this is NOT my picture, this is a set made by a talented knitter whom I do not know.  I love the way they turned out.

The only part of the pattern that didn’t scream, “Marta!” was the color selections.  Most people who’ve made these opted for sedate earth tones, or classic choices like navy and black.  There’s nothing wrong with those choices, they just don’t do her personality justice.  Marta is a sky-diving, snorkeling, globe-trotting wild woman who never slows down for anything. She needs something to warn fellow golfers that there is a wild woman on the loose.  A jaunt through my stash didn’t reveal much besides a variety of greens so I pulled out some worsted weight Fishermen’s Wool and the brightest dyes imaginable, and voila!  

I just love to dye yarn! The orange turned out a bright, mouth-watering shade of tangerine. The club covers will each be a different color paired with black for the stripes and expletive symbols.  Additional stitches will be cast on because I’m using worsted instead of bulky or aran weight yarn and they will be knitted in the round, rather than flat to avoid that dreaded seaming at the end. 

This morning Mr. Steven decided to be friendly with A2. He usually only suffers coddling from my DH and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out his motivation.  I happened to have the camera handy (I was taking yarn the pictures)  and I caught him just after he reached up and pulled her bacon down for a good chomp.   It’s a good thing he’s cute!  She ended up surrendering and giving him the entire piece.  To prevent jealousy and cat wars we had to give Bonny some too. If she’d smelled pork on his breath we’d have been in trouble.   Time to cast on those covers. I’m starting with the orange. Cheers!

A3 in yellow shirt in background

A3 was so hyped about the party that she wouldn’t hold still long enough to get cold.  Everyone else was freezing and several guests gladly donned the handmade hats, etc. that I’d brought, but she stripped down to a short-sleeved t-shirt for the duration.  About 3 or 4 kids didn’t come who had told A3 they would, but that could have been because of the snow.  Nothing was sticking, but people panicked to see it coming down.  Our region is ill-equipped for cold. 

I’m torn between feeling relieved and sad.  Planning and coordinating the parties won’t be missed, but watching the kids having fun will be.  

On a knitterly note, I wove in the strings of A3′s striped mittens on our way to the party… not that she wore them.  They’re in a pile of purple and black on the table in the bottom picture.  No worries, she’ll probably wear them in July. Cheers!

On Saturday I cast on A3′s hat.  She wanted purple and black striped cat ears.  I used my  standard hat algorithm. (The formula is: 96 stitches + worsted weight yarn  x  size 4 needles = 1 adult sized hat.) 96 is divisible so many different ways that the pattern possibilities are endless.  In this instance I chose a K4, P2 ribbing, then made diagonal YOs and K2Tog on the K4 portions.  It’s simple, fast and not quite as boring to make as a plain hat.  My intentions were to make the ears separately then sew them onto the hat later.  A3 saw the finished hat, sans ears, and wanted no part of it.  Turns out she didn’t want a hat, just cat ears to wear. 

A2 agreed to model the orphaned hat,

           while A1 photo-bombed her with a creeper stalk from The Grudge.

Sunday I made cat ears, attached them to some I-cord and ran a headband through the middle of the cord.  A3 was ecstatic and wore them to school on Monday.  She specifically asked for silly, Cheshire Cat styled, wonky ears and was insistent on the pink centers.  Now she wants matching striped mittens, but only if I can put claws on them.

How in world does one knit claws?  Seriously, any suggestions or tips will be greatly appreciated.

In other news, we now have new guest accommodations!  Hopefully this one won’t leak as bad as our old mattress.  I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t lose air.  Maybe this is why we seldom have guests for more than one night.

This afternoon as we pulled into the driveway we spotted our young neighbor slogging his way home.  He was hunched over with an absurdly large backpack and he didn’t even glance our way when hearing our car. This boy is one grade behind my oldest daughter, but we’ve not seen him in well over a year.  Back when my girls took the bus to and from school we always delighted in watching him being greeted by Cassie, his special kitty.  She’d run out when she heard the bus coming and when he got to the end of the cul-de-sac she’d walk with him, all the while rubbing against his legs and ”talking” up  a storm.

2009, “N” and Cassie

When I saw him trudging along I couldn’t help myself, I rolled down my window and yelled out a “hello” to him.  The glanced our way and nodded.  At this point I asked  him where his greeter was.  He stopped walking long enough to tell me that Cassie died.  I feel horrible! 

So, my words, or “purls” of wisdom are this, don’t ask about people’s animals unless you know for sure they’re still alive and well.  Also, knitting hats without a pattern or formula isn’t wise… especially ridiculously complicated hats that will probably end up forgotten in a bedroom corner  a week after they’re painstakingly finished.

A prime case in point being my New Year’s Eve project (technically, it’s still Christmas 2011 knitting, but I’m just a tad behind).  This year each of my girls was allowed to choose the hat they wanted me to knit for them.  A2 wanted the Jayne hat, A3 still hasn’t decided (although she keeps tossing around ideas for a hat with cat ears) and A1 wanted a large, floppy, light-weight beret. A1 browsed Ravelry patterns and skimmed old magazines with me, but she didn’t see anything she liked.  Eventually I showed her a lace doily pattern that she liked the look of and we designed one of our own.  She chose  a lovely silk, baby alpaca blend yarn from my stash.

So far all is going well with this hat, however I currently have 800 stitches on size 0 needles and this hat has crossed the line from “relaxing hobby” to “drudgery” as I continue the endless stocking net stitch with yarn so fine that I can’t even zone out for fear of dropping a stitch. I actually took a break from it this morning to do laundry!  I like being a knitting hobbiest and not a serious knitter.  It’s times like this that I’m glad to have a fall-back hobby.  Over the years I’ve developed the ability to weave sarcasm and snark into a fine tapestry of words.  In this area I do profess the rank of Master.  This blog merely represents sanitized, abridged samples of my writing.  Fear of unemployment, charges of libel, divorce and general shunning prevent public posting of most of my ponderings. But I find that organizing, recording, and often immediatly deleting, thoughts about daily encounters is cathartic.  No great novel or revolutionary ideas dwell in my brain, but channeling sarcasm keeps me sane.  If I ever stop writing and venting  snark privately then I might actually start speaking these thoughts while in public, especially if I don’t have any knitting nearby as a distraction. It could get ugly.

Speaking of ugly and crafting… it is possible to take hobbies too far.  Images of plastic flowers glued to picture frames and beer can, crocheted hats seem downright classy in comparison to these, http://www.favecrafts.com/Christmas-Crafts/Unique-Tampon-Angel/ct/1.   I shouldn’t judge though because making these might have saved someone’s sanity.  Thank heavens we didn’t receive one as a Christmas gift. Sarcasm filters and manners would have failed big time.  

Steven absolutely loved helping me make this blanket!  He usually prefers to knead the soft, fleece throws in our house, but I think he liked the wool smell from the yarn.

Speaking of Steven, he is ending 2011 on the wrong foot… or might I say three feet, rather than four.  The little fellow was just fine and running around like usual two nights ago then all of a sudden he started crying and limping.  He even hissed at my DH, which shocked everyone, because he worships the only other male in the house.  We discovered one of the pads on his rear, right foot was split open and it looked like the flesh was oozing out.  A2 had accidentally broken a glass Christmas ornament earlier that day and we think he stepped on a piece of the glass. The next morning I called the vet and took him in immediately.  He proclaimed that our Christmas ornament theory was incorrect.  What really happened was this…  Steven was outside, where he encountered a strange cat.  The other cat was even bigger than Steven, and possibly even a feral stray. The two got into a fight and as Steven turned to run away the other cat bit his foot, snagging a tooth on his rear, right paw pad.  Of course this proclamation was followed up by a lecture about letting him go outside and the fact that we were overdue on his booster shots, which meant that Steve needed all kinds of blood work to rule out him dying a horrible, slow death.  The vet literally spent 30 seconds, maximum, looking at his injury.  He then left the room and a technician drew his blood and gave him the belated shots.  We left with a prescription for an antibiotic and a $185.00 bill.  For that price they could have at least thrown in one of those nifty head cones. 

The vet drama didn’t end with a psychic diagnosis. The receptionist reprimanded me for being neglectful of my other pets because they too are overdue for booster shots.  She told me to bring in Bonny and Roxanna immediately. Their bill would be $300.00 to get them up to date, including the office calls and three shots apiece. When I told her we didn’t have a spare $300.00 right now she became even snarkier and suggested we buy health insurance for our animals.  By this time I’d reached the end of my patience so I snapped back at her that dental care for me and my children would take priority over pet health insurance.  I made the appointment to bring them in, but when I got home phone calls were made to other area veterinarians.  A friend recommended her own vet so I called his office.  Long story short, he saw both cats yesterday, gave them the identical vaccinations, cleaned Roxanna’s ears and treated her for ear mites and the bill was still $100.00 less than the estimate from my former vet.  When I called the f.v.’s office to cancel the appointment I told the receptionist why we  were leaving.  She didn’t seem to give a rat’s arse.  I have no intentions on paying more just so Dr. Omniscient can unravel the great mysteries of the pet universe. 

His foot is still swollen and he can’t bear weight on it, but hopefully the antibiotics and time will help.   And yes, I know that owning and caring for pets is an undertaking we chose and I was remiss in my responsibilities.  We really do love our animals and care for them to the best of our abilities, but time and money don’t always allow for us to stay on-top of things.  This is the main reason we don’t have more animals.  Truth be told, I’m behind in my own health maintenance and my car needs its oil changed as well.  Scoldings from the doctor and a mechanic are probably imminent.  I confess that I’m not the best at remembering things, but I do try.  And yes, I do write myself notes, I’m just kind of a lost cause when it comes to organization.  Hope everyone is enjoying these last hours of 2011. Cheers!

Our Christmas Crackers

A2, A3, A1 and my DH looking thoughtful

Our tree sports a decidedly Starboard list, but it’s just the way the trunk grew near the top.

One of the lovely ornaments Helena made for our family

Finnish Christmas Gnomes.  The two on the ends are new this year.

 The stockings were hung… 

World’s ugliest Christmas sweater

 Christmas teapot given to me by my late mother-in-law, Christmas 1992.

 My DH displaying Londo Malari and G’Kar from Babylon 5. Please note that these are action figures, not dolls!

 A1, who did not want her picture taken.

 A2 and A3, who did want their pictures taken. Santa brought A2 a new, official Soul Eater wig and A3 received Maka cosplay.

This year everyone went overboard when it came to my gifts.  I asked for, and received a new can opener.  It is perfect and just what I wanted!

In addition, I got an owl drawing from A2,

a chocolate frog from A1 (it included a Rowena Ravenclaw card), and

A3 bought me a reading light to go with the new Kindle that my DH decided that I needed.  There are so many free books! It’s amazing!

Original holiday plans included staying home on Christmas Eve, waking up Christmas morning for breakfast and present opening, then watching the Disney World Christmas parade.  A1′s cheer team recorded a performance for the parade earlier in December.  After the parade we were to drive out to the beach to spend the next few days with my parents. Unfortunately, my DH awoke not feeling well. As the morning elapsed he felt worse, rather than better.  We were unable to discern A1 from among the sea of performers in the parade, but a friend recorded it and we may be able to find her if we pause it.  My DH ended up back in bed and when I called my mom she was sick as well.  Hopefully we can meet up with them before the new year.   I hope that everyone enjoyed a peaceful holiday with friends and family.

Merry Christmas!

Molasses cookies, peanut butter balls, peppermint bark and chocolate dipped pretzels

Scarf for a friend (can’t remember the pattern name) made with Shine Worsted in Pageant

Exhorbitant cost aside, the logistics of getting enough fresh sushi for 28 people at 6:00 in the morning and keeping it safely chilled until the afternoon made this impossible.  As I explained this to her, her bouncing slowed and her smile fell by increments.  We circled the cart back through the bread aisles and she opted for some boxes of powdered sugar donuts instead. 

 Adding to her disappointment was the news that her birthday party won’t be until January.  One of the pitfalls of having a birthday close to Christmas is that many people are away from home and there are lots of holiday activities happening. 

I pointed out that this way it’s like she’s getting to have two birthdays.  In January everyone will have free time and her party will be fabulous.  This cheered her up slightly.  This morning she was bouncy and smiling again as she proclaimed, “I’ll be old enough to go to Hogwarts now!”

Happy 11th birthday A3!  Keep on bouncing, we love you lots!

While she was away A2, A3 and I ushered in December with a ride through town in a horse-drawn carriage.  The jingle bells sounded quite merry and all that was missing was snow.

During the Hometown Celebration the girls made bird feeders, ate cookies and drank cider, but neither of them wanted to visit Santa.   That makes me sad because none of them are little any more.  

We had intended on pulling out Old Scratchy, our 24 year old artificial tree, from the attic and assembling him rather than spending money on a fresh tree, but when the girls and I drove by our summer fruit stand we saw this lonely little evergreen waiting for a new home.  

Funny thing about Christmas trees… they don’t seem as big when they’re outside as they do once they’re inside.  I pulled out the saw and we hacked off the bottom branches, re-cut the bottom so it would take up water and then we took 24 inches off the top.  Even after all of this pruning it still stood 12 feet tall. A2 had the honors of topping the tree this year.

A3 practised her planning and engineering skills by laying out the Christmas Village. 

The cats all disappeared during the jostling and bustling of the decorating, but when the dust settled they emerged from hiding and soon claimed their favorite new spots.  Bonny prefers the smell of fresh pine and chewy green canopy of the tree.

Steven asserted dominance over the Christmas Village and renamed it, “Catsville”. Several homes had to be relocated to accomodate his majesty.  We’re growing used to seeing him bedecked with sparkly, artificial snow.

Roxanna’s favorite spot remains sitting on lap while I’m using the computer. 

As per normal, the knitting list grows long this time of year, but time grows shorter.  Only a few hats have been finished and a pair of matching Jayne mittens started.  I secretly wish for a “Snow Day” from school in order to have time to knit or write Christmas Cards. I mentioned the thought while in the car today and one of A1′s friends told me. “But you’re an adult.  You work at the school. It’s just wrong for you to want a snow day!”

In addition to falling behind in knitting, not a single bulb adorns the outside of our yard or home… a problem that will hopefully be remedied this weekend.  In the meantime, everyone stay warm and enjoy the season, it’s flying by.

peppermint hot chocolate, kid-friendly version

Cheers!

On the off chance that someone out there doesn’t know who Jayne Cobb is, here is a clip of him receiving his hat from his dear mother.