It's so hard to keep things secret sometimes!!!

With the secret knitting mission taking place, I cannot really speak much of it here. This does not mean there are not other, non-secret project related knitting things to speak of.

First, this year for a holiday gift, I am so hoping to find from a certain Nature Boy a set of double pointed wooden knitting needles set that I pointed out. I am now hoping I pointed to them with a certain decisiveness, the kind of pointing where someone knows someone else means business.

Secondly, the new knitty came up as I'm sure all you knitty-head readers already know. I now have even more projects-to-be sitting in my brain, stirring things up. Thank goodness we never have run out of anything else to make, what a boring world this would be.

Here are the new contenders:
SURFACE
Knitty: Surface - Winter 2008
PLAITED POINTS
Knitty: Plaited Points - Winter 2008
and SOCKTOPUS
Knitty: Socktopus - Winter 2008
I also love the Latvian vest but Nature Boy would not wear such fun things.

Finally, I have of course begun the Holiday Baking. I made my vegan cut-out sugar cookies Saturday and Nature Boy saved the day by running to the store for some colored vegan decorating sugar. My India Tree red food coloring was making my sugar brown, not red, as after a year I guess it goes bad. Funny how Kay's food coloring would last for years. I guess that's one good thing about the preservatives! Anyhow, I baked them and froze them before taking any photos.


I did remember the camera when I was baking the Kolacky. Kay always made them every year and they are a very traditional slavic cookie. My recipe is based on the Chzech version (I think the Polish recipes sometimes use sour cream instead of cream cheese). I veganized me recipe and they are SO easy and SO yummy! I ran out of apricot preserves (the only filling Kay ever used) but luckily had a jar of unopened seedless raspberry preserves on hand so half are raspberry. The apricot remain my #1 though! Here's the recipe:
1/2 cup vegan butter, room temp.
1 8-oz package plain Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese" also room temp.
1 cup flour
2 small jars fruit preserves

Beat the fake butter and cream cheese; mix in the flour. Using your hands, knead dough gently into a ball, divide into 4 equal balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (maybe 30 mins).

Preheat oven to 375 F. Rough out one ball of dough on well-floured board until 1/8 inch or so thickness. I cut mine with a pastry cutter (knife works fine though) into equal size sqaures. Drop about 1 tsp. fruit in the middle of each square, then fold two opposite corners diagonally across and pinch the corners together, then fold them over to one side and pinch into the cookie's body to seal them up. Bake about 12 minutes give or take until lightly browned; remove from baking sheet and cool on cooling racks. Makes 4-6 dozen depending on the size of your cookies.

Knitting War

I started a new job today! I have not said much about why I left my last job because I did not want to say horrible terrible things about the company I used to work for and at the time that's what I would have done. It's been a rough month of job-seeking, interviewing and waiting and I feel so much better than I have in a long time! Here are things that are good about my new path:
1. I get to wear jeans for the next two weeks as part of a fund-raising drive! You pay $10 for two weeks and no business casual wear--hooray! This also means I work for an agency that CARES ABOUT THE COMMUNUITY AT LARGE!
2. I don't mop floors, scrub bathrooms, clean exam rooms, dust shelves, water dangerous man-eating geckos, hose off urine and/or feces soaked rugs in the back yard while wasps sting me, have angry people yell at me on the phone for things beyond my control like the fact that we don't have a doctor on duty or fear my employer and his ever-changing and unpredictable moods.
3. I don't have to worry about getting hit with clothes pins or clipboards as they fly from an employer's hand...
4. I don't have to work 12 to 14 hour days.
5. I am allowed to eat at my desk!
6. I use a near-paperless system that is environmentally friendly!
7. I am paid the same amount of money as before and don't have high anxiety.
8. I am treated with respect and dignity and worth!
9. Any work on weekends is OVERTIME and I have a set M-F schedule and can see Nature Boy every day before 10PM!
10. My employer appears to be emotionally and mentally stable!!!

OK--so on the knitting front, the knit goes on, but it's a Secret Mission with the Allied Forces of Knitting. I am knitting in foxholes, knitting in mess tents, knitting in my Jeep on the fozen tundra of Pennsylvania before dawn, knitting in the dark as the enemy passes by. I am taking chances with this knitting, to free all the Holiday Projects that are being assuaged and fired upon by those that do not believe. I cannot risk this mission with pictures now but we are collecting the evidence and after the eventual release of the Holiday Projects, the goodness of humaniity will be brought to light. The knitting war wages onward!

Pair O'Sox is Actually a Pair!

I finally finished my Pair O'Sox this past weekend! What, you don't believe me? See for yourself!


With Thanksgiving finished, the Knitsburgh area is aflurry with Yuletide preparations. Nature Boy put up some lights outside and the stockings were hung by the fire. We only need to get the tree up and we are set!

I am of course in the middle of making some Super Secret Suprises that cannot be discussed here for fear of someone snooping and knowing what is in store for them soon. So if you came here to be sneaky, ha! Your plan has been foiled, now go back to work.

I am still looking for work. I am interviewing and posting my resume and even took an application into a buisness who was unfortunately not even hiring. This is not the best time in United States of America to be unemployed, apparently. I am trying to keep my chin up but some days it's just not possible. What does one do in those moments?

One has a photo shoot with one's cats, of course! Here are just a few shots from the shoot, trust me I have about sixty total pics. Furry photo shoots make the day a tad bit brighter. Seriously, try it, you'll see!

Pin-up Girl

So I got this quiz from Spirit Witch:

You Are Bettie Page

Girl next door with a wild streak You're a famous beauty - with unique look And the people like you are cultish about it

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Who knew how sexy and cultish I could be??? Who knows who you will be--go take it and let me know, especially if you are looking for something to do cause you are bored.

By Request...

Here is the recipe for the Vegan PB cups featured in my last post. The recipe is from How it All Vegan by Sarah Kramer. Please don't sue me Sarah!!! And everyone out there should buy her books, the recipes are vegan, yummy, and fool proof.

1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan margarine
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky, my fave)
3/4 cup graham crackers, crushed (I used Amaranth crackers, they don't have any honey)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegan choco chips (I use the Whole Foods vegan chips)
1/4 cup soy milk
cupcake pan liners

Crunch up the graham crackers to make crumbs. Melt margarine in medium saucepan; add in peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar, stirring frequently. Spoon about 2T of the mixture into the cupcake tins.
In another saucepan (I used my double boiler), melt down the chocolate chips and soy milk together, stirring constantly. Spoon over the peanut buttery mix in the tins. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or until set and enjoy!

When I make them again, I may increase the amount of chocolate and add a bottom layer first. Just cause you can never have enough chocolate, in my opinion.

Coincidental?

2ND Sock is draining my creative force from me, but she lives.

I have set a new deadline--she must be finished by Sunday. That gives me plenty of time to complete her and embark on new, exciting creative journeys. I will surely keep you posted as to whether Ms. Knitsburgh meets this challenge.

This week has been odd at best. Random thoughts popping into my head, then weird coincidences happening. If I were smart, I'd write these all down but I will probably think on them for a bit and then release them when my brain needs more space for other more mundane things, such as the grocery list or the due date for my library books. It's been a week of some change, letting go of some negativity that has probably been around in my life much too long. It feels good, feels freeing.

It snowed off and on yesterday and I had to take my trusty steed, Blue Molly, in for some repair work. Her engine light had come on over the weekend. She is nearing 100,000 miles, that great milestone and I hope to have her for at least 100,000 more! I hope she feels better now. And great news, her windshield wipers have rubber on them and actually work now!

I've seen quite a few characters at the bird feeder already. Three squirrels were there today, including the one who just climbs up the tree, uses a slender branch to bend him over and hops right into the feeder. He lies down in there and eats like a fat Roman emperor. I've also seen a pair of cardinals, a pair of blue jays, the flock of sparrows and my favorite, a pair of chickadees. There also is a rabbit who likes to hang out in my flower garden now. Unfortunately no pics of these because they all flee when I come outside to take their photos.

Here is Izzy, watching the snow and the birds yesterday:

Here is Madison, warming her belly on top of the radiator--they REALLY like the radiator covers Nature Boy made now!

Here is a homemade vegan peanut butter cup I made a few nights ago--they are really yummy!

When the chips are down...

...make cookies with 'em! Behold the vegany oatmealy choco-chippy goodness:


Yesterday I decided, whilst raining, my good friend Seymour needed a trim.

Some in my neighborhood have already trimmed their rose bushes back, but Seymour just kept on producing roses. I cut the last new bud off and then I put Seymour to sleep for the winter. I had to be very careful to ensure I did not get eaten by this monstrous plant. This rose must have lived here for years. The Estate itself was built in 1921--do rose plants live that long? I've never met a rose bush that grows as much as Seymour does--he's quite wild.

Sock #2 is coming along but very slowly. They are too much like sleeves--once you make one, the second isn't as exciting and it quickly loses my attention. Oh well, I will plug away at it this afternoon, maybe while taking a walk in the park. It's warm and the sun is peeking out from time to time. Snow is on the horizon so this may be one of those last great days...

R * A * I * N

Requiring Activities Indoors at 'Nitsburgh...

Up since 5:14 AM.

Laundry in the washing machine.

Waffle and hot chocolate in the belly.

News blaring on the TV from the kitchen.

Circles under my eyes.

Nummy Nummy Num!

When I lived in Colorado, there was the greatest ever fast-food deli chain called Schlotzsky's. They have the best bread and they toast their sammiches and I have gotten to be craving them. I made my own vegan version of their veggie sammich today.

I used some ciabatta bread cause I couldn't find any good vegan sourdough bread here. You need something with those pockets of air, like spongey-ness for this sammich. I put the bottoms under the broiler after I sprinked some shredded "cheddar" style vegan cheese. I then added sliced olives, onions, cukes, a tomato slice and some lettuce, topped it with some vegan ranch dressing and presto! Veganized Schlotzsky's! I served it up with the pickles and chips, of course.

PS--Sock #2 was born last night--yay!

PPS--I was told by someone that today is my day, and they are right!!

PPPS--Happy Esbat!

Gifted

Look what Kay made for me!

It came in the mail last week. She crocheted this lovely vegan ruffle for me and sent it to me out of the blue. I love suprises like that!

This weekend I made it out to the Handmade Arcade. It was busy so at times was hard to see all of the wares for sale. I bought a necklace, by Ursula and Olive:

I guess my hand is not that steady! It says, Wonder Twin Powers Activate! I also bought a vegan choco chip bar from My Goodies but of course, ate it before the photo shoot.

There were so many beautiful things there but with me being on a budget right now due to my being unemployed, I really couldn't do any more than admire. Plus I had to get back home to watch the Steelers game, which unfortunately, did not end in the way the Steeler Nation would have liked.

Today I went to another interview with a temp agency. I now type 51 wpm, up from 49. At least there is improvement. Honestly, I haven't knit in about 2 weeks now and I need to just jump back on that horse already. Maybe today. Maybe...

I'll leave you with my List of Things I Believe:

1. Karma will find you, you know who you are!


2. Sometimes seemingly bad things happen as a way to protect us from further harm.


3. Chocolate improves mental health.


4. Cats that are sleeping are one of the cutest things on this earth.


5. Cats that are awake and bad are one of the cutest things on this earth.


6. Sunshine is medicine.


7. Obama is going to change things for the better.


8. Thanksgiving Dinner will taste so good this year and I won't be working--yay!


9. Sometimes if you tell yourself not to throw up inside your head over and over, you won't throw up.


10. Your mom won't know if you don't make your bed every day once you grow up and move out on your own.

TAGGED!

I got tagged by Spiritwitch

Here are the rules:
Link to the person or persons who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write 6 random things about yourself.
Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

OK, here goes...
1. I am frightened of dolls. Please keep them away.
2. I was born with a single gray hair amongst all my black hair and have always had some gray.
3. I was named after my mother's best friend who committed suicide-yikes!
4. I wish I had a llama and some goats.
5. I do not like brussel sprouts or lima beans.
6. I like to take pictures of mushrooms in forests!

Ok, so I don't have many readers of this blog, so ANYONE who comes and reads this HAS TO RE-POST AND ANSWER THIS!! Take THAT!

I can't wait to vote tomorrow! I plan to get up early to make sure I can do so as I work a dreaded 8AM-close shift, meaning I probably won't be leaving work til well past the polls are closed (yeah, it's at least a 12 hour shift, usually more like 13). This will be the first time I wasn't going after work to the polls. I will miss the excitement of getting to the polls last minute, voting, then feeling like bam, my vote changed some last minute stats for the state I was voting in. Even if it really didn't. Going in the morning makes me feel like I don't get to hide my trump card, I'm laying it all out there way too early.

I have voted in three states--Colorado, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

I seem to have trouble when voting and invariably have to get to a different polling place last minute and worry I may not get to vote. This has happed in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

In Colorado, I volunteered for a group called Political Voice for Animals. They would publish a very nice chart regarding all the national and local candidates and how they voted when it came to animal rights. I would saunter up to the voting machine with my checklist and make sure those bastards who cared less about animals didn't get a vote from me! On that note, I still love you, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, for all the good you did for animals!

A child brought a door hanger to us this evening from one of the presidential candidates. A CHILD??!!??

I hope to be hunkering down tomorrow night on El Coucho, watching all the television coverage with crossed fingers and great hope.

Whatever your belief or cause of slant, I have only one thing to say :
Happy voting to all you fellow Americans out there!

DAMNIT!!!

Why did I not look at THESE sooner!!!?????!!!??

"Wing it Vegan is doing an entire month of Halloween foods so I don’t even know where to begin. I guess with her latest post: Halloweegan Meatloaf Scramble With Mashed Potato Ghosts. But honestly, that is just the tip of the iceberg of mindblowing cuteness and startling innovation, so take the day off from work and read all of her Halloween posts. Heck, take the week off. Tell ‘em I said so.

Musings from the Fishbowl offers us some scaradorable skeleton cookies. Hewwo wittle skewwy poo. Pwease haunt me.

EatnVegn shares a few Halloween posts from years past. I thought this was particularly cool - spiderweb creme for your soup! Also, note the dedication. She hasn’t missed a day of blogging since MoFo began!"

These were all stolen from the Post Punk Kitchen Blog. Might have to keep Samhain going for a while in my house...

Happy Dias De Los Muertos!

I received my package yesterday from my Raverly Vegan for All Seasons pal, Emily:
We have two beautiful skeins of what looks to be cotton hand-dyed yarn, as well as two skeins of a soy/bamboo blend. A soy candle (almond scent), two bars of handcrafted soap (they smell wonderful), a beautiful autumn acorn card, a box of seeds and some yummy mandarin orange lip balm were also in the box. Last but not least, some maple sugar candies from Marquard's Tree Farm. This girl was spoiled indeed--thanks Emily, your a great swap bud! Even the scents of the soaps are the kinds I would pick out for myself.

So the Week of Creative Pursuits has sadly not yielded as much as expected. With Samhain and trick or treat mayhem and my working what should total about 51 hours this week, my time at home has been spent lying on the couch napping. I did clean the estate before going in to work on Thursday (worked 3pm-8pm that day) so that yesterday was truly a "day off." What did I do, you ask?

Made THESE:

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from:

This was so I did not feel left out with all the non-vegan Halloween offerings hanging around for goblins. I do say, they taste just like the most divine non-vegan cupcakes I've ever eaten and I don't miss the crappy animal-product infused candy that everyone seems to love so much one little bit.

We gave out tons of that candy by the way--it only cost a small fortune, I don't know where all these kids come from! I leave you with my favorite quotes:

ME: Ooh, nice wand, can you work some magick for me with it?

LITTLE GIRL WITH WAND: No silly--it's not real!

LITTLE BOY (as he pulls something out of his pillowcase): Hey, is this dental floss?

NATURE BOY: I don't know... Happy Halloween (as he shoves two candy bars at Little Boy).

Here's a link about Dias de los Muertos.

Here's one for Samhain.

Over the Weather

As I am no longer "under the weather" I have climbed out of my coccoon on the couch, the one made of Afghanistan and a tumble of used tissues and cats. I am feeling better and it's time to get on with things.

I have been very very bad about knitting this past week. Last week, I busted out a side project (true, it was a very small scale project) and finished Sock #1 of the esteemed Pair O'Sox. Then I lie dormant whilst not working, watching TV of the likes that would destroy brain cell after brain cell. Enough!

I proclaim this week as follows:

Great Week of Creative Pursuits

That's right, here in Knitsburgh there will be a cultural revolution of sorts, a junction and grand fusion of artistic efforst so stupendous, it will earn it's own place in Knitsburgh History. Hold on to your hats!

Speaking of hats, I did buy not one, but two hats, this weekend. The first is my Irish hat, purchased with a gift certificate left from a return following Yule of last year. The second is my 100% green organic cotton cap found on sale at Anthropologie, in cranberry. How very exciting indeed, I don't think I have ever purchased two caps in the span of two days in my entire life. They are seen posing with the Trick or Treat ammo: that's 2 bags of 75-count Reese's PB cups and Kitkats, 2 bags totaling 7 lbs. of Tootsie Roll/Dots/Tootsie Pop assortmant and 3 bags of fun size 100 Grand bars. Last year we ran out and had to turn off the porch light. Nature Boy has already started the rationing: we start with the cheap candy and give one piece per goblin, no more! Seems he blames me for giving out too many candy bars at the start of the game last year. If you saw the stairs the goblins must climb up to even get a little something, you'd feel bad too!

Finally, I will leave you with my lastest creative pursuits from last week. Here are pics of a bath cloth and some geranium mint soap I made, as well as some bookmarks as part of the Vegan for All Seasons swap I participated in. The enitre package is featured last, with some yummy yarn.

It was really a lot of fun getting everything together and shopping for yarn. It's also nice to kinda get to know someone from a different corner of the country too. Well, I'm off to get all creative and stuff....'night!

On Cleavage

Ms. Knitsburgh steps upon proverbial soap box, clears her throat, and begins.

So today while on Ravelry, I read one of my favorite weekly columns, Ask Auntie BubboPants. For those of you who sadly are not on Ravelry it's an advice column, like Dear Abby, but much funnier. Maybe akin to Ask Mr. Fish.

One of the questions was from a woman who wrote, among other things, this:
"The real problem is how she dresses. She has a long torso too, and I understand that finding shirts is difficult. But it honestly took a lot, lot longer for me to ignore the fact that most of the time I’m looking at least half of her breasts, if not more, than it did to stop being jealous. I can ignore the clothing thing and talk to her face these days, and so can my husband (it probably took him longer), but it’s incredibly awkward having her meet my friends and family or going out in public together. I don’t really like drawing attention to myself anyhow and it’s not like I’m looking for guys, but it can be embarrassing and sometimes a little threatening when guys make comments. Furthermore, her clothing would be inappropriate no matter what her bra size is – I’d never go out with my chest exposed that way."

This is what I have to say on it. My mother has been battling breast cancer for years. When I was a freshman in college she was first diagnosed and started her treatments (chemo, then a radical mastectomy, then radiation). She was in remission for 12 years and then discovered it has come back, this time in her bones and lungs. She is very careful and self-conscious about the way she has to dress to hide the fact that she wears a prosthetic breast on one side. She doesn't wear dipping necklines or armholes that are loose for fear of someone seeing a scar.

I wear clothing that shows off my cleavage. If you don't like it, I don't give a fuck. Look away and/or don't pretend to be my friend if you can't handle it. I'm going to show them off while I still have them and feel good about them. I am a woman and enjoy being a woman and there is nothing wrong with my womanly body or your womanly body or anyone else's womanly body. So girls, show it off while you can, if you want to. If you don't want to then don't but don't judge those who do. Now go get a mammogram and donate some money to the cure instead of being mean and jealous towards other chicas. Peace out!

Salvation!

So last night as Nature Boy and I were on the couch, anticipating some fine TV entertainment for the evening, we heard footfalls upon our porch, then a knock on the door. I was all slumped down under Afghanistan so Nature Boy went to the door and was greeted by...

Well, not really Jesus himself but some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They kindly handed Nature Boy this card with Jesus and urged him to order the free DVD it advertised.


Now I'm going to rant here and if it's about to offend you, then by all means quit reading and go away. So I don't get why, even if I were in my home contemplating my life and feeling I was missing something spiritually, this church would think coming to my door to convert me would win me over. Personally and in my humble oppinion, it feels cult-like. I personally would not want to belong to a faith that randomly approached people to "save" in this way. I think most Americans have various churches, synagogues, temples and what-have-you in the name of religion all over their respective neighborhoods and if one were inclined to believe in the Christian faith, they could seek out a church on their own and go there. I think it's rude to assume someone needs saving by your own beliefs. Lead your life your way and I'll believe what I believe and we will both be happy and get what we need in the end. Your conversion will work better if people who actually want this come to you.


Ok, so the rant is over now. Also in the photo you will note Sock 1 from Pair O'Sox in all its finished glory. Between coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose I managed to finish it today as I sat on my couch. You see I called in sick to work today, for the first time in I-Can't-Remember-When. I'm done with dragging myself in to work to help out people who don't seem to appreciate the things I do anyway. Ok, back to the sock:

That's about it for now. I'm gonna jump in the tub to relax with a nice, hot bath and then watch The Office. If I can pull myself out of the bath that is...

Yarnburst

Look what came home with me!


During the photo shoot a passerby stopped to see my taking pics of yarn on my front steps. I felt the need to explain my actions. The next time I think I'll just say, "Move along ma'am, nothing to see here, that's it, on your way..."

Here is Sock #1, from Pair O'Sox:

Progress is slow but is still going onward, at least. I am already ruminating on what to make when I'm finished with Pair O'Sox.

Here is my vegan pudding waiting for me yesterday in the fridge when I came home from work:
I know, our fridge looks way classy, right?

So I saw Wicked and that night finished the last 50 pages of the book. They were very different and although I enjoyed the musical, I did like the book a lot better. Some things never change...

Some things do change. There's been lots of change around me of late, at my job and here at home and even amongst friends. Today I got news of the best kind of change ever so I'm over the moon right now. I've been enjoying meeting up with friends I haven't seen in a bit, both last weekend and today, and I think I've been grinning ear to ear all day thus far. The sun is shining, the earth is brown and red and orange and warm, and I feel at peace for the first time in over a month.

A Taste...

Here's a lil' taste. This is a sample, a tiny speck of a sample, of a day in the life of me, a Customer Service Specialist at an esteemed ER animal clinic.

"__ Vet, this is Ms. Knitsburgh, can I help you?"

"Yeah, I was told by my doctors to call you, even they can't help me. I got bit by my friend's ball python. They told me to call you, what should I do?"

"Ma'am, we don't treat humans here, I would recommend you make an appointment with your doctor or go to the ER."

"Well, the bite is little and clean."

"Again, I would recommend you be seen by a doctor. The fangs can puch bateria deep into the skin and it could get infected even if it looks clean..."

"Well I don't think it is going to be a big deal, it looks fine..."

"Well, you can do whatever you like. Goodbye."

That's just a sample. Never mind the man who called me just to ask how to calculate sales tax. Or the man who wanted a family special. It's all special, all day long, all the time.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Crystal water turns to dark
Where ere it's presence leaves it's mark
And boiling currents pound like drums
When something wicked this way comes...

A presence dark invades the fair
And gives the horses ample scare
Chaos rains and panic fills the air
When something wicked this way comes...

Ill winds mark it's fearsome flight,
And autumn branches creak with fright.
The landscape turns to ashen crumbs,
When something wicked this way comes...

Flowers bloom as black as night
Removing color from your sight
Nightmarish vines block your way
Thorns reach out to catch their prey

And by the pricking of your thumbs
Realize that their poison numbs
From frightful blooms, rank odors seep
Bats & beasties fly & creep

'Cross this evil land, ill winds blow
Despite the darkness, mushrooms glow
All will rot & decompose
For something wicked this way grows...

I am reading. Reading in the kitchen while my teakettle heats. Reading at the table waiting for Nature Boy to serve up the dinner. Reading when I should be sleeping, even reading while knitting.


Why, you ask?


Well, I am going to see a musical this weekend. And in my mind I need to read the book first, or it will all be ruined. I'm one of the breed who usually like the book better than the movie, play, what-have-you. If I see it, then I will never go back and read the book which would have been infinitely better. So I am reading because of that.

Plus this came in the mail today:

A double whammy. So torn about which to read! I am still working on Sock #1 of Pair O'Sox. I hope to return to knitting full force once this reading jag is through.

Speaking of, I recently tore through three novels by Jules Watson. They take place in Scotland during the time of the Roman invasions and I could not put them down or read them fast enough. My local library is so sick of me, seems I'm requesting book after book from them of late!

I have been checking out some knitting and sewing books to see if they are worth the purchase and so far nary a one is looking like something I'd want taking up precious space on my bookshelf.

My sleep has been fretful, eluding me and then driving me mad with strange dreams. I am very frustrated of late in one area of my life and am trying to figure it out. It still amazes me, a former student of psychology, how the mind can irritate, aggravate and unnerve every inch of one's bodily systems, from digestion to immune system, circulatory to muscular/skeletal.

Oh well--off to read a little more and then try for some sleep, I work a dreaded 12-hour shift tomorrow and will be alone all morning to boot. No wonder a girl can't sleep!

Out of the Trees

Back from a recent camping trip with Nature Boy, Ms. Knitsburgh feels rested and re-connected with the universe. Here are some highlights of the trip:
The lake:
Spores!
Little hop-toad:
No balloon but found the note:
Fuzzy caterpillar:
Salamander!

As you can see, some knitting was accomplished. I turned the heel of Sock #1 in Pair O'Sox. Now on to the toe...at this rate, I hope they are finished before flip flop season begins anew!

So I recently joined up with Ravelry. I "applied" back in March but never responded to the invite and decided to finally get in the door and see what the fuss is all about. Holy crikey! I've been in Ravelry almost non-stop. Why did I not listen to the whispers and rumors about the super goodness of it all? The patterns, the patterns, the patterns! Seems someone there stole my name from me. If you are on Ravelry, you can find me listed under "Knitsburgher." Friend me up!

In other news, I've been gathering flower seeds and tomato seeds in preparation for the Spring. It's been getting much colder here and is much darker in the morning when I wake up. It can only mean one thing...winter is at the doorstep. I like the turning of the wheel and the seasons changing and all that, but I'm sorry, I much prefer warm and hot weather than cold. And if it's gonnna be cold there better be snow covering everything.