Meme Away

Thanks to Needledancer, I have a post. 38 things to post, in fact.

38 Answers to 38 Random Questions

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? The almost-teen in the house. I was debating with spouse whether or not my new crank sock machine was a replica of an antique or a new machine -- we know it's newly made, but the design hasn't changed in 100 years -- and I said, "It's not an antique. . . " and the kid said, "Just works like one?" I had been swearing at it just moments before.

2. What were you doing at 0800? putting the makings of breakfast burritos on the table and yelling upstairs, "Breakfast is ready! You asked for these; come and eat them!"

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Posting answers to my online students' discussions.

4. What happened to you in 2006? I designed and knit a cabled sweater for Thing 1, the baby started walking and talking, and just plain old daily life happened -- a lot!

6. How many beverages did you have today? A cup of Earl Grey tea.

7. What color is your hairbrush? If I can find one, purple.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Food -- the biggest grocery shopping trip in recent memory.

9. Where were you last night? At home, working, working on the cranky sock machine and putting kids to bed.

10. What color is your front door? Peely brown stain and glass. It's an old double door.

11. Where do you keep your change? In an envelope marked "Mama's stash money." I'm saving for a fiber festival.

12. What’s the weather like today? high 60's and sunny.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. I just wish they'd use coffee-er ice cream and more chunks.

14. What excites you? Fiber fiber fiber. Gardening. My kids. Going somewhere with just my sister. Being read to at night.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? No. I want it to grow much longer.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Snort.

17. Do you talk a lot? Probably.

18. Do you watch the O.C.? No. Pretty much don't watch anything.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I have a half brother and a cousin with that name.

20. Do you make up your own words? I use the ones the kids do mostly.

21. Are you a jealous person? I try not to be. I have many other besetting sins.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anita.

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Katherine.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Eric.

25. What does the last text message you received say? The only entity who texts me is my phone company. See item #16 for an explanation of this phenomenon.

26. Do you chew on your straw? No.

27. Do you have curly hair? Although it's been curlier, my mental picture of me is very curly.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? After the kitchen, to make the offering for the potluck, probably IKEA for cheap ice cream dishes for one of the parties.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Any one of my kids, in varying turns. My nephews are right up there, too.

30. What was the last thing you ate? One of those breakfast burritos.

31. Will you get married in the future? Um, if I'm widowed? Right now I think once is enough.

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I've been watching the Hornblower series but don't remember going out to the movies.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Like? Like-like? Well, yeah, you don't get four kids and a daily shower pal without it.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Last night. I even washed mixing bowls and a pot.

35. Are you currently depressed? No, although I have a friend who often tells me I am. I believe it's because that person can't believe I'd actually choose this life.

36. Did you cry today? No. I don't think it's in my plans for today.

37. Why did you answer and post this? I'm feeling guilty for not blogging.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Since only 5 people currently read my blog, consider yourself tagged if you did.

As a reward for making it to the bottom, here's the lively bunch on a recent hike:

Yarn instead of candy

I began dating my husband after making a solemn vow to stay single, and maybe only spend time with people I already knew. Bam, just like the universe was listening and perhaps chuckling a bit, spouse and I went out on Valentine's Day, on not-a-date-thankyouverymuch, during which he casually informed me I should marry him because, and I quote, he was "the perfect guy for [me]."

Some people find that story horrifying, like he was a secret control freak, and some people seem to understand why I find it so funny. As far as there is a "perfect" person for people, we probably are to each other, and as far as not-dates go, that one was okay.

All this to point out that when I got very comfortable with not doing things, my three-course class session ended, I got some creative urges, and Thing 1 asked for some wristwarmers knit out of "her" yarn. "Yarn," that is, after I spun up the roving she'd dyed with Kool-Aid.


Pattern, dead easy. Either knit ribbing in the round or flat, and switch to back-and-forth if you're doing in the round for the size of a thumb hole, or seam it up with the same omission. One could, presumably, pick up and knit a thumb, but these aren't meant for Real Winter, just our chilly days -- and without heat in the house, we have them indoors! Now Thing 3 is asking for something else out of his "yarn." I have no idea what it will be.

So inspired, I thought about spinning some more yarn to put in my friends' yarn store. I may overdye this stuff -- it was my first dyeing with sunflowers experiment -- or not.


In the middle of spinning, I realized that I had to purchase candy for tonight (I do not keep it in the house for reasons of willpower, lack of, my own) and figured I'd pick up some Kool-Aid while I was out. I hope this stuff doesn't spin up into what looks like a hippie acid trip, but you never know until you try.

I may end up ordering more leftovers from the Sheep Shed if this spinning thing keeps up. What fun.

Oh, and while you're enjoying tonight's festivities if you do tonight, please spare a thought for Zipper, Thing 2's snake. He escaped his cage and the house is quite cold. We know he's here somewhere, but I'd like to get him back where it's nice and warm.

Fallow

Autumn has always, always been my favorite season. Even when I was growing up in a state where "Fall" meant "tear another page off of the calendar, you can't tell any other way," I knew when it really happened. Maybe it's day length sensitivity or something.

Later, living somewhere with a cliched greeting-card version of the season, I almost got hit by cars walking along looking up at trees (changing!) and clouds (scudding!) just sort of humming happily to myself. Probably equinox-drunk.

And it's happening again now, only I'm a little confused because there wasn't much "summer" to indicate that "fall" would be the coming attraction, and anyone who has ever watched a movie with me knows that I'm all about the previews. And I still love it.

But lately, it's become clear that not only am I not going to make twelve sweaters this year, I may not knit again this year. Combinations of stress have just driven any knitting sort of underground. Lots of work, which is a blessing; my dad has been doing the hospital/rehab place roller coaster, which is also a blessing, in many ways; watching those around me deal with their own troubles in graceful, attractive ways has taught me so much -- hey look! another blessing; and the kids are terrific and very very busy. Blessings all (easier to say now that they're asleep).

Instead of fighting it, which I do sometimes, the concept of letting this lay fallow is growing in me. Spinning has become my evening activity of choice, when I'm not ferreting out blatant plagiarism, and the soothing pull of the yarn and the sliding of the fiber heal whatever is jagged from the day. I even spun in public the other day, horrifying Thing 1, but fascinating everyone from little kids to old people.

While I'd rather be finishing the sweaters begun earlier, and I'd love to be casting on for new projects, it's probably better not to fight the inevitable. In the garden, for example, it's time to plant lettuce and kale, to rake over the old beds and put in the carrots. To plant tomatoes and melons now would be to doom them to misery. Likewise, if I rushed my still-healing body into the gym and pumped weights as though there had been no hiatus, I'd become seriously laid up. Waiting and listening have their own wisdom, and I'm lucky to get to be still in the middle of doing a lot and receive them.

Mojo Rising

No sweaters done, but I'm at least knitting again. Maybe it's the new love in my life. Not this one:


Even in her less-angelic moods:


Or these:

Those are the deep, abiding ground of my heart. But something's got me going back to the needles. Look, I'm making a bag out of Lamb's Pride Bulky on 11s -- somewhere to put the tiny cards that used to live in my missing wallet. I'll knit until I like the shape, make another one with a flap, do a side piece/strap, assemble and felt it. I hope it un-lumps.


And I've been spinning (without having Thing 3 turn the wheel for me). Look at this -- he did the dyeing (I think it's a real Tequila Sunrise kind of colorway), and it spun up like this with the color repeats kept in line by spinning it lengthwise, rather than over the fold, as I'm apt to do:


He asked for mittlets, bless his little heart, and in true Twisted Sisters fashion, I gave high-e knitting a try. See how it's biasing in the stockinette? Neat-o, I think. Almost ready to divide for a little thumb. Nothing like instant gratification.


So what is the mystery inspiration for all this creativity? There's a hint under the mittlet. . . . and I can't stop singing "Long May You Run." Give up?

It's my new car!


I firmly believe it is wrong to love objects more than people, and of course I don't. . . but between the spinning wheel and this camper van, it's tough. I used to have a 70's era VW van, and I loved that a lot. Then, briefly I had one of these, and now. . . lucky lucky me.

I'll have to plan a spinning camping trip soon with all of the people I love more than the car!

Can't Knit a Stitch

Apparently, when I'm under stress I go all mush-brained. I lose things (hello, Tennessee, seen my wallet yet?), I can't keep my house clean (at least that's the current excuse), my back goes out during high-exertion activities like "brushing teeth" and "putting a kid into a car seat" and today's feature "making my bed," and I'm so. Very. Tired. Funerals and dad in the hospital and husband job stress. . . just stuff. Yawn.

Another fun symptom is that when I pick up sticks and yarn and make those weird spell-casty gestures, I get even sleepier. Listening to my lovely spouse read aloud is probably the only thing that makes me more sleepy. Since I tried to knit, thank goodness my sister drove to the funeral in Los Angeles last weekend! Even with five under eight in the car, and "Branching Out" to work on, it was a sleepy trip for me. Yes, I can screw up lace billed as "The Easiest Lace You'll Ever Ever Attempt, And If You Can't Do This, You Are A Dork." Stress is not your friend.

The only fun thing I can do beyond the sketchiest parenting and work -- lots of work -- is spinning. So it's not the fiber itself that makes me sleepy, apparently, it's the needles. That's a theory.

I got a bunch of wool from the Sheep Shed Studio (like a crackhouse for cheap spinners) and put the children to work with some kool-aid drink mix.


I plan to spin it up and maybe knit them something like socks for Christmas. Stop laughing, those of you who know how I feel about sock knitting. This knitting "allergy" has to stop sometime. Besides, I actually love these children and have to do something for them.

And I've been doing some spinning, but not photographing it. I'm nearly done with one of the handpainted Corriedale bunches of roving from Lambtown. It's not the softest wool in the shed, but it's very soothing. Actually, spinning is remarkably soothing without the soporific "knitting needle effect." Thank goodness for small favors!

The Things continue to do. . . many things. This is fall in Northern California.
Thing 1 is working on "growing" as a hobby. It's breaking the bank to keep that child in shoes, cheese, and pants. Eating. Growing. Eating. Growing. Sleeping. And asking me for favors.

Since this one saved me approximately $30, I was happy to oblige:


Now she can wear them at least through one more growth spurt. We got enough to trim three pairs of jeans for her and one for Thing 2, who, while not growing as fast, hates to give up outgrown clothes. I miss sewing. Maybe someday, when my house is not spontaneously messing itself up and I'm not working all the time and making food and cleaning up food and not gardening or working the bees (thank you, windy/cloudy days that I can't get into the hive easily during!), I will actually set up that machine and make. . . something. At that point, probably I'll need something like a cozy for my missing memory because I'll be about 150.

Where did September come from?

I have always loved fall. Loved everything about it, even though I grew up in a place with "fall-lite." I could tell, even if it was still 100 degrees.

And I still feel like that. Only, this year, I'm not sure I'm ready for it. We don't do a big back to school thing or anything, not much changes, but . . . I had hoped to get more done last month, and make this a big picture-heavy "Whoopie, I'm back!" post.

Life, as they say, got in the way. More work, a very nice vacation, an emergency trip to be with my mom and dad while my dad is in the hospital, and just stuff. Not so much knitting. Clearly, twelve sweaters are not to be during this year.

I knit a sweater for a neighbor's baby -- small, but not as small as the picture suggests:


And I did finish "Coachella" although I haven't sewn in any ends:


I think I'm going to give it to my lovely sister, who will wear it with more panache than I could.

Also, I began "Branching Out" with some old souvenir mohair.

Oh, and this came to live with me, and we're very happy together:


So imagine some more skeins of yarn, and some fiber waiting to be spun.

I don't anticipate a real slowdown in the rest of my year, no matter what earlier hopes might have been. I don't know if I can read everyone's blogs and take the time it would require. Three more classes to teach, and the money is quite welcome. Kids are good and busy, bees need work and well, I've got to go out of town this weekend and life just keeps happening. I'd like to hear how some of you stay on top of everything and sail along serenely. There has to be a trick.

Off For August

I'm trying to work on balance in my life. Balanced plying, balanced work and play, balanced computing and . . . real life.

So I'm not going to post or read bloggy things until September. I hope to use those reclaimed hours to knit some stuff. A gal can dream, you know?

I hope you all have a great month!