I’ve been working for a month now (on and off) on a very special item (yes, a knitted one) for my Loopy Ewe Swap partner, and the end is at last in sight. To be honest, I haven’t heard from her in a while, and it worries me a bit - especially since she doesn’t have a blog and is only somewhat active on Ravelry. Hopefully, she’s doing fine! And hopefully, she loves her gift when she gets it! I know I love it!

Also, coming up on halfway through a Very Long Week at work. I’ve worked three 12-hour shifts in a row, and have two more to go before I go back to working regular 8-hour days. Yes, that’s right. Five 12-hour shifts in a row, and then I don’t even get any days off for another two days. And all this after getting only one day off before it began . That’s the day in which I spent doing laundry like mad, and making The Most Horrible Swedish Meatballs Ever, otherwise known as Swedish Allspice Balls, because that’s what they tasted like. Allspice - and lots of it. Gah. (It wasn’t my fault, to be fair - the recipe demanded that much allspice, and like an imbecile, I just didn’t question it.) So instead of eating tons of yummy meatballs all week while I have no time to cook, I’m eating Hamburger Freaking Helper, greasy potato chips, and bar pizza. Urgh. Not exactly food to fuel you for a week of hellish hours.

Luckily, all the tons of overtime should make up for it. Here’s hoping.

In the meantime, to kill sometime at work, when the hours get really really long, I’ve been hunting down podcasts and listening to them. So far, Faerie Knitting is my favorite. Go have yourself a little fairy tale now. Enjoy.

Once upon a time, a girl named Katia ran off to Albuquerque long ago, where the strange and mysterious people there did something she’d never particularly seen done in her neck of the woods: drank tea every morning.

By the time she left, one week later, Katia drank tea every day, too, having swiftly been addicted to this non-coffee caffeinated drink just like ‘that’.

So… I swapped some tea on Ravelry, and got a whole random assortment of teas I’d never before tried, but along with a few bags of one of my all-time favorites, Tazo Awake. Awake is a wonderful blend of black teas, strong and smoky and powerful enough to keep me going all night long, and what’s more, it comes in the most quaint little colorful red bags. It’s very nice.

But also, I got a whole variety of Stash teas, including Irish Breakfast (which I’m drinking tonight), English Breakfast, Double Chai Spice, Chai Spice (I drink this one a fair amount), Peach Black Tea, and some others which also look good! Also, I got some tea from SBS Teas - Cranberry Orange Spice, which sounds and smells intruiging. And some tea from Trader Joes, and a packet of rooibos from somewhere that starts with a K, but is eluding my mind. Lovely!

In return, I sent off a bunch of fun teas also, and some cute little stickers and chocolates, to a lovely lady up in Canada.

And now? Now I’ve joined an Iced Tea Summer Solstice Swap. Er. Or Summer Solstice Iced Tea Swap. Whatever. But it’s more tea to swap and enjoy, and this time, there’s GOODIES involved - like summer things, and yarn, because it’s Ravelry. Gotta love the yarn…

But for now? I’m off to Adagio, because I’m nearly out of one of my other super-favorite teas, strawberry black, and that just cannot be allowed. Again, if anyone wants a $5 off coupon to Adagio, and you don’t already have an account there, just let me know, and I can send you one! :)

They’re done! My Serendipity socks are FINISHED! Have been for about a week now or more, really, but I finally got the pictures online. And got around to blogging about it. For the last week, I’ve been sick-sick-sick, and it’s been no fun at all. This last year has been rather poor, healthwise, for me. Would be nice if that’d change! But I’m loving these socks like crazy! :) Makes all those hours spent worthwhile.

Also, I’ve been knitting two other pairs of socks. One, the Ampersand Socks I’m knitting for my friend R., have no photos yet, since a) it’s supposed to be a surprise, and b) uh, I’m lazy. Get over it. I’ve only got one sock done, though, and am waiting to do the other until I can confirm it’ll be the right size. :)

The other pair is the March Mystery Entrelac Socks, which are… yes, socks with entrelac.

They’re lovely socks, in bright springy colors. Jury’s still out on whether I like the top entrelac portion or not. I figure I’ll give it some time to grow on me before I really decide. Everyone except A. (and me, yes) likes it a lot.

Also, started my new kitty hat, but I’ve barely begun that at all. I figure that’s a good project to take along with me on my weeklong vacation next week! Another thing I’ll be doing on my vacation? Mailing out my Wee Tiny Sock Swap Sock! I just signed up this morning, and due to my vacation, am already knitting my tiny sock! This’ll be fun!

Another swap I’ve signed up for is The Loopy Ewe Swap, which not only involves a great swap of stuff, but also, of knitted items made from one of the many yarns available at The Loopy Ewe! I’ll probably make my pal socks, but we’ll see. I’m in love with that store, though - The Loopy Ewe? Great shop, great service, great stuff. I even managed to get Mom to order me some yarn for my birthday from there!

I’m knitting a sock (very very slowly, due to severe tendonitis-arm-hand-pain attack) in the gorgeous yarn my SP10 sent me.

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Clay. Oh, so earthy and so wonderful! It’s really sort of… late summery colors, or even autumn, and I considered waiting until… well, late summer or autumn to knit it. But she is a GODDESS and balled it up for me so I didn’t have to, and that sealed the deal. The very springtime/summery colorway (Daffodil? Something like that) that I purchased for myself was still in skeins. And there was no way I was going to mess with balling it up when I had a perfectly yummilicious yarn sitting there ready to knit.

Note to self: it would obviously be worth your time to invest in a ballwinder along with your beautiful swift. Really. You can spend $40 and make your life easier.

Anyway. On that note - my entire SP10 package for May is heavenly. And my pal outdid herself, really. She sent me an AUTOGRAPHED copy of No Sheep For You (drool drool - though granted, if the little “Your book has been autographed!” bookmarky thing hadn’t fallen out when I was flipping through pages, I never would’ve realized it, because I just went straight to the patterns!), and a delicious smelling soap that looks all earthy and mysterious, and some very lovely incense from a Japanese company.

There were two skeins of yarn in the package, but only one is show in that picture.

And that was not the end of my mail. Just the end of that package. The same day, I also got some other happy things that I ordered, including yarn for my spring fling pal (it’s on its way Monday!!), a cute pincushion, and happily, yarn from elann.

Some of that yarn is shown here, in a swatch I’ve begun (also on hold due to pain) for the Lacy Kerchief Scarf out of Interweave’s Holiday Gifts magazine.

Also, in other news, I finished Mom’s lavender sachet! I changed the pattern, deciding to do a lovely triangle instead of a 4″ square, which was neither as cute (I thought) nor as fun. This has the worst seaming job ever. Have I mentioned that I really have no idea how to seam?

Yesterday, I ended up a closeout sale at a quilt store. I bought lots. This first is for a quilt. The fabric line is called Almost Poppy, and I’ve been drooling for over a year. The only fabric that doesn’t go is the coral polka dot stuff, but it ‘matches’, even if it isn’t from the same line.

This, I picked up for a gardening apron:

And lastly, I picked up some charm squares in Moda’s “Sonnet” line. Love it.

I also got a few patterns. I wish I’d had the money for lots, lots more. As it is, I borrowed from Mom…

Anyway, I got my garden all planted at last, and now I’m just waiting for my muscles to stop spasming in pain so I can knit freely again. Hurry up, arms! Hurry up!

I was totally completely rocked when I checked the mail yesterday and got this super cool package from you all out of the blue, and gosh, so FAST! Made my day. Hell, it’s still making my day! I LOVE the yarn, and the tea smells good, and that candle is yummilicious, and was just in time, as the sewage pond is thawing here and… well, let’s just say that’s a bad smell.

I’ve been charging up my camera battery, and now it’s all dark, so no pictures yet. I’d like to get a picture in sunlight if I can - makes everything look better. So hopefully in the morning it’ll be bright and sunny, and my camera will be charged and ready, and then I can post some lovely photos with more detail!

Thank you thank you thank you!

Photos coming…

So I decided to make myself a cake on Valentine’s Day - and not just any old cake, but a Red Devil’s Food cake, which I’ve loved for years, but have never actually made. My mother or grandmother or someone always did the making, and I just did the eating. But this year, for my birthday (which actually isn’t until late March) I decided I wanted one. And I figured that asking for such a complicated cake (it’s layered) wouldn’t get me very far, so I expected I’d have to make it myself. But it /is/ a complicated cake, so I wanted to try it out first. Give myself a practice run at it, so to speak.

And a good thing I did, because the cake was a disaster. Oh, it tastes good. A little on the dry side, but it’s definitately good. But… well, look:

And that’s the good side - the side that hasn’t crumbled to pieces, the side that actually looks /okay/. The thing fell in the middle, and then the top slid nearly off the bottom when I went to take this picture (and gosh, it’s so dark in the background, and I don’t know why!), and I didn’t get enough frosting in the middle, and I had a helluva time getting the cakes out of the pans and properly stacked on top of each other.

But it is good. And the frosting? To DIE for. I’ll post the whole recipe up later tonight.

But for now, I’ve got a few more pics to share - like this beautiful package of goodies from my secret pal, Stephani - who was such a wonderful secret pal all through SP9! I was thrilled to know her and to have been spoiled by her! Everything in the photo EXCEPT the little heart dish was from Stephani.

A book on coffees and treats (soo many good things in here to make!) and some coffee flavored chocolatey things that spilled all over the box and made everything smell coffeeish, and the cutest little cup and saucer… actually, there’s two saucers, and there WAS two cups, but one got busted in the mail *sniffsniff*… and some uberdark chocolate that I’m tempted to shave up and make some real hot chocolate, and of course, the YARN. Holy cow, do I love this yarn:

It’s cotton. SOFT cotton. Sooo delicious. Patagonia’s Nature Cotton or something like that. I’m at work and can’t possibly look, but it’s gorgeous and soft and… it smells like coffee! *laugh*

And last but not least, something I made up a couple weeks ago - some flannel pillowcases, wintery themed! I love the material, and wish I’d had enough money at the time to buy much more of this, for a blanket or quilt.

Well, another year has turned. It’s 2007 now. Wonder how long it’ll take me to remember to write that, instead of 2006, on my checks/other dated material. Hopefully not so terribly long.

The new year passed without much excitement here. I spent it alone, except for Maddy.

She’s cute, but a holy terror on four legs at 8 weeks old. She spotted my christmas tree, found the beaded garland, grabbed it, and /ran/. The tree nearly toppled over on top of her before I could stop her. And then she did it /again/. And /again/. So I had to sort of try to block it off, but that’s easier said than done.

Nevertheless, she slept through the turning of the year, so I could run and throw open the door to let the new year inside - and toss a few coins through the doorway into the house for good luck - without any, uh, ‘helpers’. I burned up my yule tapers simply because I didn’t burn them at yule itself - no big deal. To me, yule is rather like New Year’s anyway - my personal spiritual new year. Some say pagans consider Samhain ‘it’, but I don’t. I think Yule is it - after all, Yule is when the sun is born again, and when the ‘death’ of the old year is really complete, and the new year arrives with the promise of lengthening days. If anything, Samhain is the beginning of the end. Besides, Yuletide is marked with all sorts of glorious things that symbolize renewal and hope and merrymaking and all that jazz, and that’s more like a new year festival to me than Samhain ever will be.

So yeah. I burned incense, too. Finally - at last! - got my charcol briquettes to light up, which was a miracle. Good smelling stuff, this diviniation incense from Spellbound Secrets! I looove the smell of it, and I’m actually not a big fan of incense. I should buy more. Before they like, go out of business or something as small businesses are wont to do. I used my cauldron. My altar looks witchy now that I’ve removed some of the secular Christmastime stuff - my santa advent calendar, etc. etc. - and replaced it with my chalice, filled with water (an offering) and my little offering clay pots (I really wish I had something better) filled with frankincense and rice and sugar and mistletoe) and my big cauldron with the incense, and my new tarot deck.

That’s the new tarot deck. Thank you, A! I love them. They’re currently ‘charging’. I’m going through a whole schebang consecration ritual thing to really make them happy. It involves the four elements and the next four moon cycles and by the end, it should be all happy and magicified. Or something. In any case, I intend to make use of them for daily readings, and use the others for… less daily readings, like sabbats and full/new moons, etc. Or, you know, whenever I bloody well want a change.

I did yoga tonight. It was awful. This new dvd I got… well, it looked good. And maybe some of the workouts /are/ good, but the one I did sucked ass in a royal sort of way. Oh well. I did work out. It’s not really a new year’s resolution, exactly, but I did plan to do yoga 3x a week. At least for 1 month. At the end of january, I can… evaluate.

And finally - at last! - here are the photos of my December secret pal package! Got them uploaded at last, despite many internet issues tonight. *growls at network*

I tell you, I’m in LOVE with that yarn. And oh, the nail polish is lovely, too! And the books, though I haven’t yet gotten around to reading them. :)

I got my December Secret Pal package last Friday - but I’ve have a heck of a time getting this posted. Still don’t have photos! However, I have the most beautiful red koigu ever! It’s Koigu KPM, this bright, cheery santa red that matches my tree, and I can’t stop touching it! *lol* I’ve got it right here on my desk, and have, for days. Then, there were a few other things in there - like some girly stuff (nail polish, etc.) and some books for my 101 Days Book project, and a cute little mini knitting book, and some Christmas candy! Huzzah!

Pictures when I make this thing work. *kicks it*

First, a big round of smiling applause for my pal, who keeps sending me postcards depicting various fun things and/or spots she’s travelling to on her job. Evidently, she does a lot of travelling! Sounds fun. I’m going nowhere… I’m lucky if I get out of town to the grocery store once a month. *laugh* Anyway, I’ve been thinking of scanning them, but to be honest, I’m lazy, and my scanner is a lot of work, and… yeah, probably no one will look at them. So for now, they remain tacked to my fridge where I can look at them whenever I go find something to munch on.

Second, I’m putting together my pal’s December package. Got some nice yarns for her - a really pretty, vibrant ball of mercerized cotton that I almost want to keep for myself… and some other cottons, too suitable for her household knitting habit. :) I’m gonna toss in some regional specialties as a nice Christmas gift, too. Hopefully, I can get it packaged together and mailed out on my next days off. Hopefully.

Finally! Got some pictures to post to you all! First up, a photo of what kept me up for 38 hours with only a couple small naps to keep me going:

So, long story short… the dog, Kilo, a boxer that belongs to my brother, was bred to a couple other boxers in hopes of getting a wad of puppies, because every freaking patron at our bar wanted one of Kilo’s puppies. Kilo a bit of a ‘rescue’, as her former owner was mistreating her terribly, and she ended up with my family. However, she’s suffered some anxiety issues from constantly being locked up, and thus, couldn’t be trusted to be left alone without massive damage being done to wherever she was at. So, since my parents own a bar, and that’s where they were most of the time, and since in the last year or so, my brother has also /worked/ at the bar, Kilo baby spends a lot of time up there. And the patrons LOVE her. I mean, she’s smart, and friendly, and lovey, and… well, she’s got personality. The customers will put a dollar in her collar, and she runs around to the till to buy herself a piece of jerky. Spoiled puppy. ;-)

Anyway, she’s about six years old, and my brother’s been wanting to breed her for some time. Yes, he’s an irresponsible back yard breeder, yadda yadda yadda about poor puppies dying in shelters, yadda yadda yadda… This isn’t my dog, I didn’t do it, and my brother’s irresponsible about lots of things. The dog’s only one of them. And this is the boonies - “backyard breeder” is not a term used here. Ever. We don’t even HAVE a shelter here, okay? So, while I’m against his “let’s breed the dog to get money and because everyone loves her!” attitude… well, I’m in the TINY minory here, and if he’s gonna breed the dog, I’m gonna be excited about the puppies, dammit.

Political discussion aside, Kilo, who’s been a mama once before, before we ever got her, had a litter of 11 that time. Well… this time, there were complications. It turns out she only had ONE puppy. One. And thus, the puppy “got all the groceries”, so to speak, and was a wee bit too big (twice as big as typical, says the vet) to deliver naturally. So after a 19 hour labor process that produced nothing but stress and distress, Mom and I hauled the dog to the vet - 60 MILES AWAY - at 4:30 in the morning for an emergency bloody c-section.

That’s a $551 dollar puppy there, not counting gas.

*shakes head* Anyway, the pup’s a girl, and after a bit of trouble learning to latch onto mama’s nipple, and after destressing Kilo, who’d gone all anxiety attack after being left alone at the vet for 9 hours, they’re both doing well. The pup doesn’t yet have a name, but I hear that the bar patrons are putting together a list. They don’t get puppies like they wanted, but it seems they will try to play a part in her life. ;-)

Package!

So I mentioned that SP9 package, right? *grin* Here’s a photo! I didn’t get one while it was in the box… too impatient to run to Mom’s to find the camera, so I just tore into things like a kid on Christmas morn.

That’s one lovely book off my Amazon wishlist, two gorgeous skeins of Rowanspun DK wool (color is somewhat lavender - not sure how the color will turn out on your monitor - but trust me, it’s yummy!) and some size 4 bamboo dpns! Muahaha! I envision super yummy socks to warm my toes this winter! Oh, and not shown was an Assam teabag from Two Leaves and a Bud, but I drank it already. Very yummy. Must order tea from there!

Thanks so much Secret! I loved it all, as I told you in my email. ;-)

Anyway, expect ongoing puppy updates in the next few weeks, because yes - I lurves puppies, and it’s really not often at all (try never) that I get to see pups from birth on!