Armed with Pointy Sticks

Lament for Love Letters

There is an actual knitting post coming, but I never uploaded the pictures, so for now, this.

Anyone who drives on a highway that passes under bridges is familiar with the flags, and signs ("Welcome Home, SFC Bremen!", "Go West High!") and other oddities that adorn them.  Sometimes new ones show up, and they gradually age.  A testament to an occasion that was so important that someone parked on that bridge and worked to affix a celebration of it.

There is a bridge that I drive under that had a three number sequence woven into the chain link fence by rope or wire.  I didn't pay it any mind for the first month or so.  Chris and I drove underneath it more than a few dozen times.  One day I drove to work alone, and I was keeping myself entertained in the usual way: I was being a rock star singing along with the radio.  It's only a matter of time before I'm caught doing this.  Since I was obviously under-occupied I decided that I was going to look at the three number sequence as I passed, and try to figure out what it was.  I'd google it when I got to work.

But when I got to the bridge, I took in that three number sequence for the first time.  I knew what it was.

143.

Chris and I drove under a love letter every day.  If you've driven from Manchester to Nashua, you have too.

Last week someone, thinking it their duty to keep everything clean (and don't think I don't appreciate that.  I truly do) took down the love letter.

It will be missed.

Ps, a few weeks I tried to get a picture of that as Chris drove, but my batteries were dead.

Certain Leave of Absence

Tomorrow the new Harry Potter comes out.  I detest logging online and seeing some smartass's idea of a funny live journal icon ruining the plot for me, so, from the time that I get my hands on the book til the time that I finish it, I will not be on line.

Don't expect me to be gone for long.  I've got other stuff that I need to do, like spin and knit the MS3.

I got my yarn for the MS3 earlier this week.  Wanna see it?  It's perfect.  I saw the first clue knit up and I had to have it in my favorite shade of green.  Do you know who helped me get my favorite shade of green?

"Irish Green" by Amy of Spunky Eclectic on Zephyr wool/silk.  It is fantastic!  This color makes me feel alive and magickal, and I can't wait to have a stole in it to drape over myself.

I'm a little more than half way through clue one, and here it is at about half of that:

Don't worry, I knit more, and I got my nails done!  They needed it, didn't they?   The beads the lovely Heather got me are much more coppery, too.   Don't worry.  I think a good chunk of the rest of the night is for knitting on this sucker, so I may update with another photo. 

I just have to revel in the green.  That's outfield green, gumball green, dandelion greens in spring green,  Irish Green!    "Striking" someone said.  In the words of Bender, "Shut up, Baby.  I know it."

Ok, what the hell am I doing blogging about it when I could be knitting it?

Oh, that's right.  TKGA was pretty cool.  Next year I'll take a class or two, I think.  Next year I also want to have at least one level of Master Knitter under my belt.  I got a really bitching knitting bag.  I could hide a kid in there, if it wouldn't take up yarn room.

Ok now, really.  I hear yarn downstairs chanting in a very sexy, very green voice.  Ciao.  See you after Potter.

Pedal Faster!

So, Tour de Fleece is coming around the bend, and I'm holding on.  My goal?  Better yarn.  I have a fleece to spin, but I'm simply not ready, and I want to blend it.  So I'm just spinning up all the stuff that has followed me home.  Let me introduce you, shall I?

And since I've got a pro flickr account for Ravelry, I'm going to see how it works here.

Firstly, here is a lovely bunch of Glacier Roving from CJ Kopec Creations I really enjoyed spinning this, I've got more of her stuff, and there will be a whole lot more.  In fact, let me make this a small Celebration of the Little Crafter.

Kind of big, huh?  I'm going to play with sizes.  I don't know if I'll stick with this.  Anyway.

After that I spun up the May edition of Spunky's fabulous fiber club.  Dark and mysterious, isn't it?  I think I'm going to put this in a center pull ball and do a double ply that way.  Someone on Ravelry suggested it, and I'm a little leery of a tangle, but it's all about adventure, isn't it?  Anyway, here it is.

Nope, nevermind, I like this size.

And I just started this

So that I may ply it with this

per the request of Chris.  This is merino tencel from The Sheep Shed.  I stop in and talk to them each time I see them at a show.  And I buy lots of roving.  Aw shit.  They're going to be at the TKGA show this weekend.  I can't win, because I can't walk past this booth.  I bought a half pound of merino from this couple mere hours after I swore that I'd never spin.  And I didn't spin it.  It hung on a door, smelling like sheep and feeling like heaven, until I was ready.  Almost one year.  I got it at the S&W 2006, and spun it two weeks before the S&W 2007.  Then I got more.

So yes, Lance would be proud.  Pedal, pedal, pedal!

See you at the show! If you're going... and if not, well, tell you what, I'll go tourist picture happy.  How's that?

What I've Been up To

I just looked out the window by my desk, into the line of trees out there, and saw that one maple was sporting one, red leave.  It's very fetching.  Bright, vibrant.  It's very brave of this maple to wear its leaves so.  I'll have to think of a proper way to thank it.

Chris and I woke up much earlier than would be proper on a work day, and it's Saturday.  He's taking a nap right now.  We drove up to Cundy's Harbor, which is right Harpswell, which is where we're getting married.  I've been stressing over where the reception was going to be and my dad found a community center in Cundy's Harbor.  It'll hold 150, there's a kitchen, and it's perfect.  That was the last, big detail.  Now I can start to sweat the small stuff.  I cannot tell you how good that feels.

As we were driving back from the hall we drove past our church.  It's a small little church.  It's not used for services anymore, the isles aren't a large one down the middle, but two smaller ones equidistant from the middle, and the pews have doors.  The lock on the door isn't a lock as you think of them today, but a skeleton key.  Yes, that's what sold it for me.  We hadn't been inside, but when we drove by today we saw that the door was open.  I had Chris turn around and I ran across the street.  There was a guy fixing some windows from the storm they had over Patriot's day, and he happily let us in to take a look.  It's beautiful, small, and cozy, but with an artistry that you would expect for a church built in the 1860's (and placed on the historical registry!).  So I'm ready.  Today we were told that everything is going to be ok, and I can stop worrying.  So they say ;)

In other news, knitterly news, I've found myself in two -alongs.  Which is weird, I tend not to do those.  But here I am.  The first one is the Tour de Fleece.  I will spin each day that the cyclists spin.  This one starts today, and the pictures will be coming.

  The second is the MS3.  I joined up about 26 hours before the deadline, and I don't have my yarn or beads yet.  It turns out that Amy Boogie has my yarn (all the gods love her) and I'm not quite sure who has my beads.  I want size 8 copper colored beads.  AC Moore's doesn't have them.  Michaels doesn't have them.  I'm willing to buy online, so if anyone knows who might have my beads, and you'd like to recommend them as a good place to buy beads, I'm all ears.  The third clue will be well underway before I get to start, but that's ok.  The only competitor I have is myself.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Tomorrow we're going to Dad's for the bbq we didn't have on the 4th.  Maybe some fishing.  Who knows?

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Independence Day, to everyone reading this from the US.  To anyone outside of the US, I hope you have a fantastic 4th of July.

I am very proud of my country, if not the people running it.  We can only hope for the best and celebrate what we have.

OK, first things first.  Knitters for Okajima.

I don't expect all of you to be baseball fans (although part of me believes that you should be) but I would like you to help us (Red Sox Nation) out just a bit.  Hideki Okajima just joined us from Japan this season.  You might have heard about Daisuke Matsuzaka.  He was a big deal at the beginning of the season.  104 million dollars for us to sign him.  He owns like 7 pitches, and he was supposed to be awesome.  And he is, but it's hard to live up to that much hype.  That being said I'm glad we have him.

Along with Dice-K Matsuzaka came Okajima.  He snuck in, left handed relief pitcher.  And do you know what?  If Dice-K doesn't end up being worth the 104mill, having Okaji come with him is. 

Why am I bugging you with this?  Well, the All Star Game is coming up, and we want to send him.  This is based on a vote.  If you look at Pat Neshak's blog, you will see the Minnesota Twin's Pitcher rallying the Yankees.  Yes, the Yankees.  I quote him "We need everyone, all Minnesotan's, all graphers, fans of baseball and yes everyone in Yankee Nation ( and we know why!)  "

That's lame, Pat.  Yes, you are getting called lame on  a knitting blog.  Ooh, burn!  And do you know what?  The Twins are my second favorite team in the league.   But you're not going.  Do you know why?  Two reasons:  Japan, and Knitters.  That's right.

Knitters, please, head over to the All Star Ballot and enter a vote for Hideki Okajima in the American League.  I don't really care about the National League.  Do what feels right.  You can vote as many times as you want.  Yankee fans, I'd do the same.  Shame on Pat, playing on your sympathies like that.  Then watch the All Star game for the Okie Dokie.

Thank you, this message has been brought to you by Knitters for Okajima.

Back to your regularly scheduled blog.

I absolutely adore having a day off in the middle of the week.  There is so much potential, don't you think? 

Last weekend found us up in Northern Maine.  My favorite short person's birthday was yesterday, so we went to see him and bestow upon him an Elmo tool belt.  It matches the tool bench I got him for Christmas, and he loves it.  I am a staunch Grover supporter, but if Kadin wants Elmo, Kadin gets Elmo.

We also wrote another chapter in our kitten relocation project.

These two babies now have two very loving little boys to snuggle with every night.  And I got to play with kittens at work!  They were scared to jump off of my desk, so they just played with all of my stuff all day.  Way better than a beta fish.

And I also go a present from my sister, Steph.  One man's trash and all that.  You know how every so often you get recipe cards, with the option to subscribe and get a bunch every month?  Well, back in the 80's they had a club like that for knitting.  Patterns, tips, what have you.  I now have 4 binders full of the stuff.  Now granted, some of it is scary, but some is quite classic, and I'm glad to have it.

And.. beyond that... I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with my Flicker uploader, because I'm adding more yarn to the stash on Ravelry.  The sun wasn't bright today, but good enough for some yarn shots.

Oh, and we'll be at the Hilton Garden for SPA.  Everyone should go.  That is all.

No, really, that's it.  Go vote for Okajima.  Sheesh.

VOTE!

The power of kyoot compels you.