Snowflakes

I had some Aunt Lydia Shiny thread left after making an angel with it. I made a large snowflake, and then a smaller one, and it looked like I had enough for another small one.

Guess what, I made two more small snowflakes. Gotta love that Aunt Lydia.

Startitis

My friend Sherri has invented that word "startitis", and she is very good at it, too. I, however, follow her steps quite well. I finished a cardigan, minus buttons, for our granddaughter, and started a new one. I was very good at the new one, and got quite a lot done. Only to notice that this new sweater was wayyy too big for a two year old. We are talking here about a small adult.
Another sweater for my step daughter, hmmm? I started a summer top for the other granddaughter, who is going to be 3 in May. I used some fancy Italian cotton, which split like crazy, and I decided to stick to my Paton's Grace cotton, if I ever want to make something cottony.

I also started a top, for that almost 3 year old, and dug up some yellow Grace yarn. It's a halter top, a'la Margaret Hubert.

I finished it last night. It's now Tuesday, November 28, 2006. Next on the list is to finish the little skirt that goes with that halter top. The pattern is with the top.

Never mind the Aran sweater that I had started last year, and frogged the other sleeve to almost the beginning. ARRRGGH.

The list goes on and on, and would get boring, if it isn't already.

On the brighter side of the knitting and crocheting world, there is the office life. I have been taking some days off here and there, since I have vacation time left, and have to use it before the year end. It's difficult to decide on the last minute way when to take time off. I've decided that around the weekend is the best time. Not so, seems to me that no time off from work is good, because it isn't. Don't ask. I still have three days left, and I have decided to take them a week before Christmas. so there and I don't care how much complaining that will cause.

Don't even say it

That Christmas is around the corner. How many days?

I went to get my passport, since the other one expired, a month ago. Got up shortly after six.
It's amazing how quickly one can get up, get coffee going, and shower, when something else than work is in the agenda. The passport office opened at 8, and I was standing in the line-up (I was third) at 7:25 a.m.

My process was quick and easy, because I had all the papers with me, and the application done properly. I didn't have to be late from work, but since WalMart was near, I just had to go and see how much damage I could make into my bank account. I was late only 15 minutes, and had made up the time earlier. No guilty feelings due.

I bought some acrylic and cotton yarns, "seasonal", thinking that I might make socks for Christmas, or little slippers. I saw the cutest slipper pattern in a Finnish blog, but I am not going to post it here, because then someone is going to ask me to translate it, and I ain't going to do that. (I know, improper English, I know, but I like how it sounds, so there)

Yes, the yarn is "Seasons Greetings" by someone in China. It has 95% acrylic and 5% lurex, and the ball is 100 g, and the yarn is red with red shiny stuff making the yarn festive. The other item I bought for Christmas stuff is "Aunt Lydia's Fashion Crochet Thread" size 3, color white/pearl. I didn't know that Aunt Lydia is in Hungary. I always thought that she was in USA.

I believe it is a Thanksgiving Day in the USA, and I wish everyone a Happy TD! We had ours in October. I am still full, and will not eat turkey, even if I prepare it for Christmas. I will eat meatballs instead. I am such a rebel.

On the knitting table I have work in process for a cardigan, pattern from Cabin Fever, for our granddaughter. Next in line is to finish the Aran cardigan for the same granddaughter. Oh, I need to vent a little bit about that. I am so upset. I had knitted one sleeve, for about 15 cm, when I realized that there should be increases, and sure enough, every 6th row. I had done none. I frogged to the part where I needed the first increase. I am not happy.

That's all for now.

Paisleys in Fall colors

Finished these paisleys today. I was to make 8, but ended with 10. They are for a paisley exchange.

I will continue with my knitting WIP now.

Just went to see what Janet had done today in her art program, and wow, her drawing is full of paisley shapes. At least that's what I think.

MeMe Questions

Visited Janet's pages again, and "stole" these questions from her site, the answers are MINE:

Someone knocks on your door at 2am, who do you want it to be?

A ghost, or a person who knocked on the wrong door. There will be some shouting involved in this case.

Your boss tells you he/she will give you a $20 raise if you'll do your job naked. Do you stay and take the raise?

Are you nuts? My boss gives raises once a year, and you don't have to be naked. $20 ? an hour, or a year?

Put yourself in a nutshell.

How big is the shell?

Ever see a ghost?

I think so, I had brutally high fever, one time when I was a kid, and I could have sworn that I saw someone by my bed.

Happy with your body?

It's still working, so I suppose so.

A reason to move to Iceland.

They have glaciers, and nice sweaters. I would love to visit, but not stay forever.

A place you've lived that you miss.

Does living on vacation count? I miss Mendoza, in Argentina.

A job you'd never do, no matter how much you were paid.

"Working girl"

A band/group you thought was cool when you were 13.

I think The Beatles had started around that time. When DID they become famous?

You have a nightmare, who's the first person you think to call?

Nobody, I just go and have a glass of water, and go back to sleep. I might cry a little bit, and that would wake my hubby. But I would not call him on purpose.

Wanna have kids before you're 30?

Been there, done that.

A memory from high school.

I got detention for not attending poetry reading by some old poet (I was 14-15 at that time, so anyone over 30 was OLD)I thought the man was disgusting. Our principal was in love with him, and he came at least once a year to read poems to the whole school, and if you didn't go, you had to stay in class and a teacher had to stay with you. My teacher was the principal, for that class period, and she was so angry with me that I got detention. Oh, the crushing hatred that woman had towards me, already, the fact she didn't get to go and drool over the poet didn't help. I was not a very nice student.

Ever had a crush on a friend's parent?

No, but I had a crush on my math teacher, big time, so much so, that I purposely got such low math marks that I had to take private lessons from my teacher. I didn't learn much else but he had beautiful brown eyes, and a wife. I was 14 FPS.

Do you look more like your mom or dad?

My mom

Something you've always wanted to learn to do.

Drive a race car.

How you'd like your life to be in 10 years.

Without worries.

Something you learned this year.

Never use hotel phone to call long distance, I did and paid dearly for it. Ask about the phone usage, when you chek in. Some of the hotels charge outrageously when you use their phone.

What do you want for your birthday?

Chocolate layer or cheese cake.

Name 4 things you did yesterday.

1. Went to Michaels

2. Went to WalMart

3. Knitted

4. Cooked dinner

Last item you bought yourself?

Circular needle, size 5 mm, 73.5 cm long.

What did you have for breakfast?

Bagel with cheese and coffee.

Name a celeb you crush on.

Right now? No crush on anyone, but I do like Mandy Patinkin.

Name the last 3 songs you heard.When? I heard a Christmas Carol on TV commercial, and I heard some classical music in the car when I went out.

How many hours of sleep do you get each night?If I am lucky, 6-7, but now that I am on vacation (one more day) I have had like 4-5 hours.

What do you wish you were doing right now?

Having great time with my family in Mendoza.

Who's the first person in your phone book on your cell?

My hubby.

Last time you witnessed a fight?

I didn't.

Name 3 places you'd like to travel to.

1. Argentina

2. Alaska

3. Nova Scotia, Canada

Do you know how to ice skate?

Yes, I do. I used to be pretty good on it, too.

Name something you like that's out of the ordinary.

Out of the ordinary by whose standards? I like to go to Formula 1, Grand Prix car races.

Is bigger really better?

Depends what is bigger. Bigger piece of chocolate cake is better than a small chocolate cookie.

What do you think of Brad Pitt?

Thinking just escapes me when I should think of him.

What color are your toenails.

Toenail color.

Do you own anything with a skull on it?
Does my head count?

Traveled to Europe?

Oh, yes, MANY times.

Last movie you watched?

Something about a Princess, Julie Andrews was in the movie, too. It was on TV, and there was nothing else!!!

Where were you when you had your first kiss?

If I remember correctly: on a haystack.

Last board game you played?

Scrabble

Leather or lace?

Lace, if I crochet, I love crocheting Irish Lace. To wear, if I had to choose, Leather.

Ever had a black eye?

I don't think so, black thigh, though.

Oh, wroooongg. I would have a black eye, or two black eyes, if I forget to remove mascara before going to sleep.

Have you ever worn fishnet stockings?

No, I left them for people who fish.

Knitting and knitting

Been busy with needles. With circulars, straights, dbl pointed and broken ones. I broke one circular needle. Or it just broke by itself. Fortunately it was the one I had bought at a dollar store, not the one I had spent 42 (including tax) Canuck dollars at the Needlework show about a month ago. Well, that needle came apart, too, but I can fix it with crazy glue. I hope. I haven't done it yet. It irks me too much.

Running from Michaels to WalMart to a private yarn store, looking for circular needles. Not that I don't have any, I do, but not in the right size. I have tons of 4.5 mm needles, but only one in 5 mm, and 60cm lenght. I forgot what that is in inches, sorry.

Where was I? Yes, I finished the Jeans Jacket for our grandson, and today I finished a sweater for his older sister. My fingers are screaming, but I am happy.

Friday Blues

Our office was closed today, due to Remembrance day, which is tomorrow. During this week I have walked by some old men, sitting patiently at shopping malls, holding boxes of poppy pins in their wrinkled, sometimes shaking, old hands.

I am wearing a poppy pin, and am thankful for the men and women who were fighting for our freedom. Thank You!

I went to the office, to do some "work"! Office work, that is, yeah. I had to mail a parcel to a friend, and I had the box, paper, and heavy duty packing tape at work.
I also paid some bills, and sent a claim to insurance company for my prescriptions. I was very satisfied of my "work" day. I spent an hour in the office. It was nice and quiet, no phones, no irritating interruptions from other staff members, no sounds from any annoying radio stations. Mind you, I can turn my radio sound down, but when I walk by a desk of someone else, I can hear the music. Not that I hate music, I just don't like loud music when I try to work. Actually I love music, and specially a variety of it. Almost anything goes. I could list the ones I don't like, easily, but I really am not in the mood for that.

OK, then I went to the post office, mailed my parcel, went to a magazine store to look for the latest knitting magazine from England, which was not in yet. I must wait another week or two, or what ever, to get it. Why does it take a month to get a magazine from England to come to a store here, when I could get it within a week if I subscribed to it?

I know, I know, airmail thingy, and the boat thingy, big difference. I didn't think that anything comes by boat any more. Or is it a cargo ship-something. I suppose they still bring important items, like knitting and crocheting books and magazines from overseas. Yup. That reminds me of a good friend of mine, from high school, he was a really nice guy. I heard that he is a captain of a large ship, somewhere. I hope he will bring my magazine soon, if he is steering that ship. That was a silly thought.

Came home; started preparing meal for the night. I made stew. It was not bad, but not the best stew I have made in my many stewing experiments. I don't think I am a good cook, normally, but sometimes I will surprise myself, and hubby! Today I surprised myself for not having a stew that was out of this world, it was just stew from my kitchen. Leftovers are for lunch next week. Had it been an extraordinarily delicious stew, there would have not been any leftovers.

I have done zero stitches today, although I had planned to finish the jeans jacket, that has been my WIP since last week. I have completed the back, fronts and one sleeve. Left to do things are: the other sleeve, button band, collar and pocket flap, plus finish some yarn ends. It' looks quite cute, if I may say so. I might get the other sleeve done half way tonight, but that may be just a "might".

Are there such things as empty thoughts? I think I have a remarkable collection of them.

STEW

Hamburger meat

leftover tomato sauce, with herbs and seasonings

carrots

onion

onion soup mix (optional)

garlic

green pepper

celery

pieces of cabbage (optional)

potato (peeled)

water

salt, pepper (if onion soup mix not used)

Put everything else, but potato in a pot, and cook about 45 minutes. stir the hamburger meat, so that it blends well with other ingredients. We don't want a big blob of hamburger meat in the stew? Of course stewing beef could be used, too; help yourself to choose your meat, or no meat.

Half an hour or so, before you are ready to eat, add potato into the stew, make sure you have enough liquid to cover the potato. Leave the pot open, otherwise your stew becomes a soup. We need some of the water to evaporate, don't we.

I did not include amounts of ingredients, because I don't usually measure things, I just add, look and taste. It's the same when I make scrumbles for free form stuff. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they just are.

Doodling

I might not have any ideas that are mine, because now I had to think about doodling. I visited Janet's pages again, and there she had a beautiful flowery doodling.

This is what I used to do in my doodling days:

The tree was done a long, long time ago, and
I made it for my hubby.

Picture is crooked

On the wall in our office. I can see it from my desk. I should get up and do something about the picture, but who would notice. It's been like that for weeks. The colors in the picture are fading; it used to be bright but now it has a bluish tone. Which isn't bad at all, but since I know it used to be something else, it catches my eye more often than when it was new.

I re-arranged some plants in my office this morning. I have three big ones, and one pot with four different plants and a fake bird. I said "re-arranged", well, I did, but ended up with the same arrangement as before. There is a glass wall in front of the plants, which are in front of my desk. I just want to cover the dang glass wall. I used to have a sign on the window "feed the animals", but it didn't work, I still had to bring my own lunch, and I still have the stupid glass wall. One of these days I will develop an angry fit, and slam the door so hard that the wall would come down in pieces. Wouldn't that be a sight. Nah, I better not.

My assistant (what a loose word - assistant? what does she assist, I have to tell her everything?) sits in front of me, on the other side of the wall, and I can see what she is doing. Right now she is not at her desk, again; probably chatting with the woman in the front. I can't see there, because the middle part of the office has our computer stuff and storage stuff room. Sometimes I wish that it was built with glass walls, so I could see who goes there to lazy off. haha.

Now, wasn't that totally interesting. This is the way this day is going to be: Interesting.

Guess what I did last night! Hubby and I decided that I could have a new blog connected to my web site. It's been there forever, and I didn't even know. So, we got the blog up and running, but, guess what, I don't like it. It's veeeerry complicated, and I have to log in every five minutes, or that's how it feels. I tried (tested) to post a picture this morning, and couldn't. I have a feeling, it's a yahoo thing. Well, the site builder is yahoo, or is that how it's called? See, I am not very clever with these things, and hubby wanted me to do the designing stuff. He got it going, and then he left the rest up to me. OH PHLEEEEZ. Well, I'll just blog along with this bloggie, and stay simple. At least every once in a while I get a few pictures posted. Like now, I am going to post a picture of a model, who was in a magazine, a long time ago. Oh, the picture isn't a photo, it's a drawing by me. memememe.

Blogger is mad at me, he doesn't want to post the picture. But I can link the pictures to my yahoo album, can't I?
I will try later.

I like talking to myself, so therefore I like the blogggging idea. "Nobody" else listens to me anyway, whine, whine, when I talk about myself, so it's perfect companion for someone who is quiet amongst other people. HAHA and thensome. Does anyone have a cork?

The vest

Oh, dear, I completely forgot to show off my knitted vest, or did I?

Well, I finished it, wore it the first time on November 2nd.

"For The First Time" meme

I was reading Janet's "For The First Timers" and thought of it being fun. She even has pictures of some of her stuff.

Here are mine (no pictures):

For the First Time....

1. Who was your first love? Pekka (Peter) when I was 14

2. Who was your first kiss and when? If you can call it a kiss, he was a boy next door, at 11 or 12

3. Who was your first prom date? Didn't have proms

4. Who was your first room mate? We had a girl from suburbs, boarding during schooltime, Kirsti

5. What was your first job? Babysitting a preemie, all summer, it was a good job, the mother was a nurse and very patient with me, I was 13

6. What was your first car? Mine, all mine, was a Mustang 1969, anything before that wasn't really mine. There was an orange Morris Mini GT, 1969 also, but it was then husband's and mine together.

7. When did you go to your first funeral? When my grandma died, I was 12. I was devastated.

8. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 19

9. Who was your first grade teacher? Elli something, she hated me. Ask me about my second grade teacher, he liked me, so did his wife, who was also my teacher. I met him at my father's funeral in September, and told him that he was one of the best teachers I ever had. He was now in his 80's, I think.

10. Where did you go on your first ride in an airplane? To Canada

11. Where did you go for your first date and who was it with? With Pekka, to meet at a railway station

12. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? With a girl from my neighbourhood, to meet some boy she liked. I was late 5 minutes coming home; my parents had gone out, and came back about 5 minutes before I did. I got a hefty spanking for sneaking out like that. I was 16? I think.

13.Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them? Riitta, and I don't know where she is now, somewhere in Sweden. She moved there when she got married, and after her divorce I lost touch. I wish I had a way of finding her.

14. Who was the first person to send you flowers? Probably my hubby, he's good with that kind of stuff.

15. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents house? With my ex in-laws. Don't ask.

16. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? my hubby

17. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen? Never been a bridesmaid, but the first wedding I attended and was close to the bride was when my sister got married.


18. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Open my eyes.

Some old drawings of mine

This is my Mustang, a wild horse. I love horses, and had great intention to start drawing horses, but I think the knitting and crocheting, as well as computer took over my drawing time.This is an old man, and I love this drawing, even if I say so myself.

I must have had a good time in 1999, because I was drawing quite a bit that year.

These are a few of my attempts. I say attempts, because I am just an amateur, OK.
I have some that are painted, using oil pastels, acrylics, pastels, but those are done on much larger paper/canvas than these, so much harder to scan. I will try to take a picture with my great digital camera, one of these days. But first I need to finish the sweaters and jackets for grandkids.

My renewed interest in drawing has been re-kindled by Janet's beautiful art. She does wonderful watercolor paintings: flowers, flowing fairies, you name it. If I was you, I would check them out.

Here is one of my favorites: drawing of an Argentinean singer, Mercedes Sosa. I love her song "Alfonsina y el Mar"
( http://www.lyricsdownload.com/mercedes-sosa-alfonsina-y-el-mar-lyrics.html ) (in Spanish). I don't understand all the words, but I love the way her voice travels through the lyrics. I can feel the song in my heart. (You might have to cut and paste the link)

I was going to spray that sealing stuff on the picture, but had taken the wrong spray can, and now the picture (in real, not in the scanned one) looks marbled. Also, the color isn't right, I used black pencil, but I like the brownish effect that the scanner gave me. This scanner is just an inexpensive office tool, with printer and copier, what not. I have a better one at home, but it's connected to hubby's computer, and I am way too lazy to switch the connections. (uhm, not sure how to do it, you may say) I really need to start practicing again. Drawing and drawing, and then some more. It's a shame that my inspiration comes in so rarely. Maybe I do have inspiration, but other matters take over, and this drawing side of me is hidden somewhere amongst yarns and needles. I draw with hooks and needles. Right?

Knitting for grandkids

Now I've done it. I have, once again, left all my free form stuff on a pile that keeps growing on top of a container that I keep handy when I work in the living room. There are other things, too.
UFO's, WIP's, and books/magazines. Is there no end to my madness? I am desperately trying to get rid of my stash, and not buying new yarn. So what did I do on Saturday? I bought 11 balls of RH Something so soft yarn to make sweaters and jackets for grandkids for Christmas.
Is that so bad? Well, I have yarn, lots of it, to make these items, but then my dear DIL decided that her daughter should get a sweater in "that" color. Well, guess what. I don't have "that" color, that would be suitable for a sweater for that grand daughter. I am sure you guessed it, I had to buy the yarn in that color. Not the light yellow as in the picture, but ecru.

Well, I was not going to make a nice, light, cabled sweater for our granddaughter, with afghan yarn. Why not? Because I am supposed to make an afghan with that yarn for a friend, who, fortunately isn't in a rush for it. When-ever, she had said. I have made a little bit of it, but since I am not too fond of making afghans, that work seems to be ignored a lot. Besides the friend selected a pattern that interests me ZIPNADANIL.

I still have an Aran sweater to finish for our granddaughter, but that is almost done. Hard to type when my fingers are crossed.


So, I am making a jeans jacket for our grandson, false cable sweater for two granddaughters, and nobody else gets handmade gifts from me this year.

The jeans jacket is with Paton's Country Garden, Denim (discontinued). Both these patterns are in the book for kids' knitted sweaters by Cabin Fever designers.

I am positive that I will finish the jean's jacket soon, because I really like it.