knitorious

Extraordinary

Not only did I make Carole's Roast Beef Soup on Saturday, I invited people over to help eat it.  Yes, it's true, I often spring first attempts at new/untried recipes on unsuspecting friends and relatives.  I was pretty confident about this one, though, and an offer of a free meal with no strings (no prep or clean-up, nothing to bring), usually yields a couple of willing guinea pigs -- you'd come, too, wouldn't you?  The invitation was designed to spur motivation to clear the kitchen table and surrounding area!  Man, it needed it -- stuff piles up so fast around here -- it's amazing how big the dining area looks when all the crap is put away!  The soup was fantastic, quite simple to make, and it received highest possible "requested recipe" honors!  My favorite part of the making was deglazing the pan.  (It's the simple things.)  Next time, I'll add a few more carrots and use a little less water -- maybe 10 cups instead of 12.  Next up: Artichokes French!

Recently, it's come to my attention that certain parties (who shall remain nameless, but who live a fair bit east of me, whom I have had occasion to visit, attended fiber festivals with, went shoe-shopping with and/or played catch with their dog and its ball-thrower-thingy) have no idea what I'm talking about when I refer to Coup d'Etat (scroll down, it's there) -- Is someone trying to overthrow Vicki's knitting?  Just for them -- and any other nameless readers with questions marks floating over their heads at the mention -- I have searched and categorized every post wherein "Coup" is mentioned and -- yes, I know, a coup is not often peaceful, as you're wont to think when you see "Peace Fleece," but it must be thus named because of the historical significance to Russia, don't you think? I don't name 'em, I just knit 'em -- so there is no mistake, I've also re-posted the best pictures.  It's a bugger to take a picture of that nearly-black sweater.  Alas, projects do get pretty drawn out around here sometimes.

Anyway, got it, darlings?  It's the other soup topic du jour.  When last we left the poor, unphotogenic Coup d'Etat, the threat of underarm gussets was on the wind.  After a short period of separation/marination, I tried it on again last night and I don't think gussets will do the trick.  That is one tight fit under the arms, fitting about as close as I'd want a shirt, definitely not a sweater.  I think I'll remove the sleeves and determine whether the armscyes are of adequate depth -- there was a bit of easing the armscye to the sleeve during the seaming -- and if they are, ripping and reknitting the top of the sleeve.  If the armscyes are too short, I'll probably undo the shoulders and knit another inch or so (*sigh* and re-do the sleeves).

Or maybe I'll rip the whole darn thing and start over.  It fits okay, but it's not really what I envisioned -- thinking that the waif-ish model in the photo was wearing "her" size (not "my" size), I completely glossed over what the significance of the numbers (sweater measurements) and was expecting something a lot roomier when I knit the largest size.  I'm not upset, just a little disgruntled that I fell for it... again.

Please, allow me to introduce

...my sewing assistant.  This is Roxie.  I tried to get a better photograph of her, but, unlike Duncan, she's not very cooperative with the local papparazzi (and don't even think about a close-up!).  She doesn't get along very well with Duncan, either, so I guess you could say that they're cut from different cloth -- and she definitely likes to sew it up.  ; )  Roxie is a sweetheart and never very demanding, so I tolerated , even allowed her "assistance" yesterday.

Coup d'Etat is all sewn up, but I haven't tied off and woven in all the ends yet.  There's still a possibility that I'll want to knit and sew in a small gusset at each underarm.  I'll let it stew a little while longer before I decide.  The sweater looks fantastic, and I love it, but there are some issues.

The mitten.  There is no question that the mitten will fit me like a glove because I try it on and admire it every two or three rounds.  ; )  I did not rip, I carried right on, and to tell you the truth, I do see improvement in my knitting even since beginning the hand.  It makes me happy to see it, too.

Cell Phone Carrier

I am absolutely delighted with this Cell Phone Carrier -- pattern from One-Skein Wonders.  I was asked if I'd like to knit and blog this little project and, because I really was in need of such a thing (and because it just sounded like fun), I agreed.  I'm really glad I like it so much, because I'm not sure how I'd handle the blogging bit if I didn't.  I supposed I'd handle it honestly and diplomatically -- but no worries.  I just love how this little thing turned out and it pleases me very much to use it.  Ali was home for a little laundry time over the weekend and she looked upon it both admiringly and approvingly -- she would like one, but reminded me that I also said I'd knit a case for her camera!

I normally carry my phone in my coat pocket where it gets jangled around with wallet, gloves, sunglass clip, and (worst of all) keys.  I sometimes carry a tote bag (or two), but never an actual purse, so this little item is very practical for me, if not even necessary, if I wish to keep my phone in good shape.

It was so quick to knit and used so little yarn, it hardly even counts in either time or materials.  I used Cascade "The Heathers" left-over from DH's suede-soled slipper birthday socks, held double on 8US needles.  In a departure from the pattern, I knit I-cord for the little strap (rather than knitting flat and sewing in grosgrain ribbon) -- then flattened out again for a few rows at the end to make the buttonhole.  The button is vintage, of course, is from Grandma's collection.

I have not yet had an opportunity to peruse this book in person, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy -- there's a pattern for knitting a mitt that's used for removing frost from the windshield that sounds very useful!

* * * * * *

I snipped that yarn of a third color last night and good riddance!  I won't need it again until Mitten #2 is underway.  I'm a few rows into the hand and need to think about the thumb before going much further.

Tomorrow, in daylight, I'll be finishing the sewing up of Coup d'Etat!  The only thing left will be the question about the underarm and gussets -- and, yes, I have tried it on several times during the sewing up, but I have to wait 'til it's completely almostly finished before making a determination on that -- and buttons!  There might be an FO by week's end!  ; )  I can't wait to have a new cardigan!

I'll also be going to the Y...  I.must.go.to.the.Y.M.C.A.

It's super...

Super International Pajama Day!!!  (NOT laundry day at the convent, Ann, though that comment still cracks us up 'round here -- and I'd sure like to know the nun who claims the hot pink one!)

YAY!!!  Whatever shall I wear?

As you can see, there are ZERO degrees of separation this morning, which is better than the MINUS EIGHT at bedtime last night and I'm not factoring in windchill.  Right now, I am wearing one of those nightgowns, along with a robe and very warm socks, but I shall soon be changing into something with a little more leg coverage.

This is so funny...  My mother had extended an invitation for Super Bowl and I declined -- because of the cold, for one thing, but I also told her (because I knew that she would get it) that I planned to spend the day in my pajamas.  So I was talking to one of my sisters on the phone yesterday and she asked about my plans for today and I told her about the all-day pajamas and she said, "Oh yeah, Mom told me that she's doing that, too!"

I ended up making scalloped potatoes and ham again last night, just as delicious as it was a couple of weeks ago.  We had it with fresh bread from the machine which we spread with chopped kalamata olvies and olive oil.  Yum.  Tonight, I'm making Braised Pork Chops as seen on Martha Stewart (video here -- also a cute one here from Ellen) with delightful Biscuit Lady Carol Fay from Nashville's Loveless Cafe.  I'll also be making biscuits, but not the biscuits, because that's a secret recipe.  ; )

I started sewing up Coup d'Etat yesterday and am nearly ready to start side seams.  I'm concerned that it's going to be tight under the arms -- perhaps the sleeves could have been bigger, perhaps I could have blocked them with a little more vigor -- I'll know later today.  I'm thinking that I may end up knitting and sewing in some gussets.

I also worked on my Latvian Mitten!  I'm working on the third braid and it was to the point where I was ripping back more than knitting, so it was time to put it down.  There's progress, though, and I should be introducing the third color today.  ; )

I had some news in regard to the situation to which I referred the other day and, while it is still quite serious -- and will be forever, for a lifetime -- it does not appear to be as devastating in some of the ways that had been feared.  That's all I'm going to say on that.  Good thoughts, always, of course; and thank you for yours.

Have a SUPER day, everyone!!

White weekend*

ETA:  It's Cara's fault... she commented on our cuteness and I remembered that I had a picture I was saving for just such an occasion as this (see below)...

ETA II:  To add pattern details about the Rib Warmer.

Unlike Norma, my all-white meal wasn't so on purpose.  I'm really pretty awful at the meal planning most of the time and all I knew at the outset was that I would make scalloped potatoes and ham.  Yeah, well, so that's pretty much all I focused on and it wasn't until I was placing it on the table that I realized I didn't make anything else!  I quickly warmed up some frozen green beans for hubby and the girls, but I'd spotted the neighboring cauliflower in the freezer and that's what I had!  A white meal to go with our white day -- it snowed, at varying rates, almost all day.

One of the secrets to making a good roux and then sauce, I've found, is to have all the ingredients measured, mixed, and ready -- the flour and seasonings combined.  (I did think THAT far ahead, at least.)  The last-minute getting the milk out of the fridge and measuring, WHILE stirring constantly, doesn't work.  The chopped onions were for later, but as long as I was prepping...

*We celebrated a White Wedding over the weekend; one that occurred 22 years ago Saturday in a little beach house on the Oregon coast.  Twenty.two.years.WOW!  How did that happen?  (I wasn't actually wearing white, but it gives me a reason to link to Billy Idol.)  (Thanks for the photo reminder, Cara!)

I have another FOO7 -- Elizabeth Zimmermann's Rib Warmer (pattern found in Knitting Workshop and also, I believe, in an available Spun Out) was completed on Saturday night.  It's an amazing -- and amazlingly simple -- thing to knit.  Yeah, amaz-ling-ly.  I started a Latvian mitten swatch; not sure how far I'll go with it.  My knitting with colors has definitely improved since the last time I tried this at home.  I flubbed up on the braid -- not sure what happened, but it's not quite right on the left half of that photo; you see where it changes in the middle from "arrows" to just purl bumps.  I'll be using different yarn for the real thing -- a tiny bit heavier, less tweedy, smoother, still undecided.  I have enough Baby Ull, but I'm not sure of the colors on-hand.

Also, yesterday, I knit the collar on Coup d'Etat; the sewing up comes next.

First FOO7 and pointing fingers

I made a new photo album this morning and posted my first FO for the year -- Fetching.  I ought to have one or two more by the end of the month, but really no idea which will come first -- the Rib Warmer or Coup d'Etat.

I finished Coup's left side button band with a half-hour of the 4-hour premier of "24" to spare on Monday night -- and there was no way I'd be able to keep up with Jack Bauer while also figuring out buttonhole placement.  Jack won the battle for my attention, of course, so I worked on the Rib Warmer for the rest of the evening -- garter stitch goes much better with Jack.  I'm just about to the point where the short rows begin and I'm so excited for the finish -- one quick seem and, voila, warm ribs.

Last night, I got out pencil, paper, calculator and ruler.  With coil-less pins, I marked the left side button band in 10-row increments -- it's very dark yarn, lots of rows, I tried to count a few times and my eyes nearly fell out of my head, so used pins to mark the rows and aid in counting.  I had decided on the one-row buttonhole as described in Knitting Workshop and which I'd recently seen demonstrated by Meg Swansen in Cardigan Details.  The ruler actually didn't come into play at all, except at the end, after all the allowances and subtractions and the division, when it assured me that the calculated result regarding spacing would be good.

In the interest of full disclosure, I began to knit the right side button band and was a few rows beyond the first buttonhole, even, before I discovered that I was knitting it to the side of the sweater (it has not yet been seamed) rather than the center.  I had a couple of false starts and, obviously, picked up the wrong edge in the end.  Further, the calculated result of buttonhole placement and the actual result are (as usual) two different things.  *sigh*  I shall have a look today, maybe do some counting, possibly more calculating, ripping may follow, I suppose... if need be.  Blech.

The rest of today's post will be me pointing at people (in a nice way):

Celia (I point at her a lot, she should be used to it), winding up the holidays, received the sweetest gift from her sister-in-law.  I love it.  I'm also pointing at her newest sister-in-law, a new knitter celebrating her first FO and already a start on her second (which will be for the really big FO due in another few months)!

Wendy, aka Bookish Mama, also received a very sweet gift at Christmas from Bookish Papa.  The biggest fun for you and me is that there's a resulting baby name contest.  It's a girl!  The initials are S.C.R. and all you have to do is figure out what they stand for!  I have made some preliminary, unofficial guesses, and shall hone them before I make it official.  I do have it on the most high, most excellent authority that "S" does not stand for "Santa."

Nova wrote a very enjoyable post about the Seamless Hybrid Sweater she just finished for her husband.  The sweater is just fabulous!  Congrats, Nova.

Okay, I was going to point to the purl bee and Nikki's Dragon Scale Mitts, which, with the sudden appearance of the white stuff in my neighborhood, followed by plunging temp, falls right in with my interest in knitting n-warmers (n = hands, wrists, ribs, feet, etc.), and now they've followed that post with one called Fingerless Gloves Galore.  No need for further pointing there.

But I will point at Warm Hands.  Wonderful things going on there -- great inspiration, too -- also at Stranded.  I have January 31st in mind to cast on the Latvian Mittens!  Details and button of some sort shall follow soon...

Next, I wish to point you to an Etsy site called Chickadee Buttons & Beads.  Chickadeebead girl is named Kristy and she hails from the beautiful, far north woods of Wisconsin -- one of my favorite places!  ; )  She's a novice knitter whose passion is making glass beads and, especially, buttons.  I have a couple of personal favorites -- green-shank flower and retro dot buttons, but she totally won me over with the chocolate-covered strawberry bead.  How cute is that???  Alas, sold since I first saw it yesterday -- drat!

I may be a bit more scarce than usual over the next week or so as it's nose to the grindstone time around here.

Winter Storm Warning!

Maddy had a few places she wanted to go on Saturday afternoon, and she wanted to drive.  It was a very successful outing in that I found a pair of comfy, stretchy jeans, which I wasn't intending and really didn't want to buy, but we were there and, well, they were only $11!!  I'm wearing them now.  We also went to one of her favorite indie coffee shops and then walked down to an indie book store where I found a little something, as did she.  She still wanted to drive some more, so we just followed her nose and it led us to this farmhouse -- it's one of those that as a child I would think of as a fixer-upper.  Now I enjoy a quick and wistful memory of the little girl and her house dreams on the way to mourning.  The house is long past saving, and so sad.  There used to be a porch across the front and the back porch was originally open -- a proud pillar is visible through the broken wood.  There's not a drop of paint left on the siding.  The floor inside the side door is completely fallen away and, while there was a plank, I nixed the idea of going inside.  Everything in the house that could be removed and burned, or broken, was... removed and burned, or broken.  There were doorknobs and hinges in a pile of ashes, broken glass and porcelain strewn about.  I was startled by how compromised the foundation was in the rear of the house, pushed in and badly broken -- like something rammed into it, but underground (a really big gopher?) -- DH said that frost-heave can do that.  Incredible.  There was a barn behind me, with a loft full of hay, and a couple of outbuildings.  Maddy found an old bottle in the barn for her collection -- I let her go in a teensy, tiny bit. 

One of my biggest successes on Saturday was finishing the Fetching mitts while Madeleine practiced her driving!  I have always been pretty calm and cool in the girls' learning-to-drive stage, but the knitting helps to keep me even more relaxed.  When I mentioned the other day that I wouldn't mind a little more length from the thumb to the last cable cross/top of the mitt... well, chalk it up to operator error.  There's a very good reason why I so often use small sticky notes to mark my place in a pattern, and I can't really think of a good reason why I didn't use them here... I suppose it's because the pattern isn't very long or complicated.  The sticky note is my friend and perhaps I should have one pinned to my shirt, even, so I don't forget to use it.  Anyway, I had to rip out the first mitt, when was more complicated than it sounds and I actually had to rip out and re-do the whole thumb (mostly due to very good and diligent weaving in of ends!), but they are both perfect now and I have no complaints.

There was macaroni and cheese yesterday.  I found three Martha Stewart recipes and took a little from each.  Basically, while the jumbo macaroni cooked, I sauteed some onion in butter and made a roux -- one of my favorite things in the whole wide world to do (ever since I learned how to do it correctly!) -- then a nice white sauce with fat-free evaporated milk and some skim, in which I melted two types of cheddar and some monterey jack.  I made fresh buttered bread crumbs for the topping.  It was good, but not great.  A couple of notes:  I scorched the cheese sauce and, while it didn't taste burnt, I think there was an affect on taste; I should have used all (or at least more) of the onion I sauteed; it needed more salt and, especially, pepper; try to use a less sweet bread for crumbs next time.  I'll have some for lunch today and we'll see how it fared overnight.  Also, an 8x8 or 1-1/2 quart casserole of this would be plenty.

I cannot count the times I had to look away from 24 last night.  Guess what I was looking at!  The knitted-on seed-stitch (third try) Coup d'Etat button band!  I'm about half-way up the left side.  ; )  I was looking in my closet this morning, trying to decide which sweater to wear today with the Fetchings for our first Winter Storm Warning of the year...  I chose Oatmeal, but I really need a new sweater in the rotation!!!

Providing value (a little rant with knitting at the end)

It's difficult enough to make a living as an artist without worrying -- when you finally maybe do hit on a good thing, get a couple of breaks, get in a groove with a good thing going -- about whether the bank is going to think you're running a scam (involving sock yarn? give me a break) and freakin' shut you down without warning.  You may read about it here and here.  (Pardon me, my stinger might be about to show...)  Oh, this kind of shit just makes me want to stick it to The Man so much -- I have had it up to HERE with the (mostly hidden from the consumer) economics of banking and finance and the "convenience" of credit cards and debit cards and service charges and billing fees and interest rates and per-item fees and instantaneous deduction from the checking account but far from instantaneous deposits and how much interest is charged versus how much interest is paid and... you can be sure it's never in YOUR best interest -- it's very, very far from YOUR best interest... it's sickening and depressing... and did someone say SCAM(s)? -- but how in the world do you stick it to That Man?  What a heartache and headache for people who are only trying to make a living by creating a beautiful product that people want to buy.

And so much wasted time. For crying out loud, everyone knows that time is money.

I don't belong to the Socks That Rock Club, but I know what it's like to try and make a living as an artist -- to try and find something that works, that speaks to people on some level so that maybe someone might be moved to buy it and maybe an artist can eke out a living doing what they were born to do -- doing the only thing that, in their hearts, they really can do, the thing that makes them feel alive and hopeful and happy -- so that maybe all the creative time will pay, maybe all the mundane non-creative time traveling to shows and trying to keep track of receipts and writing stuff into the checkbook, even working temporarily at a soul-sucking factory job, will be offset because someone gets it, because someone sees some value in what they've created.  Shit, maybe one of these years they'll even be able to trade that 1993 GMC van in for a 2003 model.

That is when they're finished slamming their heads against a wall and/or being ground into the pavement by The Man.

Two miles on the treadmill at the Y, chores around the house (vacuumming! laundry! toilet-cleaning!), a couple of late appointments... there was an even later start to the knitting yesterday.  I did drape the Coup d'Etat over the Duct-tape Body Double in the light of day for some photos.  I think it's going to fit!!  I managed to frog and re-start the Fetching mitt (with three cable crossings at the cuff this time) and, while I usually hate having to do a re-do, this one is pure pleasure.

TGTIF (Thank God Tomorrow Is Friday)!  I'm ready for the weekend.

Fickle...

...but Fetching.  Well, it's a partial pair of... this must be a Fetching-ette -- I see now, in morning light, where I misread the directions, and why I have only two cable crossings at the cuff rather than three.  I just couldn't see what I was missing last night and thought that perhaps I was reading right through something about a variation...  My cast-off edge is quite loose, also, and with the clarity of the new day, I think this shall be frogged entirely.  Love is all I can say about it, though.  I'm using the same yarn that Carole used for hers (it's where I got the idea!) -- Classic Elite Wings.  It's stash yarn, one of three mis-mmatched skeins (though I can only locate two at the moment) that bought on a whim for a specific project and, well, I don't know what I was thinking.  This is a much better use.

I needed a break from all the garter stitching on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Rib Warmer, though the shaping helps to keep the knitting from being too tedious.  I'm also using stash yarn for this, some Filatura di Crosa Nikerboker from ages ago.  There's a little bit of alpaca in the mix, and it develops a very soft, fuzzy glow.  I have plenty of this in gold, and also some blue, and think I'm going to use the rest of it all up to make a little sweater for Mack.  There was a cute pattern in Yarn Play that might work.

The current plan is to finish the Rib Warmer (knit the other half) and Coup d'Etat (button band, collar, seaming), a pair of Fetchings (quick, soft, warm... quite fetching), and re-work the bottom of Williamsro, and then I'll be ready for Latvian Mittens.  I am thinking of January 31st for a starting date.

Ali is moving back to the dorm at school today -- classes start again soon.  Last week, she and two friends paid a deposit on a house to rent for next fall; she'll be moving in with another friend over the summer.  I'm not sure she'll ever live at home again.  It's kind of weird.

On Saturday, Katie's heading to Madison with one of her friends to look for a place to live in fall, too.  She has applied to Madison and, considering they've accepted her a couple of times before, I see no reason why she won't be accepted again.  She needs to "get on with it," as she says.  She may never live here again, either.  It's also kind of weird.

It's all part of everything and the way it goes, and I'm fine, but there will be some adjusting.  I think it'll be a big adjustment for Maddy, too.  She and Ali have become so close -- amazing, really, when I think on all those years when Ali just barely even tolerated Maddy's existence.  That's the way it is, though, an ebb and flow in all relationships.  Maybe Maddy and I will find more a flow to our relationship.  I hope so.

There's a new photo album in the sidebar.  Currently showing only one photo of one little thing, it will grow during the year and by the end, there should be 100 photos of 100 Little Things.  I've been wanting to do 100 of something, and something with photography, and there are so many little things around here...  I think it can work!

Change of plans

On Friday night, I finished the re-knitting of the Peace Fleece Coup d'Etat Cardigan.  Since I'd already wet-blocked the entire thing, I decided to just pin and damp-block the general area that was worked over.  It's nearly dry.  On Thursday night, I'd stopped at the LYS to procure the DPNs I need to knit the attached button band.  I'm excited to try out this new (to me) technique, and also anxious to finish the cardigan.

Saturday's main goal was to get the tree down.  I broke two ornaments -- which is two more than usual and while one was no big loss, the other was vintage, but at least it wasn't one of Grandma's.  I wasn't in the mood and I guess it showed.  I was resistant to taking time to go the Y, but Katie did finally cajole me into at least going for a walk and we did the 2-mile route -- it did kind of energize me for the big finish.

I've had Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop in a work basket next to my chair for some time and, lately, in the evenings, I've been pulling it out and reading a few pages or just looking at the pictures.  I saw so many beautiful items at the exhibit in Madison last month, but one item that really struck a chord, and that I knew I wanted to make, was the Rib Warmer.  I have some very well-marinated, utilitarian stash of the appropriate weight, so cast on Saturday night.  I will soon be half-way and will have a photo for the next post.

My plans to participate in yesterday's International Pajama Day were thwarted by the maternal relations.  During my walk on Saturday, Mom called to tell me of two sets of aunts and uncles, plus a great aunt and uncle all planning to stop by my brother's on Sunday on their way to a nearby casino and, they wondered, wouldn't it be fun if we could all meet for lunch?  I was pretty resistant to the whole idea -- still weighed down, so to speak, by the Christmas tree, resentful that I had to spend any time at all doing that, and I'd been looking forward to IPD as my well-deserved and just reward.  So I fretted and frumped for the rest of the day, overnight, into the morning, and then realized what a complete and total selfish ass I was being, so I changed into some clothes, took a ride, had lunch and a good laugh with the relatives -- including my brother, who is just fantastic -- and then came home and got all comfy again.  You can bet I'm planning NOW for SUPER IPD!

Red buttons

My last FO for 2006 was another Calorimetry.  I used the specified Filatura di Crosa 127 Print, but 7US needles instead of 8.  It will be part of a birthday gift for my sister later this month, and it's going to look great on her!  I have yarn for two more.

I think one of my favorite parts is choosing the button.

Sorting through and playing with the buttons will never get tiresome.  They're mostly buttons found in Great Grandma's sewing machine drawers.  I loved playing with buttons even as a girl.  Mom kept a pretty, old candy tin full of buttons on her dresser and I would scoop them up by the handsful and let them sift through my fingers like treasure, spotting the interesting ones as they slipped by, later diving in and hunting for the special ones.  They always felt cool to the touch, even on the hottest of days.  If you like buttons, too, check out this recent Kmkat post.

You can run across the oddest things in the button box, though.

That little red clothespin seems too small for even the tiniest of doll clothes, doesn't it?  I know what that little white thing was used for (it's one of what should be a pair) -- DO YOU?

I'm feeling woefully disorganized, particularly where my knitting is concerned, considering it's a new year and auld lang syne and fresh starts and all that.  On the other hand, DH and I cleaned out the coat closet together to kick off our Year-long Decluttering Campaign.  Under the heading of "You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks," I showed him the best way (IMH-who-does-the-laundry?-O) to fold the sweaters and sweatshirts that we (mostly he) keep on the shelf to avoid avalanches; as a further avalanche prevention measure, he also added a 3-inch wide board to increase the depth of the shelf.  I have signed up for tips and printed out my free Decluttering Calendar, a very helpful thing I've found at a recently subscribed-to blog called My Simpler Life.  I also listed one item on ebay yesterday, and have two more lined up.  I've been thinking about this for... forever.  I'm taking it slow and I hope that translates into steady and winning the race.  I've got to think of it that way -- a race against the stuff.  I can see the genesis of pathways forming in certain areas of my home, piles of things teeter or get moved back and forth a lot, not to mention the kids -- there's just a lot of stuff.

The decluttering will also extend to my knitting and, to that end, I have joined the UFO Resurrection 2007 at Kat with a K.  If my stash was a little bigger (i.e., consisted of yarn more useful or earmarked for a project) I'd consider Wendy's Knit From Your Stash-along.  How long does a project sit before it becomes a UFO?  I had Coup d'Etat on my lap last night and I think I may have finally figured out what went wrong.  That one will have to get frogged a little for the fix.  I'll be pulling some projects out of the  mothballs soon... oh, there are some OLD ones.

Finally.  A shout to Jen and La and The Third Annual JenLa Knit Blog Awards.  They totally made my day.  Thank goodness it's a new year -- 2006 really kinda sucked and, judging from how often I've read variations on that theme in the past week, it seems to have really kinda sucked all over.  So, shall we?  Onward...

I'll Have a Knittin' New Year's Eve

My brain is mush.  It all started this morning...

I was knocked off-kilter when, after my shower, with head and body wrapped up in towels and then my robe (we have no snow and it's been "warm for this time of year," but trust me, it's still COLD in the morning), I went upstairs to clip my nails.  I looked at the clock when I was finished, and it was 6:30.  SHIT!  That's when I'm supposed to be in my car, at the very least, and preferably already backed out of the garage and driving down the street!  I was still wrapped in terrycloth from head-to-toe, no make-up and on clothes, and I hadn't even brushed my teeth!  What in the world was I doing?  Did I pass out or something??  So yeah, no, I didn't pass out -- mad dash to do all that stuff and get out the door.  Hubby barely got a peck; it sure wasn't a kiss.  I wasn't technically late for work, but much later than I like.  The adrenaline hit never really went away -- I felt rushed all day, even though there wasn't really anything pressing, and it's been difficult to concentrate.  I've written lots of notes to myself, jotted down ideas for the blog, for the new year, for projects, stuff to talk to people about.  You should see all the slips of paper I stuffed into my bag throughout the course of the day!

Tonight, though, I downloaded the 6th lesson for my online writing course, and spent some time catching up.  I have now completed Lesson 3.  I knew when I signed up that it would be a bad time of year to start such a thing, but I just couldn't wait any longer and, to be honest, I've stuck with it more than my history with such things/situations would lead anyone to believe.  I'm proud of myself for that.  I am somehow driven and I'm not sure who or what's at the wheel.  And the best thing is that it seems to be working!  I actually have some ideas that I'm excited about exploring -- ideas that have been little clouds floating in, through, and around my head for years, but have only now been caught and put into concrete words on paper on the internet -- and even some brand new ideas; they're real.

It's not the mirrors.

THIS IS IMPORTANT:  Okay, here's what's on one of my notes:  "Red Dog, Jan. 4th, SLEEP" and "Susie, Violet."  Translated, that means that Kristi at Red Dog Knits is looking for a Baby Whisperer and having a blogiversary contest, the deadline is January 4th.  Susie, oh that Susie has a heart as big as all Michigan, I swear.  Susie is auctioning some of her own, amazing yarn, including a couple of rare Rainbow Harlot Peacock hanks to assist the Violet portion of Lime & Violet with some medical bills -- bid if you can or check the other resources, but HURRY, because bidding ends at midnight tonight.  (Sorry so late on the take-up with that one.)

And here are just a few more things that have crossed my mind today:

I spent some time cleaning up the blog and Bloglines, moving things around, deleting things, adding things (trying an Amazon thing, and even aStore with stuff that I like and you might, too -- we'll see how that goes).

I wonder about how to do the food/recipe idea.  I'd like to have pictures.

I wonder where I'm going with this blog.

I will miss the ABC-Along.  Maybe I can channel my ABC energy into the food/recipe thing.

I want a new banner.  I'd like a new look altogether, but I really like my colors.

I'd really like to start something big -- a cardigan, cables.  Oh, I have something big -- a cardigan, some cables (Coup d'Etat) -- ready for seaming.

Do I really want to do a "Knit Like A Latvian" KAL, or should I just sign up with Stranded?  I'm already a member of Warm Hands, and they both share my KAL philosophy -- exactly.  But I think maybe I can do those and Knit Like A Latvian; it might be a nice, intimate group.

When am I going to take the tree down?

To send out the old year and bring in the new this weekend, I'll be doing a little of what Duncan is doing (see above), though not under the tree.  I'll also be Hand-knitting with Meg Swansen, right in my own living room.  These were borrowed from the library (have I mentioned lately how much I love the library -- particularly, inter-library loan?).  I'm going to find something around here with which to knit that Dubbelmossa hat -- or something I can call a swatch -- and learn-by-doing.  I'm hoping, with the aid of videotape and the remote, that I'll gain just that little bit more confidence -- or maybe I'm just circling those Latvian Mittens yet one more time?  A little extra knowledge never hurt anyone.  ; )

Happy New Year, all.  Thanks for reading.  Have a great weekend.  I'll see you next year.

The lure of the lizard

Last weekend, I washed the Peace Fleece Coup d'Etat Cardigan and pinned it out on my plastic-covered, accordion-fold, cardboard blocking board -- which is where it remains.  I walk by several times a day and think that I should get to it -- I'm sure it's dry by now.  There is a problem with one of the fronts.  It's a problem that I have only just barely acknowledged and have spent a mere minute agonizing over -- all I know is that it will have to be re-done, I do not really care to dwell on what went wrong or where (there's plenty of time for that).  I will un-do the lovely three-needle bind-off at the shoulder, rip to the start of yoke pattern or sleeve decreases or neck decreases (to be determined), and pick it up from there.  That's my weekend project.

While I've ignored the Coup all week, I've succumbed to the lure of the lizard.  I'd picked up a ball of Kureyon in Chicago so I could give Lizard Ridge a try -- and I'm now on ball number three.  It's easy knitting, fascinating to watch the short-rows do their thing and to see the colors play.  I think the remainders of the three balls can be used to make a fourth square and then I think I shall stop.  I may make a pillow, or a number of pillows, or something for the shoulders, or a small blanket -- perhaps with deep borders of black in a stained-glass type of arrangement.  'Twould make a nice, small blanket for a lap, or maybe a stroller.

Our amazingly warm weather continues, and northwest is still getting hammered -- WOW, a 97 mph wind gust at Rockaway Beach!  DH and I took a walk on the beach at Rockaway on our first date, when there just happened to be a very romantic, low-low-tide-with-full-moon.  I was not so romantically wearing boots with heels which made walking on even hard-packed sand difficult, but that just adds a bit of wry to the memory.  If my weather is a good indicator of yours, Elizabeth, I predict that the chance of a White Christmas is quite slim.  To help in the holiday spirit department, I used a small gift to add James Taylor at Christmas to my holiday music rotation last night, and I am quite pleased.

The jolly guy in red

"St. Nicholas" filled the stockings tied to the stairway last night.  In a very practical mood, she left slippers for the girls and insoles for DH -- he's been complaining of sore feet.  ; )  The girls each get an ornament from St. Nick every year and this year it's the angels above, which are reminiscent of just like our horn-playing tree-top angel, except that it wasn't discovered 'til the very last minute that only one of these ornaments actually has a horn -- the others have cymbals or harp!

Is it pathetic that I fill my own stocking?  I don't give myself a gift because, well, I've actually been quite wild and free of late with the "add to cart" buttons -- nothing huge, but a pamphlet here, a booklet there, a magazine, a book... now I've got to find that Noro book with the Blossom vest pattern that I mentioned yesterday.  It's not yarn that makes my finger twitch, it's the patterns!  So, let's pretend there's a back issue or two of Wool Gathering sticking out the top there.

Coup d'Etat is off the needles!  I short-rowed and did a three-needle bind off at the shoulders and there's just no other way... totally love that technique.  I also did full-fashion decreases and increases throughout and I'm anxious to seam.  My blocking board is already in use at the moment, but perhaps later today I can give all the pieces a bath and pin them out.  It's going to be button time soon!

I saw Katie for the first time yesterday when I came home last night and she noticed that I was wearing Williamsro.  Not only did she notice, she told me how wonderful it looked, that it was her favorite of all the sweaters I've made, why don't I wear it more.  I proceeded to tell her/consult regarding that bottom Blossom part and she confirmed the conclusion I'd come to after wearing it for the whole day.  Yes, there's the whole horizontal stripes can make anyone's anything look big, but I don't think the horizontal-ness is the problem here.  Can't get much more horizontal than Fib, which is also one of my favorite sweaters, so I obviously have no issues with the horizontal.  The biggest thing with Williamsro is that there are too many stitches picked up for that bottom part -- so many that it is actually distorted -- and there's no elasticity to the Cash Iroha so no resistance and it just let's itself be pulled.  There's a bit of a flare, a swing -- even bulbous quality -- to that Blossom section that maybe isn't so evident in the photos, but it'll make a huge overall difference if I can find the magic number.

I think that the rest of my December knitting is going to be devoted to The Fix & Finish.  I've got Shirley Shrugs and Williamsro in need of attention, there's Coup d'Etat seaming in the wings, along with a button band and many buttons to be sewn... there are buttons to be sewn on sweaters that haven't seen the light of day in so long, I'm sure you've forgotten.

Flashback to February

I had a flashback on Friday night when I tuned in to Ice Wars for the visual and auditory accompaniment to my knitting -- right back to February, Williamsro, and the excitement of the Olympics, knitting and otherwise.  ; )  I tuned in late, but may I just say that Brian Boitano is still elegance and perfection on skates; that Kurt Browning is one of the most charismatic, talented and entertaining showmen who ever strapped on a blade; and that I wish that darn way-back machine would work because Scott Hamilton never failed to both amuse and inspire, but he's a pretty good announcer, too.  Dick Button has gotten on a nerve or two of late, but I can't really imagine figure skating without him -- he's been the voice since I began watching as a little girl.

It's been almost 10 months, then, since I asked that age-old question:  Does this sweater make my butt look big?

It's very timely, too, that an email from blogless, lurking, fellow Wisconsinite Angie arrived wherein she asked about Williamsro.

Truthfully, after my short-lived (life got in the way), celebratory, post-Olympic party, flushed with victory and wondering what to do next, I became more and more unhappy with Williamsro each time I pulled it on.  I'd been warned about the tendency of Cash Iroha to relax and grow and that certainly did happen.  I'd always been just a little bit unhappy with the number of stitches picked up for that bottom part knit in the Blossom, too.  I've talked about doing it over, possibly even knitting it just a wee bit shorter.  I don't think it made my butt look big in February, but I think it does now (granted, I think my but actually is a little bigger now).

I am wearing it today.  It's the coldest day of the year so far -- wind chill in the single-digit-below-zero area this morning and thank god there wasn't much wind -- and I do believe it's the warmest sweater I have.  (I wore St. Brigid yesterday -- I try to wear it once a week, unless I have an opportunity to wear it more where I won't be running into the same people.  I wear it as much as I can, would wear it everyday if I could, and I may need to knit myself another Aran soon.)  It's not as bad as I remembered.  It may be that more than just my butt are a little bigger, despite the months-long dalliance with Weight Watchers.  Whatever.  That's obviously not bothering me enough to do anything about it except for the occasional whine.

In conclusion:  I am warm and toasty today; the Cash Iroha pills a bit more than I think an expensive yarn should; I'd still like to re-knit the bottom Blossom part (that'll be a big pain in my big ol' butt to frog); I think Williamsro would be wonderful in a 100% wool yarn; I have the rejected, redder Blossom that I bought in NYC that would love to must knit into the vest I saw at Julia's yesterday that I can't believe I never, ever saw anywhere before!

You can see in today's (in the bathroom) picture that there's still a bandaged finger -- a different one than yesterday.  I can still knit, though sometimes clumsy, and it's due to nothing other than our recent, sudden, but not unexpected cold, dry weather.  Cracking, peeling, splitting, ouch.  I can knit well enough that I should have all the pieces to Coup d'Etat set to block tomorrow.  ; )

Up my alley

God, I love the internet.  I found a new link in Rebecca's Pocket today, via the lately cantankerous Bloglines, to The New York Times list of The 10 Best Books of 2006.  I clicked on over and skimmed the list and a couple caught my eye.  I placed holds on the local library system for The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel and Falling Through the Earth.  These join Yarnplay on my list of holds, which I'm waiting for someone else to return.  I am currently enjoying the two Nancy Crow books that I'd similarly placed on hold a couple of weeks ago.

I just added a couple of Gee's Bend books to the list.  It's addicting.  I wonder if there's a limit.

It's snowing here, but I'm not complaining.  We're at the very, very northern edge of the big midwest storm, the snow is very fine and shouldn't pile up more than an inch before ending early this afternoon.  It was awfully windy earlier, and very cold.  All of last year, the big storms were either to the north of us or to the south and I wonder if it'll be more of the same this year.

I'm cruising along on the back of Coup d'Etat.  I should have some good knitting time this weekend, though I do think we'll take time out for a show at the planetarium tomorrow.  I haven't been there since grade school and I want to go.  I think my nephews will like it.  I worry that they'll be bored.  My sister will be bringing Christmas cards, probably not her quilting, to work on this weekeend -- she's made every card she's sent for the last 20+ years.

ETA:  No.  Just no.  Whoever found my blog by searching "sweaters that light up"... well, I don't know why you would have landed here, but DON'T DO IT.  Ugly Betty can do it -- she can wear anything and be cute as a button -- but she's the only one who could wear it and who would like to receive it as a gift.  The.only.one.  No!

Gettin' Grinchy with it

Some random Wednesday stuff, knitting first.

Are you sick of the Meathead yet?  How much blog mileage can a person get out of one goofy hat?  I haven't come to any conclusions about the embellishment yet.  I did pull out the lucet and figured out how to make a cord and... okay, that's pretty cool... not sure I can do that for very long, though.  My wrist, hand, and fingers aren't taking to that repetitive pincher action much.  I will admit, as I looped along, that I pondered using the lucet as embellishment rather than as a tool to make the embellishment.  I still love it as a finely crafted tool, love the wood.  I'll still probably use buttons and buckles as embellishment for said hat.

I finished the other front for the Coup d'Etat Cardigan and cast on for the back!  I love the pattern -- it's mostly a chart with minimal written instruction (just the particulars, mostly the numbers).  And I love how this cardigan is turning out -- with both sleeves and both fronts out of the way already, I'm on the long home stretch!

Today we'll be installing a new dishwasher.  The old one is now not only screaming louder with every load, but also leaking.  I bought, brought home, and installed the last one all by myself.  Yeah, don't ask.  It was one of those periods in our relationship.  It really feels good to know that I can do something like that, though.  This time, I stopped and looked, hubby came and looked, too, hubby hauled one home, and later today I'll play the role of lovely assistant handing over tools and aiming the flashlight.  Last time, I bought a fairly expensive dishwasher with a big name and stainless steel interior.  This time, well, it's not quite the bottom of the line, but not much further up because, dammit, if a dishwasher is only going to last 4 or 5 years...

Blogging every day for a month is harder than it looks.  Is it hard because it's November?  Hard because I threw down the gauntlet for myself at the last possible moment with barely a thought except, "Oh, I can do THAT!"?  That's kind of how I agreed to quit smoking all those months ago -- "Oh, I wanna do it, too!!  Can I?"  That turned out pretty well, I guess.  (Interesting news bit I saw yesterday, which of course I can't find right now, about how cutting back doesn't really help much to cut the risk of death from smoking.  I was a little surprised to read that in that study I'd have been classified as a "heavy smoker" at a pack a day.  I never, ever thought of myself as a heavy smoker!) Anyway, it's been interesting.  I wish I could have spent more time on it and made more of a plan.  I've never been much for the blog planning.  It usually goes like this:  sit down, write, pop up and take a picture, sit down, insert picture, write a little more, linky-dinky-do, hit "post," refill coffee cup, check Bloglines.  I apologize for any lame of late.

I like to look at the blog list for NaBloPoMo, particularly the Ks.  There's a fair number of knitters.  I like how I'm all KNITORIOUS, in all caps like that.  Heh.  The Zero Boss, also a NaBloPoMo-er, noticed and called me out in a post that I only recently discovered.  Then there's the fun NaBloPoMo Randomizer!  We love the random in the blogosphere, don't we?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and pretty much the only person who can really sing it as it should be sung is Andy Williams. Katie and I heard it on the radio on our way back from Chicago recently -- on a Milwaukee radio station that plays Christmas year 'round.  It seemed a little early for that kind of thing but, well, is it?  You know, if they play it all year long...

I'm trying hard to keep the blinders on, to not be discouraged by holiday excess and idiocy -- the shopping and over-the-top, Christmas-puke-all-over-front-lawn-in-lights decorating*, in particular.  A little thought and focus goes a long way.  I'm trying to keep my inner Grinch squelched -- it almost feels like The Incredible Hulk, but not so beefy and with a little more fur.  Inundated with TV advertising for months already, watching the Christmas stuff fill the shelves fast on the heels of Back-to-School, ramping up to Black Friday and what was it that they dubbed last Monday with the internet shopping?  Only a few more weeks to go...  I've got to set a different internet home page because if I see one more story about what gifts the uber rich are giving/getting or one more car with a big red bow on top -- along with the TomKatKidRockPamelaSueBritneyLanceBrangelinadonna crap that constitutes news these days, well, I'm sorry, is some of my green fur showing?  And THEN... I have a post in draft from long ago in which I ranted a bit about about the banking and credit card "industries."  What a scam.  Have you seen the catchy, new check card commercial -- the well-oiled, musical, commerce machine brought to an abrupt and annoying halt by a customer who screws it all up by paying with cash?  Yeah, there's no percentage on total transaction to be made by a financial institution with cash.

Pardon me, I've been awake since about 4:00 a.m., tossed and turned and tried to get back to sleep until about 5:30 a.m., when I gave up and got up.  It's my frickin' day off today, too.  I should be sleeping in.

Well, and because it is Christmas and I do have to engage in commerce, I'm trying to do it well.  St. Nick treats have already been purchased from a local confectioner.  I used my always-seems-like-play-money PayPal money (that doesn't sound very fiscally responsible, does it -- and this is money that "costs" also)  to purchase the You Grow Girl 2007 Calendar as a gift -- this looks absolutely fabulous and I can't wait to see it -- and also (finally!) Stranded Color Knitting, which may or may not be a gift.

One more thing.  I was reading at Norma's today, then Mama Cate's, then I saw at Carole's later, too, all about this guy named Scott with a project who needs us to write about and link to the project and also ping.  I'm all about that.  Love showin' what knitters can do.

*ETA:   What I mean by... well, really, it's not excessive so much as "excessive."  God, I loved (probably more than I should) the house that was all over the internet last year with the lights and the music and it was synchronized and flashy and sparkly and loud -- and there was some substance, at least some creativity and know-how, some thought.  It's the yards with the hyperflashing tree over here, the light-up nativity scene over there, why not Snow White & Her Seven down over there, the walkway lined with light-up candy canes, the spotlight(s) shining on the wooden cutout santa, sleigh & reindeer (the light shining right through two neighbors' yards and into my front window, besides!), the two angels next to the carollers and Rudolph and the Grinch and the light-up, blow-up drummer boy and the thingamajig and every other light-up and/or musicalmajig that would fit into the cart at the store.  You know?  That kind of excessive!  ; )  Don't worry, I won't be calling the homeowners' assocation.  I do understand that one woman's tacky is another's Taj Mahal.

Change is good

My favorite puzzles were word searches and mazes, and the ones where you had to find all the differences between one picture and another -- what's missing, what's been added, what's changed?

There's not a lot missing or added between those two pics of "my area," but a WHOLE LOT has changed!  The lingering evidence of recent travels was organized and put away; stickiness from something spilled but not quite all cleaned up (Maddy's Halloween party, I think) was wiped away, along with a fair amount of dust; the at-hand accumulation of books and magazines pulled for reference or casual perusal, plus a few additions to the stack from my birthday and recent thrift store finds was easily taken care of with a pair of bookends!  What a difference, hm?

The materials for Mack's stocking, pieces of Coup d'etat, materials for Latvian mittens, and my workbag for socks are the only projects atop the chest.  The basket to the right holds both Travelers' Vests... and I will be getting back to those, sooner rather than later, but not soonest.

I cast off the second sleeve of the Coup yesterday afternoon as Favre left the field at that big, bad Minnesota Metrodome with a HUGE victory.  (Ack, I should have listened when they said "the Vikings defense is No. 1 against the run" and benched Ahman yesterday, as I did suffer a Fantasy loss.  Oh well.)  I watched the game at Mom's, then came home and did my clean sweep thing.  I cast on for the left front of Coup last night and am nearly at the half-way mark!  At this rate, I might have a finished sweater to wear by the time Knit Unto Others kicks off!

A show of hands

I think about mittens constantly, particularly the Latvian mittens.  And all the while I've thought about the Latvian mittens, I've knit thrummed mittens and pop-up mittens and mittens with big yarn and contemplated knitting little baby mittens and I'm not making any progress with the Latvians at all.  With snowflakes flyin' and winter 'round the corner, mittens are on my mind more than ever, and of course there's endless inspiration (goading)!

Of course, you've got your Latvian Mitten KAL blog where I can understand very few words, but a picture's worth...

And, as mentioned yesterday, I keep a close watch on Nanette's doings at Knitting In Color... oh so many beautiful mittens and gloves!

You've got your Warm Hands Knit-along, brainchild of Sandy (who, of course, is the mastermind that has so many of us looking to the sky every Saturday).  I don't know why I haven't officially joined that yet -- it's not like she even makes any demands or has any deadlines!

And you've got your "Heart to Hands" project, launched by Lynne last week because, in discussing the list wishes and needs with a pastor in Buffalo, he told her, "We simply need mittens for the children for Christmas."  Oh my goodness, you can just feel it, can't you?  The adrenaline rush and Lynne's instinctive reaction to those words?  "I will get you mittens!"  Now, I have to admit that one of the most appealing things to me about "Heart to Hands" is that I do not have to make the mittens... I can buy mittens or donate mittens that I already have.  I have raised three children in Wisconsin, we breed mittens around here -- leave a pair alone in a closet and they're just like bunnies, I swear.  Honestly, I find stray mittens everywhere -- even with the kids practically grown!

So here's the part where I continue thinking out loud, attempt to organize my thoughts, tie all these buttons together, and declare my intentions -- so I don't forget what the plan is.  ; )

I plan to participate in Carole & Margene's 2nd annual Knit Unto Others by finishing a pair of mittens that have been sitting in a drawer (awaiting only a seam, for crying out loud) and sending them off, along with the current litter of mittens I find in the closet, to Lynne.

Vera wrote yesterday to tell me that she's sent my Week 9 Fantasy Football contest prize, which happens to be a ball of Mango Moon recycled silk that looks to be mostly RED.  That's provided the inspiration (and additional yardage) that I've needed for a RED SCARF. Have you seen Norma's wonderful new scarf?  That Multi-directional Scarf (MDS) stuff has intrigued me for a long time, too, and I've never done it!  So, I've printed the pattern (probably for the thousandth time) and plan to use the Mango Moon, along with either some Cascade 220 or Lamb's Pride that I have in stash, to knit a fiery MDS for the Red Scarf Project.  This knitting also fits in nicely with the above.

The only other deadline I have is for Mack's Christmas stocking, which I hope to have delivered in time for St. Nicholas to fill.  I am in the midst of a Coup d'etat, but it's going very well and if it drags on for a little while, that's okay.  The second sleeve ought to be completed during today's football watching, and I haven't decided whether to start a front or the back next.

There's a bunch of other stuff in the wings, on the needles -- including Latvian mittens that I started and then stopped because of a broken needle (see photo above) -- and that excuse for not continuing sounds about as good as "I broke a nail," which is what comes to mind.  I'm putting it all away.  Out of sight out of mind.  The other day, Cara said, "Knits don't really have feelings do they?" and all I could think was, "Um, no, but I think its eyes follow me around a room."  It's time to clean up, put away, and organize for the holidays, anyway, and I only want one pair of "eyes" following me around the room... Latvian!  I can do this.

"Keep New"

There was a dramatic shift in the weather yesterday.  This is the view out my computer/laundry room window this morning (I just saw a deer walking on the path way down there!).  It was in the 60s on Thursday, thunder and snow and 30s on Friday, sunshine and 40s today -- and pretty much the rest of the week, I guess.  Yeah, like Amy Lu says.  There's even a little hint of my still-gray-but-soon-to-be-sunny Saturday Sky for Sandy!

I have to admit that while I have a Newsgator account and s