FO and Concert

I finished my qiviut gloves last night and am wearing them this morning. They are so soft on the hands! Excuse the picture--it was taken by Thing 1. :-)

On Saturday we took the Things to San Francisco for a Dan Zanes concert. Here's a picture I shot from the car as we crossed the Altamont:

The concert was a lot of fun. Most of the kids there were Thing 2's age or younger. Thing 1 was one of the oldest kids there, which is ironic, since only she was able to sit still for an hour and really enjoy it. Most of the audience was pretty wiggly. The impression I got was that Dan Zanes is a nice guy who's genuinely enthusiastic about making good music for small people. And he's sure good at it--he's far and away my kids' favorite, and really the only musician they request by name.

After the concert we went out to lunch at Max's Opera Cafe. Here's a picture of Hubby and the Things outside the restaurant.

Good day!

Now, I have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of some of the world's most generous and thoughtful secret pals. But it turns out that even when I'm supposed to be the one giving, my own recipient is wonderful as well! I am Eve's spoiler for SP9. It was great being her spoiler because aside from being a really nice person and talented knitter, Eve is also Swiss. Which means it was easy for me to find her things I knew she couldn't easily get. I sent my last package to Eve a while back and outed myself. So look what came in the mail today from Switzerland:

I knew she was going to send me the calendar, and I am so thrilled with it! It's from the Barry Foundation, which means all the photos were taken at the Saint Bernard Hospice. How cool is that?!? But then Eve also surprised me with this cute cute needle case she made (complete with a set of double points). Isn't that sheep fabric adorable? Thank you so much, Eve!

And speaking of generous people, I'm so enjoying knitting with the qiviut Knatolee sent. I've finished one glove:

I adapted this pattern. The original pattern called for lighter weight yarn, plus I have really small hands. This glove is actually on backwards because I've only made the right glove and I only have a left hand. The beads will actually go across the back of the hand, and the palm is beadless. This really is a lovely yarn.

And one last thing for today. We're getting ready for a family trip to Disneyworld and I decided I needed new tennis shoes. I ordered a pair from Zappos at 8pm yesterday and they were on my feet by 6:30 tonight. And it was free shipping at that. Plus I saved $20 by cleverly ordering the shoes I wanted in a youth size instead of adult (I have small feet, too).

Hooray!

Look what I did last night! :-)

The yarn is a special treat, too--it's the qiviut Knatolee sent me. I keep petting it while I knit.

Please give me a hand

My hand was unmummified today. The doctor pulled out the stitches, too, and now I just need bandaids for a few days. There's still a bit of bruising near my wrist, and yellow sticky disinfectant that I finally get to scrub off in my next shower. As you can see, Ruthie has been very helpful.

C is for...

I stole this meme from Leanne. The idea is you get a letter, and then list 10 things that begin with that letter that have significance to your life. If any of you want to play, just email me or leave me a comment, and I'll send you your letter. Leanne gave me C, so here goes:

1. children
Well, obviously my kids are extremely important to me! I didn't have kids until well into my 30s, and I could have had a happy life without them, but I sure am glad they're here. Children help me add perspective to my life, make me see new things, and make me see old things in new ways. One of my favorite movies is Parenthood with Steve Martin, and there's a great part where the movie compares parenthood to a roller coaster. I think that's a perfect analogy, except this coaster's track always changes. Just when you figure you have the ride down, you get thrown for a loop. Having children also changes how the world relates to me. People who wouldn't otherwise speak to me, do. Lots of people know me only as Thing 1's or Thing 2's Mom. Yesterday I accidentally slammed Thing 2's finger in my car door. Without children, I would have gone my whole life without feeling that certain combination of guilt and panic that follows an incident like that.

2. creativity
I don't claim to be the most creative person in the world. In fact, I know for a fact that some of you are more creatve than me. But I value creativity very highly. To me, it means not only the ability to make new things, but also the ability to tackle problems in fresh ways. To think outside the box, to use an overused phrase.

3. classes
I have spent virtually my entire life in classes, either as a student or as a teacher. I can't imagine life not revolving around school. Even now, when I dream about what I'd like to do when I retire, taking classes figures high on my list.

4. chapters
I am obsessed with books. I have a lot of them--far more than I have time to read--and yet I can't stop myself from buying more. And I do love to read them. Once, when I was maybe 12, I was sitting on my front patio with my feet up, reading a book. I must have been sitting still a long time, because when I finished the book I saw that a spider had spun an entire web using the book, my chair, and various parts of me as anchor points.

I like to write books, too. I've written 1 whole book, and parts of several more. These are all academic books, but I also like to write fiction (although my fiction has never been published). One of my dream jobs is Successful Author.

5. crafting
I've always enjoyed crafting of just about any kind. I have a mini-Michaels worth of crafting materials in my house. I have a crafty family. My Mom crafts, my sister has a craft business, my brother does woodwork, my kids craft. My enforced craft sabbatical for the past 10 days has been very, very hard to take. But it's over now. :-)

6. collecting
I collect things. I may be slightly compulsive (hey--that's another C word!), although I haven't yet turned into one of those people whose house is filled with piles of newspaper and old mail. Besides my yarn and book collections, I also have collections of Saint Bernard stuff, blue glass, gargoyles, postcards, and floaty pens. Nobody ever, ever has a hard time finding a present for me.

7. career
My career is very important to me, very central to my idea of who I am. There are times when it's frustrating, boring, or upsetting, but mostly I like it a lot. Which is good, consdering the years of graduate training it took to get here.

8. canines
Wouldn't life be a much more boring place without dogs? I like animals in general, but dogs have a special place in my heart.

9. constitution
It's not just that I have a law degree and teach criminal justice (another C phrase!). I'm passionate about the Constitution and protecting the rights it contains. I'm currently the co-chair of my local ACLU chapter.

10. carpal tunnel
It is to be hoped that this recent and tedious theme will cease to be of importance in my life.

Getaway

This is the view from the room I shared with my friends at the Inn Above Tide in Sausalito. The hotel is, literally, above the tide. Sea lions swam right below us, pelicans dived, kayakers paddled. The rooms are quite pricey, but it's a very nice place. Only 29 rooms, pleasant service, nice wine and cheese in the evening, very nice breakfast in the morning. And the view, which you get from every room.



The ferries dock next door, so Friday we took a ferry to the Ferry Building in SF, had lunch, and shopped a bit. Some fleur de sel caramels from Recchiuti may have made their way into my hands, but I won't confirm that.

Today we went to Heath Ceramics, which is located in Sausalito. I've admired their wares for some time. We got a tour of the factory, during which I learned how much labor goes into producing their pieces. This little vase came home with me for Hubby:

If I'm ever wealthy all my dishes will be Heath.

Finally, we walked around downtown Sausalito. There are, alas, no yarn stores, but I did make one major score:

I bought 10 of these, which was nearly their entire inventory. I may share with Hubby.

Ski Bum

Thing 1 and Hubby went skiing today. I did not. My one attempt at skiing resulted in several days on crutches, and my limbs are only partially functional now as it is.

They had a great time, though. Next year, Thing 2 can learn how. I have fantasies of curling by a fire with a book and hot cocoa while they pay good money to hurl themselves down mountains.

PS--I knitted that sweater she's wearing, many years ago, actually before she was even born. Ten billion ends to weave in, but it is cute on her! I don't know how she managed to avoid hitting anything with all that hair in her face.

Reviews

At the end of every semester, the students in my classes get a chance to fill out evaluations of me. The front of the eval form has a bunch of fairly useless things the students can rate me on, and the back has a big blank spot where they can write comments. The comments are anonymous and I don't get them back until after grades are in. Here are a few of my favorites from Fall 2006:

• I would like to see more videos of you doing psychological experiments on your kids; those were very entertaining
• Class is interesting. Although I am doing very crappy in the class, you are doing a good job of teaching the class and applying the reasoning of the courts to fit our understanding.
• Stop putting in your political opinions and basis [sic]
• Students would appreciate having their opinions on the hiring of new faculty listened to
• This was a CJ class not a poli sci class, thus you lost a lot of students when you stated your political point of view

Apparently, only poli sci professors can discuss political views, because politics has nothing whatsoever to do with criminal justice.

Several students said I am "though but fair." I might like to have this tattooed on me somewhere, if I could think of an appropriate illustration to accompany it.

Healing

My hand is healing, little bit better every day. Luckily, there's been very little pain, just the annoyance of trying to do everything left-handed. And it is *so* freaking obnoxious to watch tv or movies without knitting needles in my hands! I keep wandering up to visit my stash and fondle it wistfully. With my left hand.

Meantime, there is preparation for travel! I'm heading to Sausalito this weekend with some girlfriends, and in 2 weeks we're bravely taking the Things to Florida for a week at Disneyworld. I hope I'll be knitting again by then, so I can pass the time on the long flight--or use the needles to poke naughty children.

this is me today. at least they made sure to cut the right hand. that "yes" may never wash off. and when i got home from the hospital, there were packages!


all this goodness is from sing yee in malaysia. durian dodol! and lots of good things, including some of her handmade art. thank you so much! can't wait to be able to use the stationery.


and this is my 3rd swap with alvina in singapore. as always, she's chosen wonderful things. she included more of her earrings and her handmade tissue cover and flower brooch. thank you!

it sucks typing left-handed.

Thank you!

Thanks for all the good thoughts for my hand! I'm going to look on the bright side: I may not be able to knit or type for a bit, but I do have a great excuse to lay around doing nothing but watching tv, reading, eating chocolate, and ordering people around. :-)

My carpal tunnel surgery is scheduled for Friday. After, I'll have a big old bandage on my wrist for 10 days. Ick. So today I made myself a wrist cozy from some leftover Noro.

It should come in particularly handy (Hah! Pun not intended!) because it's supposed to get down near 20F for several nights. I know, that's no big deal to most of you, but to those of us in California that sounds Arctic. I've lived here for 14 winters and it's never been that cold. So my poor hand will be warm and stylish.

And yes, I fully realize the irony of knitting something to cover my carpal tunnel bandages.

Shiver Me Timbers

Ahoy there!

I generally work well with deadlines. The proof?

Aye, me hearties! One completed pirate sweater in a size large enough to last Thing 2 for a couple of years. I seriously love the way this turned out, and the yarn is so plush and soft. Can't wait to see it on her, but she's fast asleep right now.

In fact, everyone is fast asleep except for me and Furgie.

Pirate project in progress

This is the project I'm trying hard to finish before I get my hand sliced open next Friday. It will be a raglan-sleeve pullover for Thing 2, who badly wants a pirate sweater. You're looking at the back and the front. I'm about halfway finished with the first sleeve, so I might just finish in time. The skull pattern is from the current issue of Knit.1, and the sweater pattern is from Junior Knits. I'm using KnitPicks Swish Superwash in black and the natural color is Bare Superwash Worsted. It's nice, soft yarn to work with, not scratchy at all, and of course machine washable.

And the orthopedist says I should be able to do a bit of knitting within a week or so of the surgery, but will have to ease back into lengthier sessions.

"My Second Story" by me

Here is Thing 1's second tale, verbatim:

My Second Story by me
Once upon a time, again, this is after 6 years with Ajeta and Kina. Well, one day, an evil samurai master wanted to rule the world. But Ajeta already knew he was evil and wanted to rule the world. So the next day Ajeta bowed to the king in the king's palace. The king's name was Oberon. Oberon asked Ajeta if he would help Oberon by saving the kingdom from the evil samurai master from becoming king. And Ajeta said, "Yes, I will." and so the deal was made. If Ajeta won the battle, then Ajeta would give Oberon lots of his treasures. (if he had any.) Well, king Oberon asked Ajeta if he had any. Ajeta said "yes" to that question, too. And so one day 6 days after the day that Ajeta made a deal with the king, Ajeta went to the evil samurai master's pretend palace. Ajeta said to the samurai master, "Are you the samurai master who is evil and wants to be king?" "Yes." said the evil samurai master. "Do you have any slaves?" asked Ajeta. "Why, slaves? What kind of slaves?" asked the evil sumurai master. Ajeta answered, "the kind that feed you and serve you." And the samurai master, who's name is Emika, said, "Why, no one has ever asked me that before and your answer is no. DO you have a wife?" he asked. (the master asked.) "Yes." Ajeta said. "She is beutiful and her name is Kina." "What a beutiful name." said Emika. Emika started to cry. "I know I'm evil! I promise I'll be good! Please! don't tell the king I said no to your question about being bad! I'll say yes every time you ask that question!" he started to cry more, then started to wail. "ther, there. It's all right. I like you." said Ajeta. "You, you, you do?" asked Emika. "Uh huh." said Ajeta. "Please, bring me to the real palasce." said Emika. "I want to tell King Oberon something." SO they went to King oberon's castle. "King Oberon." said Emika. "Can I be king after Ajeta If I be the good the rest of the way while your king than Ajeta's king?" asked Emika, shy to ask. "Well, as long as your good," said Oberon. So Emika asked Ajeta if Emika could be Ajeta's servent. Ajeta said "yes" so they all lived happily ever After.
THE END
This ode to the power of careful diplomacy is illustrated with a drawing of Ajeta, Kina, and Emika all looking happy.

Mail wonderful mail

Today had such exciting mail I don't even know where to begin! To think, all this was sitting there as federal employees memorialized Gerald Ford....

First I opened a large box from my Secret Pal. And look what was inside! I get to learn the magic loop method! And as if that isn't exciting enough, I get to learn it with the absolutely most perfect sock yarn in the world. Why so perfect? Because my talented Pal dyed it just for me in my favorite colors! The colors didn't turn out well in this picture, so you'll have to trust me that they're gorgeous blues, purples, and teals. Let me tell you, if I had seen this skein of yarn on a yarn store shelf, I would have snatched that thing up so fast you might hear a sonic boom. But of course I wouldn't find this perfect yarn on any store shelf. My Pal also sent candy cane tea (Mmm! Wouldn't this be perfect to accompany peppermint bark?) and breath cookies for Ruthie (which will be appreciated by both of us). Thank you, Pal!!

Next up was a packet addressed to Thing 1. A couple months ago I did a swap with Liz, who sent all sorts of wonderful things from Thailand. Liz teaches second grade there, so Thing 1, who is also in second grade, had included a letter to Liz's class in the package we sent. The packet that arrived today contained cards to Thing 1, all made by the kids in Liz's class. Isn't that fantastic? Thing 1 was just thrilled.

The last two things I knew were coming because I'd ordered them myself. First, a book for Thing 1. The other day, completely out of the blue, she asked me,"How do babies get in mommies' tummies?" So, here ya go:

And finally, because I had a fierce craving the other day, and who knows when I'll make it to the Ferry Building, and because I'm 3/4 of the way done surviving the Things' winter vacation:

Happy New Year!

I'm beginning the new year thankful for such good friends and family. I wish all of you a 2007 filled with joy and peace!!

Irony Time

Tonight, Hubby is hosting some sort of Fantasy Football party thing (it involves pizza, beer, poker, testosterone, and, of course, football).
And this is the fortune Thing 1 got in a cookie today:

"My First Story" by Me

Thing 1 wrote me a story yesterday. Here it is, verbatim:

My First Story by me

to: mom

for: mom

from: [Thing 1]

Once upon a time there was a princess named Kina. One day, she found a prince. She said hi and he said hi. then they danced together until they grew tired. then, he asked, "Whats your name?" And she said, "Why, my name? My name is Kina." she said. What's your name? she asked him. The prince said, "My name is Ajeta." he said. Well, they fell in love as usual with girls and boys. But one day Ajeta moved. Kina was sad. When would he call her again? Not yet, anyhow. One night, they called each other. Ajeta called Kina over for dinner. So the next night, at eight o'clock, they met each other in front of a cafe. then, together, they went inside and ate dinner with eachother. then, when they were finished, they got out of the cafe and once again, they went home. The next day they got married. People were there. the threw flowers as they waved and said "Good-bye!" Then Kina and Ajeta lived happily ever after as long as they didn't get into any more problems.

THE END

The original is illustrated with a drawing of the couple, arms around each other, standing among flowers and with hearts floating overhead. I like this story very much. I especially like the last line. Can you see why we believe Thing 1 has a promising career ahead of her as an attorney?

She is currently writing a sequel that has something to do with evil samurai kings.

FO

A pair of simple fingerless gloves in Kureyon. They're basically just tubes of 2x2 ribbing with a thumb slit.

Fish and FO

As a present to her fish, Thing 1 made a decoration for the outside of their tank.




And I finished another Lizard Ridge block. I particularly love this colorway of Kureyon (but the ballband has disappeared, so its identity will remain a mystery).

Peppermint Bark Recipe

Peppermint Bark

This candy is quick and easy to make, and, packaged in a tin, makes a great little gift. I made a couple batches this year to give to neighbors, but the Things have managed to nibble quite a bit themselves.

8 large candy canes

2 packages (12 oz. each) white chocolate chips

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Line an 11x17 baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the unwrapped candy canes inside a ziploc bag. Crush them with a meat mallet or rolling pin until pieces are less than 1/4 inch long. Melt white chocolate chips in top of double boiler, stirring often. When chocolate is completely melted, stir in crushed candy canes and peppermint extract. Mix well. Using a spatula, spread mixture evenly in baking sheet. The mixture should cover about 3/4 of the sheet. Melt semisweet chocolate in top of double boiler (or in microwave, using 50% setting and checking and stirring often). When semisweet chocolate is completely melted, use a spoon to drizzle and splatter atop white chocolate mixture. Place baking sheet in refrigerator until bark is hardened (about 30-45 minutes). Break bark into pieces (I use the point of a large knife to crack the bark). Package--or eat yourself! For best results, store in refrigerator.

Two-fer and Tuco

I actually completed one project yesterday and sort of completed another. That's what happens when you turn in your last grades. :-)

The sort of FO is a second block for the Lizard Ridge afghan. I've already begun a third block. Knitting these things is like eating potato chips, plus I feel virtuous because I'm working out of my Kureyon stash.

My second item is a sushi change purse from a Pick Up Sticks kit. I added a lining made from this great fabric you see here. What fun! And I just found this pattern on their web site, and am feeling that I must have it. Must...control...self.... And hey, Knat! Check out this hat! You could make it in an adult size and be the most stylin' jeune fille in Quebec.

Finally, I have to share with you this incredible gift I received yesterday from Susan, my Secret Santa from the canine-l list. Susan has such a wonderful job that I'd probably hate her from envy if she weren't also a wonderful person. ;-) She actually sent me a whole bunch of really great things (like a photo album with paper made from elephant poo!) but this was the topper:

Ruthie is admiring a painting made by Tuco, a jaguar who lives at the Houston Zoo. Very, very cool!

Exciting Wednesday

Another image-heavy post, folks!

Yesterday, both Things had school performances. Thing 2 and her preschool class sang a medley of holiday songs. Unfortunately, I had to miss that, but Hubby caught it on camera. Can you pick her out of this lineup? I think they were still getting ready here and not everyone was seated yet.

In the evening, Thing 1 had two parts in a school play. Those kids (and their teachers) worked really, really hard on the play, and it was adorable. That's our Thing 1 in the top pix as the Telegraph Operator, and that's her in the green in the group shots.

As if that weren't excitement enough, there were packages! This one wasn't a surprise, because I'd ordered it myself off eBay. But I'm still thrilled about it. It's a Print Gocco!

And then came the surprise packages! Here's Ruthie modeling a gift from my Secret Santa. The shirt's actually for me, but Ruthie is a prettier model.

And to top it all off, I got a wonderful package from Ivy in Singapore! A bunch of treats (including White Rabbit candy, which I'd received in a previous swap from Singapore, and which is delicious), yarn, two great Japanese knitting books, children's books, Tiger Balm (perfect for this time of year!), a lipstick case, a pen, a magnet, and a snowglobe for Thing 1's collection. Wow! Another great swap! Thank you, Ivy! And seriously, I have the most interesting and global collection of junk food right now you've ever seen. :-)

SP 9 answers

Here are the answers from my SP9 spoilee (who lives in Switzerland!):

Well the oddest gift as some silver thing my husband and I got for our
marriage
(8years ago) and we still didn't find out, what it is for! The
first year we
showed it to every one, but noone could says, well thats an
XXX! So we still
don't know and it shure was expensive......!

The
oddest gift I
have ever asked for........don't know any! Maybe a rain
blanket for my horse?

The oddest gift I ever gave - maybe a little yucca
palm with a lot
of vouchers on it!

the worst gift I ever got - once
for christmas
I got a pullover from the wife of my father and it was ugly,
but also 3 sizes to
small, I really couldn't go in. Every one saw it, that
it was to small. But she
said that I was only telling that, because I don't
like her ! Finally she cried
and was angry with me and the pullover was
still to small...... she never could
admit, that may be I was to tall for
that pullover!

And from my spoiler:

1) the oddest gift you have ever received (not asked for) Oh, man....I don't
know. I answered the other questions first and still can't think of
one. I'll get back to you if I do!
2) the oddest gift you ever asked
for I am having trouble with the word "odd". I asked my parents for spoons
this year for Christmas. Because we moved so much over the last few years,
we have a hob-knob of silverware. Somehow, we have a ton of forks and
knives, but only 2 or 3 large spoons. We haven't gotten them yet, though.
We'll see. I always end up asking for really boring practical gifts for
Christmas.
3) the oddest gift you ever gave My boyfriend and I gave his
younger brother a self-contained synthesizer musical instrument made out of a
cigar box. Odd to some people, maybe.
4) the worst gift you ever got I
had a boyfriend in college (before this one) who didn't get me anything for
Chrismas the year before I left to go study abroad in Italy. We had broken
up a few times prior because he couldn't deal with me leaving. (and it was a
pretty bad relationship to begin with). The absence of a gift was the worst
gift, bacause he was so selfish and insensitive.

This is fun! :-)

6 Weird Things

I got this from the Keyboard Biologist.

Here are THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

I'm not going to tag you in your blogs' comments, but if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. :-)

Here goes:

1. A portion of the genetic material on one of my chromosomes is upside down. All the right stuff is there; it's just reversed from the usual order. This runs in my family, apparently.
2. I never learned to tie my shoes properly. I can only tie bows via the rabbit ears technique.
3. Since I was about 2 or 3, I have always been in school as either a student or a professor.
4. I'm phobic about heights--but only over water, and only if there's no fence or railing. Even a really flimsy railing will do.
5. When I got married, I kept my last name but took Hubby's last name as my middle name. This confuses people.
6. I skipped third grade (never missed it, except I've never been great at my times tables. I guess that's the only important thing they teach that year).

Celebrations

Sorry--this will be a picture-heavy post.

Today was another great mail day! Look what arrived in my mailbox, courtesy of a certain generous person and Canada post:

The inside's even better than the cover.

And I also got a swap package from Amirah in Malaysia! Thanks to Homeland Security, I can be assured that it is a safe package:

The box was just chock full of goodies, including Malay sweets, tea, and spice packets (can't wait to make those--mmmm!); batik fabrics; a wooden bookmark; a children's book in Malay; a snowglobe for Thing 1 (not pictured here because she'd already whisked it away); beautiful postcards; and a gorgeous bracelet, card, and personalized picture frames Amirah made herself. Big thank you to Amirah!!

Thanks to these swaps, I now have a bowl filled with the most delicious and interesting mix of international candies you've ever seen. It's a trip around the world in sugar.

And now for some picture of the holiday festivities. We acquired a T Rex (which roars and makes stomping noises):

And royalty of some sort:

I made that set out of some nifty sparkly vinyl I found.

Finally, this is a picture I took a couple weeks ago but couldn't post then. Thing 1 drew this picture on burlap and then embroidered it herself, with only a tiny bit of help from me. It is her present to her grandparents, and you can see she's very proud of it.

Happy Hanukkah!

Devil slipper socks

Just finished these for my MIL. They're in Lion Homespun, which isn't my favorite yarn anyway, and hurt my hand as I was working with it. It has zero elasticity, yet you have to watch the tension carefully because the boucle tends to unravel. But it's quick to knit with, it was easy to find, it's soft, and it's machine-washable. And now my holiday knitting (which was pretty minimal anyway) is DONE. Wish I could say the same for my paper grading....

Pirates ahoy!

Last year I knitted myself the Skully sweater from one of the Stitch 'n Bitch books. It's in charcoal-colored Lamb's Pride Bulky, with white skulls on the sleeves. Spiffy. So the other day it was cold enough to wear it. Thing 2 took one look and cried, "Is that sweater for ME????" Thing 2 is a little over 3 feet tall and weighs 30 pounds. Somehow, I think this sweater would be a trifle big on her. So she then pleaded, "Please please please please can I have a pirate sweater?!?" So as soon as the gift socks are done, and before my surgery, I'm going to have to try to whip out a tiny skully sweater for her. The latest Knit.1 has a pattern in baby size; I think I can pretty easily size it up a bit.

15 seconds of fame

Lauren has just pointed out that Solresol is one of three patterns in the December bag project at Let's Bag It. That's so cool! Thanks, Lauren, for leeting me know. :-)

Another great package

Liz in Thailand sent me a package so very full of goodies I could barely get them all in one picture. And I don't even know where to begin listing them! See those CDs in the lower right? That's three CDs full of music and pictures and videos! There are packets of spices (I love Thai food) and candy and gum and dried fruit and tea. There are postcards and stickers and a bunch of fun little things, and a stuffed cat, and soap, and beautiful chopsticks, and that gorgeous paper beneath the pile. And, of course, a "God save the King" shopping bag--I don't know how I've managed to survive this long without one of those. I had such a great time just pulling all of these wonderful things out of the package! Thanks so much, Liz!!

Another FO!

This is Yorick, from the Fall 05 Knitty. I actually knitted it many months ago. But the instructions say to do most of the felting by hand. I tried, but after about 20 minutes I had sore hands, puddles of water all over the kitchen, and about 3 inches felted. So I put it away for "later". Yesterday I admitted to myself that I was never going to hand felt the rest of the thing and I decided to try it in the washer, since it wasn't going to do me any good unfelted. Well lo and behold, it felted just beautifully. In fact, I really love the way this yarn feels felted. It's a 50/50 angora/wool, and it felts up quite thick and sturdy, yet with a soft soft hand. I still have to cut the nose holes, but it's otherwise an FO!

Socks done

I finally finished this pair of socks. The pattern is Butterfly Bows from Socks Socks Socks, but I added a fur cuff. The sock's knitted in Regia 4-ply with a Berroco Sizzle Bright cuff. These are going to a family member who has much longer feet than I do, so they took me longer to knit and they look sort of dorky on my home-made sock blocker. But I'm pleased with the result. I think they look festive. :-)

Winter Knitty is up today. Lots of cute patterns, but not, of course, my own Solresol. But I've put a permanent link to Solresol here, off in the left-hand column. And the Berroco email I got today had a link to free patterns for very cute tiger and dog puppets. Susan, it's supposed to be a Siberian tiger! Also a pattern for catnip mice, but who really needs a pattern for that?

My poor hand

The pile in the forefront is everything I have to grade in the next week or so. Notice the pen giving a sense of scale (sorry for the crummy cell phone pic). Woe is me.

Ignore the pile in the background--that's part of my "filing" system.

Turkey

I don't crochet. But if I did, I'd want this pattern for a turkey tote bag and drumstick coin purse.

Bulgarian goodness!

Ruthie is of the opinion that these dog cookies from Bulgaria are the most wonderful treats ever. I will have to take her word for it. I, personally, am enjoying all the other goodies sent to me by another Ruthie, this one being a generous Spanish girl currently living in Bulgaria. Her package was waiting for me at the post office this morning, and I very patiently waited until I got home after work to rip open all the cutely wrapped contents:

Inside there were two beautiful bundles of wool for felting, several rose scented toiletries that smell so good, chocolates, books, and, of course, those dog cookies. The books look like they're meant to help Bulgarian kids learn English, which is great, because the Things and I can use them to pick up a little Bulgarian. Luckily, I can read Cyrillic; I'm just going to have to hope that the letters are pronounced the same in Bulgarian and Russian. What a fun swap! Thank you, Ruthie!!

packages!

I love packages! Today I received a box of little goodies from Lynne in Australia, a thing I ordered for Alvina in Singapore (who's actually currently on vacation in japan, lucky her), and a notice from the post office that they'd tried to deliver a registered mail parcel. I was heading for the post office in the morning anyway, so I'll pick that package up then. Oh, and I also got 20 yards of fabric that will become new living room drapes when I fix my sewing machine and have time to sew them, or else break down and take them someplace to be sewn.

Christopher Moore

I love Christopher Moore. His books are more likely to make me laugh out loud than just about anyone else's, with the possible exception of Bill Bryson's. Today when I should have been doing work I visited his blog, which is as funny as his books. Check out his October '06 posts from England, as well as the I DO NOT READ entry from April. Think wistfully about other careers you could have if you could write like that. Sigh.

meme

I've been seeing this around lately. You can only type one word; no explanations.

1. Yourself: tired
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend: married
3. Your hair: curly
4. Your mother: patient
5. Your Father: helpful
6. Your Favorite Item: photos
7. Your dream last night: children
8. Your Favorite drink: smoothie
9. Your Dream Car: expensive
10. The room you are in: kitchen
11. Your Ex: who?
12. Your fear: failure
13. What you want to be in 10 years: rested
14. Who you hung out with last night? Thing 1
15. What You're Not? thin
16. Muffins: poppyseed
17: One of Your Wish List Items: books
18: Time: scarce
19. The Last Thing You Did: tucked-in
20. What You Are Wearing: sweats
21. Your Favorite Weather: spring
22. Your Favorite Book: varies
23. The Last Thing You Ate: lasagna
24. Your Life: busy
25. Your Mood: grouchy
26. Your best friend (s): Hubby
27. What are you thinking about right now? work
28. Your car: comfy
29. What are you doing at the moment? typing
30. Your summer: short
31. Your relationship status: settled
32. What is on your tv? Hogwarts
33. What is the weather like?cool
34. When is the last time you laughed? today

Saturday Night

It's that time of year when time is in extra short supply. I wish people could give me festively wrapped hours and minutes as gifts. I've managed one and one-quarter socks for family member with long feet lately, and that's about it.

Today we did escape to Berkeley for a few hours. It was a pretty day there, low 60's and sunny. We visited Black Oak Books and then we ate at Saul's, a deli on Shattuck. This is is the area known as the Gourmet Ghetto. Quite a few people were picnicking today in the grass in the median strip down the middle of Shattuck.

I guess because I'm just generally tired and stressed lately, people are ticking me off. Among the latest miscreants:

• everybody who attempts to drive while yack yack yacking on their phones
• the woman yesterday at the post office who saw the loooong line of cars waiting for a parking spot, walked ever so slowly to her car, and then sat there and read her mail
• students who repeatedly miss class and then email me to ask questions I've already answered in class
• academic administrators
• the postal service--or maybe it's customs--which is taking frigging forever to get me packages from overseas
• people who walk into my office, see me trying to do 4 things at once, and then ask, "Are you busy?"