Give thanks

Happy Thanskgiving, all! Even if you don't celebrate this holiday (or if you celebrate it on a different day of the year), take a moment to remember something for which you are truly thankful.

I am thankful for friends and family (even when some family members do make you steaming mad on the holidays) and for all the other blessings in my life. I am thankful that I have gainful employment and that I am able to satisfy the basic needs of life. I am thankful for God's presence in my life and the wonderful things He has done for me and through me.

This morning I finished reading The Life of Pi. (Sorry, V, but I'll get back to Tuscany later this weekend.) This is a book about a man who found religion - and then some - and kept it during severe trial and tribulation. It made me re-evaluate some of the priorities I'd set in my own life, and yes, even examine my faith. Just because you say you are a Christian does not make you one - you can say you are a Venutian, but it may not be true. Do I call myself Christian because I grew up in a churched family and it is expected of me, or is it because I have truly come to faith? I pray it is the latter.

Regardless of your religious beliefs (or lack thereof), really think about what is important to you today. Give thanks for something - even if it is just that you are still breathing. Have a blessed day!

Bow to the Princess

Hey, I always wanted to be a princess! :) I love these little quizzes, although I won't often post my results (no, not because I don't like the result, but mainly because I figure most have already seen it :).

Well, 'tis time to get to work. One more day, then I'm out of here for a four day weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

*splort*

WARNING: The following link does contain some...interesting...language. Not for small children or people who have a tendency to choke on beverages when laughing.

Yentala goes to London.

I found a site that "dialectizes" other websites in various accents. I tried doing mine, but apparently Blogger doesn't like being displayed in someone else's frame. Well, then I figured Yentala speaks with an accent (hecksent? what hecksent?) anyway, so what would she sound like as a Cockney yenta? Let's just say, it is an experience you'll never forget. *grin*

Enjoy!

Here Comes the Cold

Arrrrgh. And you can quote me, once again. It got cooooooooold yesterday. When I left for church at 6:30 am it was nice and warm. When I left about 11, it was down in the 40s! A cold day yesterday combined with three anniversary services (30th for OSLC and 50th for ULC) has left me with very little voice. Today I am taking it easy with a big bowl of Schlotsky's Cheddar Chicken Tortilla soup and waiting for the knitting group to get here, 'cause I will certainly not be able to make rehearsal.

I did get to see a good friend from out-of-town yesterday, and we went to the BCSM Evening of Giving (and Emmy, if you're reading - she ended up spending money while I only bought a drink from the cafe, so it isn't just you!) - there was a bit of live entertainment and not too much crowd, so we had a good evening of browsing around.

Well, I think it is time to knit (and put my jacket back on - brrr). Ciao!

I know his name...

...His name is Love!

Just got back in from an absolutely marvelous performance of Turandot, as done by Austin Lyric Opera. Let me first say that I simply love to listen to Peter Bay conduct an orchestra. The man is good, in a word.

Overall I would have to give this performance 4.5 stars out of 5. The orchestra was spot on, and for the most part the soloists did a marvelous job of carrying the story. There was some over-dramatization that distracted from other things that needed to happen (such as in the death of Liu), but then again, it is opera - not the movies. :D The men singing the parts of Ping, Pang, and Pong brought comic relief at just the right moments (as I'm sure Puccini intended). The soprano singing Turandot did leave a little emotion out of her part (especially in her face), but since she was playing an ice princess, I suppose I'll let part of that slide.

If you have the opportunity to see this show soon (even if it isn't here in Austin), I highly recommend it!

Points to Ponder

A friend and I went to see The Gospel of John last night. It left me feeling, well, a little unsettled. Instead of absorbing myself into the Biblical story, I found myself picking apart factual problems with the portrayal (for example, the one-piece seamless woven garment that Jesus was supposed to be wearing had at least four seams). On the other hand, certain parts of it were very moving.

Maybe it had to do with the translation version they used (Good News translation, if anyone is interested). Maybe it had to do with the fact that Jesus spoke with a British accent and smirked quite a bit. ...and then again, maybe I need to re-read a few passages.

So, what Bible translation do you find most useful (for those of you who read it)? I am partial to the King James/Revised King James and the New International Version, myself, although I have a layman's parallel reference to compare. It is interesting how much difference a single word can make in a passage.

Blog like an Egyptian...

...or like a technogeek, I suppose. :D

I'm sitting here at the table at BookPeople, surrounded by knitters at this months Meetup! gathering. Two of us have computers to use WiFi while five scarves, one pair of mittens, and at least three sweaters click away on the needles. Little baby Haley looks on, giggling at the funny faces we make to keep her entertained.

Life is good.

It had to happen eventually...

I was checking my site logs again (hey, it is something to do on Monday morning) to see what search terms are getting people to my site. Eventually, someone had to find my site using some "interesting" terms -- only this isn't interesting in the way I had hoped. Yup, someone used "leather chains wips" to get to my site. Sorry guys - I may be a bit dominating, but that's about as far as it goes. :D

Working for the weekend

Sometimes work can be a real downer - and then you get a weekend, and the whole work week seems...well, ok, it doesn't necessarily seem worth it, but the weekend sure feels good! :)

I've gotten a bit of work done on Tilt over the last day or so (only an inch more to go on panel #1), plus additional stitches done on Fribble2. PF has indeed hit 15 inches, so as soon as I can remember to drag along my extra circular needle I will separate for the front and back.

I did stop into HCW yesterday afternoon and got to meet Debiie Stoller - interesting lady. She'll be at the DJCC today for the book fair, if anyone is interested. I may stop in over there (I've been dying to see the inside of the place since it was built :) but it all depends on whether I can get away from rehearsal this afternoon --- this time it is for the Alumni Choir for ULC, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next weekend. (That'll be two church anniversaries in the same weekend - OSLC is turning 30 - for anyone who is keeping score. Gotta love it!) Add to that the fact that I just _might_ get to be an extra in a movie filming here in town next weekend.

All in all, I may not be posting that much this week, but I will definitely have my yarn and needles with me, wherever I am!!

Huzzah!

Yup, I think I've hit 15 inches!!

No, sadly, that isn't my waistline. It isn't how many inches off my waistline I've lost, either (egads, I hope I don't have that much extra baggage around there!)... It is the number of inches of stockingette I needed to complete on Pink Flutterby in order to split for the sleeve and neck shaping, and I think that I've finally made that number!!! I'll get a corroborative opinion on Saturday when I go meet the gang to knit.

Speaking of knitting, this Saturday is especially important to some - Debbie Stoller (of Stitch N' B**** fame) will be at Hill Country Weavers to sign copies of her book. Stop on in at 4:00 that afternoon to meet the author!

Start-itis

Yes - I, too, have been afflicted with a severe case of start-itis. I have projects to finish (on a deadline, no less!) and yet I still feel compelled to start new things.

Saturday, I started a pair of gloves. Sunday, I restarted the gloves. Tuesday, it was the caterpillar Habu. Yesterday, I started a new Fribble. The Habu is almost done - it lacks only a row or two - and I've almost gotten to the end of the first ball of Koigu for Fribble2. Perhaps I can beat this disease yet...

Tonight I have a church council meeting, so I am sure I will finish off the first ball for Fribble2 and get some work done on PF or Tilt or both. Onward and upward!

Instant gratification

In the market for a super quick project? I can highly recommend the Habu scarf kits - they are all crochet, but they work up so fast and they're so pretty to look at. :) This is the Poly Tobi scarf (colorway 53) from Habu Textiles.

Before rehearsal tonight I also got a couple more rows done on my Limbo gloves, and now I need to get more done on that DB sweater.


Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, but I've gotta get back to knittin', or my presents will be flat....




P.S. Click on the scarf to the left for a close up of furry, chenille bug-y cuteness...

Sinus problems stink.

Bleargh. And you can quote me on that. Handel made his Messiah hard enough to sing without being a soprano fighting sinus problems. Thankfully the director let me skip out on the last half of rehearsal tonight so I can come home, medicate myself and go to bed.

On the plus side, with the long weekend (well, sort of long) I had down at Mom's, I got a lot of crafting done. Thursday night I started (and finished, save weaving in ends) the Plush hat for Ann's mother, which you can see at the left. It is a pattern I've done before from the C&C booklet Twice as Nice, and I used Red Heart TLC Amore in Red Velvet. This is a new yarn from RH that is a sort of chenille-y boucle. Very soft!

I got at least another 8 inches done on the first panel of Tilt, plus an inch or so more of stockingette done on Pink Flutterby. I started (several times) a fingerless glove from the latest Interweave article, using Limbo México. I've even gotten a couple more inches done on the back to the Debbie Bliss baby boatneck sweater. I have to finish that baby sweater this week, and I want to get either PF or Tilt done before I start on my next goodie yarn (that I finally got in the mail this weekend!):



This is a laceweight merino in emerald green, about 12 ounces worth. I think it will make a wonderful shawl! I just have to finish something else first!!!! Ah well, to sleep - perchance to dream...

What a long week it's been...

...and it isn't even over! :D

The nice thing is, I've managed to get quite a bit of knitting and crocheting tossed in there, so I feel like I've been productive. In between rehearsals (and sinus problems, unfortunately) and church stuff, I snuck in one knitting circle, a Stitch N' B****, First Thursday and a couple other "sit and knit" sessions.

I also managed to restrain myself (a little) on First Thursday - I only purchased two skeins of Koigu KPPPM, two balls of Fortissima Limbo Mexiko, and one of Classic Elite Diva (might be wrong on the name of that last). Always, as a rule, pick up Koigu when you have the opportunity to get it on sale. Multiple shades work well together in various projects, and if inspiration fails, you can always make socks! *grin*

Today I even got to get down to Yarn Barn in San Antonio (wasn't able to stop in at Kid N Ewe - may get there later this weekend) and saw the purse kits that I coveted (Elizabeth brought one to one of Latifa's classes). Sadly, I didn't buy one - the pattern I liked only came with the black or ugh-y brown, so I passed them up. Ah well, maybe next time.

Now, I am going to get back to working on my Limbo - for gloves, of course! Night, y'all!

Inspiration hits...

Here's something I've been thinking about for a while now: freeform knitting and crochet. Debbie New talks about this a bit in her book Unexpected Knitting, which is partly what got me thinking about it again. I'd contemplated playing with the technique a couple years ago with crochet, before I learned to knit, but never got around to it.

Hm...this will take some thought. But hey, what a wonderful way to use up thrums and stash odds-n-ends! :D

Bad hair day?

Can the term "bad hair day" be applied to a computer? I think mine is having one. *sigh* When you're this close }{ to lobbing your monitor through the nearest window, it isn't a good thing.

Ok, minor rant over. At least tonight there's knitting at the SnB! :D

What people are looking for...

It is fun to check out the referrals to your site to see what search terms are getting people to your page.

Lately, it seems most are looking for scarf patterns, particularly for a Harry Potter scarf (must've been a hot Halloween costume) and for an Eros scarf. Well, the Harry Potter scarf pattern isn't mine, but here is where you can find it.

As for the Eros scarf, well, here you go:


Quick Eros Scarf
pattern by Cyndilou :)
Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved.

Supplies:
One ball Plymouth Eros ladder yarn, approximately 165 yards.
One pair size 15 (US) knitting needles

Cast on 15 - 20 stitches loosely. Knit every row until you've reached about 18 inches from the end of the skein. Bind off loosely. That's it! You can cast on more stitches to make the scarf wider, but be aware that you will lose length. To gain more length, you can go up a needle size. One ball of Eros will make a good length scarf at this gauge.

What do you mean, homework?

Well, we started a new Bible study for women at church this Sunday (and of course, I didn't have time to prepare beforehand) so I got to read through the first week's lessons today. Yes, that's lessons, plural. Apparently there is a lesson with homework for each day of the week! I guess this is God's way of telling me I need to re-prioritize... :D

I did manage to whip out some instant gratification scarves today using my Barbie knitting machine (they're so cool) - one from Trendsetter Voila Print, one from Koigu Kersti, one Euro Yarns Mardi Gras, and one Idéna Happy Multi. The Voila is the longest, as that ball had almost 200 yards - the other three only had about 100 per ball. I'll try to get some pictures of them up this week if I get the time. Right now, it is almost my bedtime, so goodnight y'all!

Blessed All Saints' Day!

Woo, two holidays right on top of each other! :D Yesterday was actually also Reformation Day (look up Martin Luther if you're curious :) and today is also Dia de los Muertos. So really, we're getting four holidays for the price of two! *grin*

It is also my mother's birthday - so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! Love you, and hope you have a wonderful day. :)