when I was married to John, he cheered for the Steelers, the Penguins, Penn State, Pitt, the Phillies and the Greenbay Packers.  When I was with SWCNLBN we rooted for the Buffalo Bills, Ohio State and the Tampa Bay Rays.  The year I was in my apartment, I rooted for the Greenbay Packers because I identified with Aaron Rodgers.  I also rooted for the Houston Comets and the Houston Astros.  When push came to shove I also rooted for Tampa Bay, as Carl Crawford is from Jeff Davis High School right here in Houston.  I also made sure that I rooted for the Houston Texans.  Much to the chagrin of SF, I kept up with SFASU and Sam Houston teams as well.  Being from Tennessee, I also watched as much Vols sports as I could get via Comcast.  College football and basketball lends itself to me spending a lot of time in front of a TV, cheering for teams as I decide who warrants my attention.

Have I maintained that self identity?  I'm not sure.  I would like to think so, but I have been thinking about it.  I know that I would be rooting for the Celtics right now regardless of SF's preference, as I don't really like Kobe.  No offense to his skills, but he cheated on his wife regardless of what he told the public...so he is slime like all the rest of the sports figures that can't seem to keep their parts safely inside their zippers when they are away from their respective partner, be it a wife, a fiance or a girlfriend.  I will be looking at who I have been rooting fro lately and making certain that I remain loyal to the teams I want to endorse, not the ones that SF wants to endorse, unless it is a team that I already have selected.

Knitting on oldies has continued.  I will post about that Tuesday.  I also will have a double duty Temptations, since I just realized that I didn't post last week's.  And, yes, there are changes to the blog.  Tell me what you think....

"...Monday, monday, can't trust that day..."

Well, it is Monday indeed.  Why is it that two days seem to blur by so much faster that the rest of the days seem to?  Perception is most likely the key to this age old question.  We tend to gear ourselves up for these two days of R&R and thus they fly by.  I guess as long as we work this will continue to be the Monday mantra.

So, Friday was a very long day working off so little sleep.  I was never so happy to get home and get into my comfy, go no where and see no one clothes.  SF had left-overs from a big lunch with co-workers, so I had left-overs too.  We settled down for our Friday night shows and had a really difficult time staying awake through "Medium".  Thankfully, we had no place to be Saturday, so we slept in.  Around here, sleeping in is 8:00 AM since we normally get up at 4:00 AM.  SF has been on a fried-egg sandwich kick and made us each one while we discussed the route for the motorcycle ride.  I normally have little input, as SF knows which routes she is more comfortable using.  Traffic in Houston and the metro are is so strange and there are places that are nor safe in a car let alone on a motorcycle.

We knew that we needed to go by two different dealerships to get the MVP membership card and then test ride a Street Glide.  She had previously tested out a Road Glide and wanted to "feel" the difference.  And, yes there is a different "feel" to each and every model.  Baggers are meant to be more comfortable for longer rides and then there are bikes for speed and others for show.  The Blue Flame is a combination of show, muscle and speed.  SF has been contemplating the fact that we may need a bagger in the future, the distant future, for longer trips, as the Blue Flame cannot really carry a load (over-night) stuff due to the fact that she was not designed to accommodate saddle bags.  Even when I do get my own, it will not have enough capacity to carry both of our gear unless it is only for one night away.  She was not pleased with the test ride.  Her overall thoughts on the bike were that it was too light and had no muscle.  She is very particular about what she wants and the Street Glide was not the answer.  Back to the test drives...

One of the other reasons for the planning of the route was to make certain that we ended up at Pappas BBQ for the all you can eat ribs at the location in The Woodlands.  It was worth the drive and a great Saturday afternoon lunch treat.  The route home was uneventful but we did make one wee tiny stop at Dairy Queen in Stafford.  I had a Raspberry Truffle Blizzard and SF had a Chocolate Covered Cherries Blizzard.  The perfect way to end a trip on the road!

We also managed to watch the San Antonio Silver Stars beat the LA Sparks.  It was great to see Chamique Holdsclaw and Michelle Snow playing with such talent.  And bonus for us, San Antonio is not that far away.  We are already discussing getting tickets and spending a weekend in San Antonio.  We really miss the Comets, especially since that is how we met in the first place.

Speaking of meeting.  Sunday, the 23rd, was the anniversary of my moving in with SF.  One year ago I left the apartment with a U-Haul loaded with all the belongings that SWCNLBN had "allowed" me to have in the apartment and started this new chapter in my life.  It has been a year of growing and learning.  We have seen so many things change for both if us and we are stronger now as a team than we were before we met.  She still doesn't always get my sense of humor and I don't always understand her moods but that is what makes each and every day new.

I also finished the Swap surprise.

I loved everything about this yarn and plan on getting some more to make my mother one.  She doesn't like wool and I think that this cotton is just the answer.  It will keep her warm on the bike behind my dad and warmer in the car when they have put the motorcycle in storage for the winter.

Okay, back to work.....is this day over yet?

Monday....

Okay, so it is Monday once again.  The weekend went by way too fast.  Friday started off good!  SF decided that we needed a break from reality and wanted to go see a movie.

So, what did she have in mind?  She wanted to see Robin Hood.  Now keep in mind that I am not a huge fan of Russell Crowe but I do love the story behind Robin Hood, so I acquiesced.  It was 9:45 AM CST when she made her proclamation to attend the 11:25 AM CST show, so we had to finish breakfast in a hurry and shower.  We arrived at the cinema at 11:05 AM CST.  Just in time to get the tickets, get popcorn and water and locate seats.  The show was PACKED!  The movie was a bit slow at times but overall I like this version.  It was more about how Robin Hood came to be and that was a different twist.  It was a great way to start off the day!

The rest of the day was lazy and we didn't get much done with the drizzle that started in the afternoon.  We did manage to get the pool all situated.  As soon as the water temp is favorable, you can bet that I will be reaping the rewards of getting her primed and ready.  I love having a pool right outside my bedroom door!  Saturday was sluggish.  The rain storms over the course of the night had left me exhausted, as the dogs were afraid of all the thunder and lightening and they kept trying to get into the bedroom and that woke me up.  We decided to get our errands done so that we could watch the first WNBA game and then get ready for the Flamingo Party.

Picture is for Joe!  This is what we see every year when we pull up in front of the house.  This is just a SMALL taste of what the rest of the house looks like.  I never knew that there was so much stuff made in the Flamingo theme.  They even have toilet paper....  The rain forced the hosts to have all the food set up in the garage but it was no big deal.  We always enjoy the company and I had fun this year messing with the younger crowd.  The host couple has kids that range from 23 to 28 and they are easy to trip up because they are trying to watch themselves around the older folks.  I think the ZiegenBock made it easier to talk with them, as the "adults" were drinking "Ritas" and wine....

Sunday was completely lazy.  We slept in, seriously...10:00 AM CST.  We had a lazy breakfast and went grocery shopping.  We decided that we were too tired to cook, so we went to KFC and got the Komen dinner deal.  We got home just in time to get our food and plop down to watch another WNBA game.  I got to see my gal play....GO LIBERTY!

I also managed to finish Stephanie's Calais and it is all pinned out drying today.  Pictures will be taken later today or tomorrow and I will post them.  I cannot say how much I love this pattern.  It is a simple one and I will be making at least two more.  I need to make one for Megan and I also want to make one for my mom.

Okay, off to do real work....this will be a fast week...Wednesday night we will be going to see Patrice Pike.  Thursday night we will be going to the Jimmy Buffett concert.  Friday night is wide open at the moment but that too could change.  Saturday we have hair cuts at 8:30 AM CST.....Sunday we had better be sleeping in....Before I forget.  Tuesday's temptations will be all about the pool and pool related stuff....

Have a GREAT MONDAY!

It Must Be Monday

First, Happy Mother's Day to everyone that I left out yesterday.  Chez RubyRingz has been a little hectic as of late and I have been a little stressed, but SF has reminded me of what is important in life and I am calming down a bit.

The weekend was super jam packed with activity.  Friday was low key.  We had an early dinner at Gringo's and then home to watch our regular TV shows (Ghost Whisperer and Medium).  The house smelled yummy, as I had baked a batch of brownies just before SF got home.  They were cooling while we were at dinner....YUM!

No time to sleep in either on Saturday, as we were registered to participate in the Bikers Against Breast Cancer to benefit The Rose.  I can tell you that if you have never ridden in a fund raiser with a police escort, please find one and support them.  This was a first class ride.  I can't tell you the flood of emotions that poured out as we headed up the highway towards the Fred Hartman Bridge and all you can see in front of you is an endless column of riders, two by two, and the same behind you, all in support of raising money to find a cure to this awful disease.  SF and I rode in honor of my mom, a six year survivor, and also in memory of a few of our joint relatives that were not so fortunate.  The route was so much fun and not having to stop for traffic lights and having the freeway to ourselves was a rare treat indeed.

The riders (more than 300 bikes strong) left San Jacinto Harley-Davidson at 10:30 AM CST and we returned to the Pasadena Hooter's location around 12:30 PM CST.  The company was amazing and the food and beer were excellent (what else do you expect from Hooters?).  We saw old friends and made new ones too.  After the event wrapped up, we did a little shopping at SJHD and then agreed to accompany some of our new friends to the Starbucks in Kemha.  When we got to the Boardwalk, we agreed that we needed some food before coffee, so we ate at Landry's.  What an enjoyable afternoon.  We ended up at home at 7:30 PM CST.  Another wonderful day on the bike with good people.  We showered, fed the babies and watched a little TV to calm down and fell into bed at 10:45 PM CST after watching the Betty White "Dusty Muffin" sketch.

Sunday was Mother's Day and we had Stephanie, Jack, Zoe, Pandora and Megan over for an afternoon of cooking out and catching up.  SF made some amazing hamburgers with French Onion Dip, Garlic Powder and A1 mixed into the meat.  Stephanie made some of the best guacamole I have ever eaten and we had corn on the cob as well.  Dessert was a hodge podge of Red Velvet Cake, German Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Cream Cheese Pudding Cake.  Pandora is the new puppy and she was a doll.  I didn't get any pictures but Megan will get me some of hers.  Ms. Zoe is walking, no running, and was a hoot.  She is chattering up a storm with only a few words that we can actually decipher.  SF loved holding her and talking with her.  Zoe is totally enamored with "CC".

Special treats included a preview of a leather purse that Stephanie is making for me.  She has learned leather work and has been making things and selling them.  She has also learned how to make chain maille.  She showed me several options and I had to make some hard choices so that she could finish the purse.  It is actually a pouch for me to wear when I am on the bike.  It will attached to the belt loops of the jeans and has some specific design elements that are very special to me, including a beautiful abalone rose piece that she will be applying to the front flap.  Megan also has a piece that is still under construction that will be delivered soon.  I was just as bad, as the Calais Shawl I wanted to finish for Stephanie was not ready.  I realized that I need to see if she wanted the shawlette version like mine or the full size version as laid out in the pattern.  She wants the full blown one, so I will get cracking on it again this week and should be finished by the weekend.

So, I hope that every one's Monday gets off to a smooth start and that the week goes quickly.  I actually have a draft of Tuesday's post started, as I have been stockpiling catalogs and such and need to get them all in the recycle bin this week, so they are all duly recorded in the post....until tomorrow!

It Must Be Monday

I never like to believe that Monday is a bad day. I have always believed that if I started the week off negative then the whole week could end up that way, so I have always set out to have Monday be a positive day.

Well, today it just didn't all work out according to my plans. That is okay but it makes the recover process a little harder. For starters, storms rolled through last night and woke me up. I hate thunder and lightening and normally I just snuggle up to SF and once I smell her familiar scents I can go back to sleep. Well, since she is out of town for the next two nights, I didn't have my safety net. The rest of the night was restless and left me feeling like I had run the half marathon in my sleep.

My workout was sluggish and even my normal cup of morning coffee did not help. Not to mention the fact that we had rain most of the day....rain is only good for a select few things: watching old movies in bed, knitting while listening to jazz, or just an old fashioned romp in the hay with that special person. That's about all I ever want to do on rainy days, so working is not high on that list.

I have already heard from SF this evening, between today's training session and tonight's mandatory team dinner. She slept just as poorly because she misses sharing the bed with me too. I know....sappy and mushy but very true. Once you are accustomed to sleeping with someone it gets hard to sleep alone. She said that the storms that came though here hit her location around 8:00 PM last night and they were terrible. She knew that I would be restless but, in the end it will be okay.

I borrowed The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook a few weeks ago from the local library and I am in love with it! I have added it to the growing list of must haves for the house. I love salmon and the recipe for Steamed Ginger Salmon and Asparagus in Black Bean Sauce was AMAZING! I can experiment while SF is out of town and have a few new tricks for the rest of the week. There is an entire chapter on desserts....rice pudding, poached dried figs in spiced red wine, and poached pears with Grand Marnier custard sauce.....pardon me while I dab away the drool.

Tonight I'll watch a little of Dancing With The Stars and get to bed early. I need the sleep. I started a new workout circuit this morning and tomorrow is heavy on the shoulders and pecs. I am trying to build some much needed definition and tone up the pecs.

The list for tomorrow has grown today and I hope to be back in my regular form....

Manic Monday

Well, what a whirlwind of a weekend.

Thursday, we planted some new day lilies, a nana nandino, some society garlic, and placed some new sod in the yard. We spent the majority of daylight working in the front yard. There were some muscle groups that were very angry with me.....I know who you are and now will find the machines to target your anger. The yard is starting to look wonderful and I can't wait to see it take off. We may have lost a few things over the winter but we are waiting to see if they will/did survive before we rip them out.

Friday, we started off the morning at Denny's for an early breakfast. From there, we decided to drop by and see if Dr. White could see SF for a sec to recommend who should take a look=see at a thing on her foot. Much to my chagrin, Dr. White took off three spots, none of which were any place near the foot in question. Now, don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful that she is so diligent; however, she put a major kink in our plans for the weekend. Two of the places were/are gaping holes that will take at least a week to develop coverings on them and do not have any stitches. One was deep and did require stitches. We will know the test results from all three spots later this week.

After leaving Dr. White, we ran a few small errands and came home. Our goal was to ride the motorcycle before the weather got rainy. With her leg hurting, I was not sure that she would be able to, but she insisted that we ride. We geared up and headed to scope out where the Hou-Tex chapter meeting would be on Saturday. After successfully locating the restaurant, we headed to Stubbs to look at the new gear and see what/who was there. They had the new Sportster 48. It is the familiar Sportster bike but with the larger front tire that I prefer. I sat on her and I think that she may just have to be the first bike. Now don't get me wrong. I still pl;an on getting a Fat Boy, but after some frank discussions with SF and other lady riders, it does seem more practical to get a smaller and less expensive bike to start with and them grow up to the one of my dreams.

After Stubbs, we went to Don Carlos on Broadway to get some lunch. This is not a normal palace that I would have ever eaten at in a previous life. It wasn't posh enough. But, let me tell you....that was some of the best Tex-Mex I have ever eaten! The sour cream enchiladas were to die for. Their salsa was amazing and the sopapillas were heavenly. From there, we looked at the sky and it looked gloomy, so we decided to head back home. We were not fast enough. Near the edge of the airport property the drizzle started. We were soaked when we got home. We put the bike away and got warm showers. We watched The Bucket List and then it was time for bed.

Saturday started early. We had to clean the bike up before we could go to the Hou-Tex meeting to get the rain and stuff off the bike. We had worked up a sweat by the time we were done. Showers and geared up (including sun-screen) we headed to the meeting. We were welcomed and officially members, we joined the meeting. After the meeting, we headed for Galveston with the group for the monthly ride. We went to The Spot. It was a wonderful day for a ride and sitting on the upper deck watching the ocean and the people was fun. The food was good and the company was great. After we were all finished, we all discussed the way home. We chose to take the Seawall to the Blue Water Highway and head home. No one else was headed our direction so we said our goodbyes and rode off. The trip was great and we got home around 4:00 PM. After a shower, we went to Dairy Queen....we HAD to have a Blizzard....we were tired but we decided to give the dogs a bath since the weather was so warm. Bed was never so welcome...we were pooped.

Sunday was uneventful for the most part. SF spent the day getting herself ready to go out of town all week. She is part of an audit task force and will be gone all week. I stayed out of the way and knitted. The camera and I are now on speaking terms again, so hopefully I can get some pictures to post this week.

Okay...I'm sure that I have bored you to tears by now....stay tuned for Tuesday Temptations....I have a bunch of them stored up.....

Manic Monday

Okay, I have been officially bitten by the Spring Cleaning Bug!

Yesterday we went to Lowe's and bought 10 pieces of grass (sod), a new hose, a new hose reel, dirt and fertilizer. We also picked up five hybrid lilies. In between basketball games (March Madness) we laid out the sod and put all ten bags of soil down in the low spots. This week I will plant the lilies and finish weeding the beds.

We are lucky in the fact that the lawn service did most of the weeding pulling in February when the grass was low and they were able to spare the time. I love Mario and his crew! I miss doing the yard work sometimes but I love the fact that we can get up and leave on Saturdays and not have to spend any time wondering when we will get the yard work done. We do maintain the plants ourselves and only get Mario to help us with the limbs and branches we can't reach.

We have already trimmed up the Plumerias and thinned out the day lilies. I will also be working on a spot for roses and some other plants/flowers that will not get into the pool or cause the dogs any problems. I am going for low maintenance and care free so that we can enjoy the pool and the motorcycle without any challenges.

Last weekend I took a huge load (all the capacity the Caliber could handle) of cardboard to the recycling facility. This week I will be taking electronics and the remainder of the cardboard to them. I will also be taking three garbage bags (33 gallon bags) of clothes to the Goodwill, two garbage bags of coat hangers to a local dry cleaner and some boxes of books to a local retirement community. I also plan to go through the closet in the "retreat" again now that it has been almost a year to see what things in there can be discarded, donated or re-purposed. I figure that if I haven't pulled them out in a year then I really don't need them or they just aren't as important as I originally estimated. We'll see what happens.

I mentioned that I have been knitting again. SF is fascinated by the knitting and loves to see each project take formation and develop. I have been finishing up projects that I started while living in the apartment. I have two left from that year and then I will move back to the UFO's (Unfinished Objects) that go back many years. Some of them may get "frogged" or "ripped" but most will be finished.

I will be taking pictures over the next two weeks and will get them loaded to Ravelry and them I will will do a post about them. I do have a few to mention now. I finished a pair of socks for SF. I utilized the BMG's Footies pattern. I also made the January 2010 KAL by Kris. I also made a plain ole' garter stitch dish cloth from the band of a Lily Sugar'n Cream stripes ball in 21712 (Lime Stripes). I have started on the "Be My Dishcloth" in Lily Sugar'n Cream Solid 00095 (Red) for Megan. I am finishing a Pay-It-Forward pattern that will be finished and ready to mail within the next two weeks. I cannot post any other details about them yet but will do so as soon as I know that they have been received.

I am also going to make myself something. I decided to join the Sexy Knitter's Club 2010 Q2 KAL which is doing cardigans. I have an ancient Leisure Arts Leaflet # 215 (published in 1982) that features a Chanel Jacket that I have been wanting to make for years...almost 20 to be exact. I have the yarn as well. I have written the pattern up to make it in one piece (I hate seams) in lieu of the original three plus sleeves. I will most likely also pick up the stitches from the armholes and make the sleeves in that manner instead of knitting them solo and sewing them in. Did I mention that I HATE seams.

Okay...off to work I go....