Lick My Sticks

Last week I spent the week at my mother and father’s house in Quincy house sitting and hanging out with my girl Joanne and the kids. We had a ball…our big outing was taking the ferry out to Georges Island in Boston Harbor. Georges Island is home to Fort Warren, used for coastal defense during the Civil War. There’s rumor of it being haunted by the “lady in black”, a woman who fell in love with and attempted to free a confederate soldier. It’s a national park now and has lots of creepy tunnels and corridors for you to explore. We had a great time, here’s some shots:

I also got quite a bit of knitting done in the last week or so. I’m about 5 or 6 cable repeats into my CPH, on the shoulder grafting of Adrianna’s Hoodie, and almost done with the increases on my Buttony Sweater. I must have about 10 things on the needles right now…I’m such a cast on junky.

I knit away for two hours watching the Democratic You Tube Debate…definitely an interesting take on the debate. I kind of wish there weren’t so many candidates…it’s impossible to get answers from more than 2 of them per question, and seriously, that Mike Gravel is a fucking lunatic. I was waiting for him to turn green, kick over his podium and punch Anderson Cooper in the mouth. Did anyone even know what he was talking about? I mean, he’s done some admirable shit in his political career but fuck is he scary!

At this point I gotta say…I’m just treading water waiting for Al Gore. I want a GOOD person in office, I don’t give a shit if they put their foot in their mouth or say some dumb things, or whether their kid is a junky. I want a GOOD person. A caring person. I think Al is that guy. I trust him. So RUN, AL, RUN! But in the mean time, I’m digging Barack.

I’m also proposing the first-ever Lick My Sticks contest. I’m prepping to cut off the majority of my hair for my annual obligatory back to school I hate my hair crisis. I’ve gathered a shit load of ideas from the internet, they’re all along the same lines but humor me. I’m thinking of radical color change, too. Maybe blonde (I’m naturally light brown/dirty blonde so I can pull it off) but I’m not sure yet.

SO-here’s what you do…Leave a comment with the one YOU THINK I WILL CHOOSE. If you’re right I’ll send you a little goodie in the mail! Here are the potential ‘dos…(A has 3 different styles)

And finally…the beautiful Christine has tagged me for a wretched meme.

8 Random Things About Me:

1. I watch “How Do I Look?” and other ridiculous make over shows. I can’t help it, the final reveal is like crack.

2. I grow bowls of grass in my house and stick my face in them. A lot.

3. I do the exact same things in the exact same order in the shower. If I fuck up the order, I’ll forget to rinse out my conditioner. Never fails.

4. I am a member of FIVE of those online book clubs where you get a bunch of books and a crappy tote bag free and buy 2 books over 2 years. Five of them. And it’s only 5 because I just canceled 2 of them. I can’t stop.

5. If you ask me if I’d like a beer and then hand me a Miller Low High Life, I will stop being your friend.

6. I get pee shy in public restrooms. As far as I’m concerned, if there are 5 stalls, and you HAVE to take the one RIGHT NEXT TO MINE, you are clearly listening to me pee and are an asshole.

7. I love Sex and the City. Like…I totally do a little dance when it comes on.

8. Harry Potter annoys the crap out of me. Sorry, but I can’t wait until I never have to hear anything about him again. Besides, I’ve seen his penis…

Alright that’s it…careful what you ask for, Christine. Please don’t flame me for #8, I still love all of you HP freaks.

My sister-in-law Cadence (Cat) has joined the world of knit bloggers! She’s got a beautiful blog started already, go check it out! http://girlmeetsneedle.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the addicting world of knit blogging, Cat!

Quick post! I got a wonderful package from my Punk Rock Gift Exchange Mini partner Megan. Unfortunately I didn’t do so good shopping for her so I’ve got to get something else for her before I can send! Here’s what I got!

That’s a hank of Artyarn’s Super Merino, and 2 balls of KP Wool of the Andes in Avocado and Tulip. I also got some point protectors and some loose Pomegranate tea I need to try today.

Thanks Megan! I hope you like what I send you…which should happen soon!

I also got a touch of spinning/dying urge this past week and did and little spinning (which I just can’t seem to do “properly” but I enjoy regardless.) and finally took a stab at hand painting my KP Color Your Own I got from Jacey way back in SP6. I used Kool-Aid and the microwave method. I think it came out pretty good for my first try! I’m going to make the Dream Swatch headband for Zoe with it.

I had fun, I think I’m going to pick up some more really soon. If no one has ever tried this, give it a shot! There’s a great tute for Kool-Aid dying over at Knitty.com.

And here’s my sad little pile of handspun…

Someday I’ll finish it, it’s blended wool and alpaca and due to my inability to draft while spinning…slow going.

I’ve made some good progress on Adrianna’s hoodie, I’ve got to graft the soldiers today and get cracking on the sleeves. I’m afraid she’s going to outgrow it before I finish! If that’s the case I will donate it.

I’m on the third cable repeat on my Central Park Hoodie. I’m right about comfortable with the pattern now so it’s going quicker. I always feel like I’m screwing up what row I’m on when I do cables and I swear the cables are different sizes. I’m paranoid like that.

Not much else to report. I’ve got some beautiful windowsill herbs going right now, the Sage is looking (and tasting) great.

And look what DH spotted looking out our window today!

It’s a chubby little groundhog snacking on the crab apples across the street. This may not seem very “WOW” to you, but when you live in a overcrowded rotting shitty city like I do, these little signs of wildlife are pretty cool. I wish we got a better picture, but when Jon got closer the little guy made a horrible noise and took off.

Well, I’m out. Got some knitting and Man Vs Wild watching to do! (Obsessed with that show.)

So much to post about!

OK, first…MY SECRET PAL RULES. I got my final “reveal” package yesterday. Here she is! Annie sent me a great final package, I love everything! She knit and felted me this AWESOME little skully bag (like a mini version of the one my SIL made me) and I’m totally using it today.

She gave me a circ holder (which I needed!), a bag of necessities (which I also needed, I’ve lost all my holders and stitch markers!), two balls of Debbie Bliss love, and of course the rockin felted bag. Thank you SO much Annie, you were a GREAT pal!!!

This past week we’ve been trying to get out and do fun stuff. Last weekend, Zoe danced in full regalia in the Mashpee Wampanoag PowWow (DH’s family is native) and she couldn’t possibly have looked more perfect. Zoe herself is Narragansett and MicMac between her dad and I, which I believe explains why she tans so beautifully. My nephews were also all decked out in native pride with their breech cloths, handwoven belts, moccasins, and mohawks. Behold the cute:

We’ve also been bummin’ around the beach. Apparently we picked a day when the UV index was likened to the surface of the sun and me and the DH are burned all over. BUT it was fun.

As for the Craftster Craft Challenge? I won! Yay!

I also thought I’d show off my awesome I Love My Yippie Little Dog Swap stuff!! My partner ruled, LOOK at this!

It’s a freakin’ dog teepee…or at least it was…

In closing, I was up until 5:30 am setting up my Ravelry. For those who are waiting, it is SO worth the wait. And my advice: sit down, take pics and catalog your stash, wip’s, and FO’s. Get all the pics on a Flickr account. This takes FOREVER and had I done it ahead of time I could have gotten to the fun playing around faster!

And since I have lovely pictures of my WIP’s now, here’s an update:

Adrianna’s Sweater:

Central Park Hoodie:

Hooded Scarf:

Branching Out v2:

And the languishing…

Jaywalker:

Damn Sock 2, victim of SSS:

Well, that’s it for me for today. Off to shower and get outside for a while and knit. I will leave you with my beautiful Zoe after her dance recital last month:

Because Jess is the greatest person in the world, I am officially ON RAVELRY!! Oh man. I got the invite about 16 hours ago and aside from a couple of hours out, I haven’t been off the site all day. I neglected my craftster swap, posting my final SP reveal, my WIP’s, dishes, etc. All of which are coming tomorrow.

I have also started a Bad Ass Knitters group on Ravelry, so get on there, too! Ring Surf is sure to collapse soon, I’m sure of it.

My SP rules, and I’ll show her to you tomorrow. But right now, it’s 5am…the birds are chirping, and I’ve finally set up my stash, queue, and projects on Ravelry. Holy shit that took forever. So go add me if you’re on there: lickmysticks.

Yesterday, Zoe and I walked to our neighborhood main library branch to sign Zoe up for her very fir…very second library card. She signed up for the summer reading program that consists of fun activities three days a week and me convincing Zoe that reading every day is going to be fun. So far, it’s working.

This challenge of getting Zoe to read and enjoy chapter books left me looking for a good reading list for kids going into the third grade. A few Google searches later and I was squealing to my husband over familiar titles I had long forgotten about. She is currently reading Beezus and Ramona…a great place to start on chapter books, I think!
SO, in an attempt to solicit your beloved childhood reading memories, I give you the titles now scribbled into my library notebook for Zoe’s potential summer reading.

• Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Richard Atwater
• Superfudge – Judy Blume
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roahl Dahl
• Indian in the Cupboard – Lynne Reid Banks
• Sarah, Plain and Tall – Patricia Maclachlan
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Judy Blume
• Encyclopedia Brown (all of them) – Donald J Sobol
• Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
• Ramona The Pest, Age 8, etc – Beverly Cleary
• Freckle Juice – Judy Blume
• Amelia Bedelia (all) – Peggy Parish

And perhaps a little later in life I will give her my treasured, worn, well-loved copy of Harriet The Spy. Just not yet.

Pattern: Sizzle, by Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style in “Moss”
Size: Medium (38″ Bust)
Mods: Lengthened about 6 inches, I have a long torso and a beer belly to contend with. I also didn’t seed stitch around the arm holes because I didn’t like how it looked.

I waited for 2 weeks for a nice day and a photo assistant to occur on the same day, but I live in New England and hubby has been working…SO shit pictures it is! Oh well. I’ll get a nicer one later, you get the point!

Sizzle was a good knit, I’m going at it again now because my mom wants one…like…now.

SWAP SPOILER!!!

The doggie sweater I was knitting is in the garbage can. Shitty pattern, shitty yarn, shitty needles, and shitty mood put an end to it before it was even seamed. I’m glad in a way though because what I made to replace it came out SO much cuter!

Here is Riley’s coat, as modeled by Abbath.

And it’s reversible!

Cute, eh? I’m going to make another for Abbath. He’s a great model, he sits perfectly still while you measure, test, measure, pin, etc. If only I could get him to stop peeing in my house.

I’ve cast on for my Central Park Hoodie. I’m in denial of my wool allergy and I’m using Cascade 220. I don’t get hives or anything, I just get a little blinky in the eye. WHATEVER, I’m wearing it. I’m 2 cable repeats into the back. I’m going to cast on for Adrianna’s Hoodie, too, for my less daunting project.

For those of you on Craftster, I have entered my first Craft Challenge. This month was the Queen of Craftiness Tiara theme. Here is my entry, vote for me tomorrow if you like it!!!

I call it “Royalty Runs With Scissors“. Headbutt contest anyone???

I used kids safety scissors, an old belt, jewels, glass marbles, poker chips, wire, and bottlecaps. I wore it around my house all day like a total dork.

I finally got to the beach last week. It’s been beautiful out all summer (as in not hot enough for the beach), but I was glad for the heat so I could hit the sand. The water was nice and clear, I swam and sprawled…it was great. The kids had fun too. (The boys are my nephews)

Hope you all have a wonderful fourth. It’s raining here so the fireworks are canceled. I will leave you with a shot of the animals enjoying my unmade bed.

Sing it with me now…”iiiiiiiiitttttssss the gooodlife…”

I have TEMPORARILY closed the ring to new members. Why? Because I am getting no less that 100+ spam applications a day! It’s ridiculous and clearly RingSurf doesn’t give a shit because they’ve done nothing to remedy the situation and won’t even answer my emails.

All they’d have to do is a word verification and the problem would be greatly reduced, but hey, what do I know right?

SO if you want to join the ring, just drop me an email and I’ll open it for a certain period of time so you can join. I’m hoping by staying mostly closed for a little while I will throw them off my trail. I never got spam like this before so they latched on somewhere. If anyone has any suggestions, they’d be appreciated.

I get crazy spam on this blog too, it’s awful. I think we should publicly tar and feather spammers. Fucking low-lifes.