At the Coast

One last blast of summer before the kiddo heads back to school.. her LAST year at home :(

From top to bottom: houses overlooking the ocean, one of Pacific City's unique wild black bunnies, covered bridge in the Coastal range, horseback rider with Haystack Rock in the background, car and driver that obviously IGNORED the sign warning of soft sand, surf shop, and what to do if you find some Japanese "souvenirs."

Sunday travels

Last Sunday, we headed north toward the Columbia River so the DH could take photos of the wind turbines. The Columbia River valley has been an important player in power production since the Bonneville Power project was built during the Depression--and it's still the source of our electricity. More than 260 wind turbines have been built in the past five or six years in this particular ranching area. To be honest I would not want these turbines in my back yard--they are surprisingly noisy and from a distance they look like a march of alien insects--still they are in their own way kind of fascinating.

In this last picture, the mountain in the distance is Mt. Adams--one of the mountains of the Cascades--but in Washington state. I've been told that you used to be able to see Mt. St. Helens right next to it, but that was before it erupted and literally blew its top. Amazing to know that between here and there is hidden the Columbia, one of North America's major waterways.


On the way home, we came across this little cemetery in the middle of nowhere. It had to have been a hard life here as a pioneer. It was a bit heartbreaking to see how many of the markers belonged to babies. Yet it was also very touching--someone has been putting flowers on the graves. They're plastic--a practical choice--this land is pretty wind scrubbed.

On the way north we saw this sign, and then stopped as we headed home to take a photo. Wonder what they were going to serve for lunch?

F-READ-OM

Banned books week is coming. In the U.S. it will be held from Sept. 24 - Oct. 1, and you can learn more about it here: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ Sadly it's not very difficult to "celebrate" this event by reading a banned book. There are loads to choose from;some you've probably already read (and loved) and had no idea that they were on someone's censorship list!

Ferry and Friday Harbor

Net morning we boarded the Chelan and headed for Sidney B.C.

Our only stop was at Friday Harbor. Usually very pretty,Friday Harbor was not looking its best because of the rather gray weather. Still if you've ever read "Snow Falling on Cedars" this is what the town looks like on an overcast day during summer 2011.

In Anacortes

We reached Anacortes and wandered around town a bit. First place we checked was the ferry terminal and we took a hike along the shoreline

.

After passing Seattle we took a little side trip to Camano Island in Puget Sound. Here the view is looking east. The mountain in the distance is Mount Baker in the Cascade Range.

Here is the view looking west across Whidbey Island --mountains in the distance are the Olympic Range on the Olympic Peninsula.

Back on the road we stopped in La Conner, which is obviously a destination for day trippers from Seattle. I have no idea what the history here is, BUT there are lots of little boutiques and galleries that are based in New York City (!) and La Conner. One the channels runs in back of the town. There are a lot of farms in the area now (strawberries are sold everywhere) but my bet is the first industry was logging. Photos are of the restored downtown (the meat store is a gallery) and the channel.

On the way to Canada , eh

After dropping the DD off at the Portland Airport (she went back east to visit family--my family--boo hoo wish it was me), the DH and I headed north with the eventual destination of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Tired Dog

He's too small to be a couch potato so he must be a tater tot

Cascade Mountains, Oregon

A view of the Cascade from the front entrance where I work. The mountains ar Faith and Hope of the three Sisters (aka North Sister and Middle Sister.) There's a big bump growing on the Middle Sister.

Lessons from a friend

Got the following e-mail from a friend of mine. She raises some very good points, which unfortunately she learned the hardway. (And just so you know the boy was not hurt. The skin was just scratched and the people in the local emergency room did a great job of healing by calming the fmaily down and explaining dog culture/dog ownership [including shots and other care] in the U.S. in general and in this town in particular. Still everyone was very upset; sheriff came to the house to take away the dog, etc.) All this occurred on a national forest in Oregon.

WOOF WOOF,

As most of you know for the last 10 days my St. Bernard, has been under house arrest and in quarantine because she, freaked out for what ever reason, and bit a 13 year old boy. So many of you are dog lovers/owners and have express concern. I wanted to give you an update.

I was facing a lawsuit by the parents. I found out yesterday that because they are not residents of the United States, therefore they cannot take me to court. The father travels here a couple times during the year, and the family, for the first time, traveled to the US. They landed in Portland and a colleague picked them up and drove them back to Bend. They came over the mountains and decided to stop at ******, which is where we met them.

Our introduction was quite traumatic. ####, a St. Bernard with bionic nose, smelled something strange. She went to take a closer sniff and the boy, fresh off a long plane ride, in the US for the first time, and bearing scents from a foreign land was being greeting by a bounding 120+ pound dog that was trying to hone-in on the odd scent. Lo-and behold the boy was scared, ### was scared, the perfect combination for a bite to ensue and it does.

Something that is shared worldwide across cultures is mother-bear protection. The mother was extremely upset, understandably, and when the heated moment escalated, my protection for my dog came out too. We were both protecting our "kids".

She was placed in quarantine by the sheriff and I followed all the directions to a "T". Last night she passed inspection from the health and the sheriff's department, she does not have rabies and is no longer a possible threat to the health of human beings.

#### is a sweet dog and plays with the kids in the neighborhood daily. I have learned some lessons that I would like to pass on since so many of you are dog owners/lovers. Some people are not dog lovers but are kid lovers/owners, so there are good lessons for all of us.

FIRST: Keep your dog's shots up-to-date and their records easily accessible.

SECOND: Get your dogs licensed, it is an Oregon state law, it cost $12 a year and is much cheaper than the $300 fine per dog.

THIRD: Expose your kids to dogs even if you do not have one, teach them how to pet dogs and what to do when they are approached by a canine, even if the dog seems friendly. here is a good site to visit: http://www.canismajor.com/dog/kidsdog1.html

FOURTH: If something does happen it is human nature to protect and defend. But always be kind and concerned for others, you never know what is going on in their world. There are always two sides to the story.

FIFTH: Socialize both kids and pets, expose them to all kinds of situations so that if and when something out-of-the-ordinary occurs they are better prepared to handle it and they act instead of react.

SIXTH: Learn about as many cultures as you can, it helps when dealing with this wonderful melting pot we live in.

SEVENTH: Dogs are still animals and they will always be animals no matter how hard we try to domesticate them. Be responsible pet owners. I would have been heart broken had real damaged been cause by #### and I would have had no choice but to put her down. Keep them on a leash. Socialize them, Give them guidance. Be their pack leader and you will be able to love them for a long time.

EIGHTH: We brought dogs into our lives they did not come into ours. Respect that they are being told not to do all the things that come natural (barking, running, biting, chewing, smelling, marking territory etc.) and being told to do all the things that is completely foreign to them in dog world (sit, stay, no bite, no chew, lay down, roll-over, and shake)

NINETH: I love my dogs and will continue to care for them, love them and give them a good home. But in the end the safety of people is what is most important. Please help by educating yourself and your kids.

Post for Post's Sake

Must do my yearly :) post. The DD will be singing "Beautiful" by Cristina Aguilera at the school choir concert tonight.

Election Day is Coming

Received this in an e-mail. Wonder why it was sent to me????


Dear Red States:
We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. It may even include Florida, Virginia, and Ohio, they are seriously considering it. We've given them until Nov. 4th to decide.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country. Since we're dropping the middle states we're calling it United America, or simply the U.A To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. You can take Ted Nugent. We're keeping Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. You get WorldCom. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get Ole' Miss. We get Harvard and 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share. Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms, and the highest concentration of pregnant unwed teenagers.
Please be aware that the U.A. will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, really we do, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. We'd rather spend it on taking care of sick people, and educating our children. With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe the world was made 6,000 years ago, Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is not even a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11, and 61 percent of you crazy Redies believe you are people with higher morals then we Bluies.
Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.
Peace out, Blue States

Go See Irene

Everyone needs to visit Irene's blog and read about the museum exhibit she's been involved in. I think this is fabulously cool. And...if you follow the link from her blog to the museum you can read the exhibition information in either Danish or English. (Me? I went for the latter!)

And if you have a chance, take Irene's advice and go with your kids! (Boy, I'd LOVE to go.)

Tagged Again

I've been tagged again--this time by Penny of Whoduknit?

The Rules
1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages.
2.Open the book to page 123 and find the 5th sentence.
3. Post the next 3 sentences.
4. Tag 5 people

Well this isn't like invoking the rules of parley (see I also watch movies), but I'm going to invoke the international-rules-of-bizz-ee-tag-ee, which states the party of the second part does not have to further tag but can instead solicit volunteer tagees. So if you're up for it, copy this to your blog and have fun.

My book:
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language-4th edition

p 123, sent 5:
au-to-trans-form-er (I'll dispense with the phonetic spelling; don't have those characters here.) n. An electrical transformer in which the primary and secondary coil have some or all windings in common.
au-to-troph (see above) n. An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Green plants, algae, and certain bacteria are autotrophs.

Knit for Peace

Hello all you knitters, you can knit for peace .

Time To Swap

Attention "Curious Magazine Lovers"
(Get the double entendre?)

I've started a swap over at Swap-bot for lifestyle magazines. Send two magazines published from/on where you live to two swap partners. You will get two magazines in return. I hope a lot of people sign up for this so that we get a good international base and people get their readings worth. (So far everyone I know who want to do this works with me and lives in my town.--LOL.)

I started this for several reasons--to feed my magazine habitat, to see what things are like elsewhere and to see the different sorts of stories and photos that appear in same-genre publications the world over. So get on over there and sign up!

Deadline for sign ups is Feb. 8! Don't be late or you'll miss all our international fun.

Doodles needs your help

Please say a prayer for our little cocker spaniel Doodles. He was run over by a pick up truck this morning (Feb. 5) and is now at the vet. Loosing him will break our hearts. This is the dog that we rescued from the pound and is the D.D.'s partner in 4H. I've moved the post up from the fair (see below) so you can see a picture of the two of them.

Feb 6 update: Many thanks to all of you who sent emails. Doodles is at home now. He has some blood in his urine so we have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he takes his meds. X-rays, though, showed no injuries. The best best medicine so far was getting him back to the D.D.--he perked up immediately. Man what a little scrappy, survivor!

Feb 8 update: Took Doodles into the vet for a check and he's fine. WOW Whatta dog. Thank you everyone.

I should also note that the two of them competed in the first 4H dog fun match of the season last Saturday. It was their first time to be in the intermediate category (7- 9 grades) and they WON. Then they competed in the open: all other competitors were seniors and adults and they came in second--though they had a 100 out of 100 score. We were all incredibly pleased.

Short Stuff's Success

Several people have asked how the little Miss Short Stuff and her sidekick Sir Doodles (see March 22 entry for further doggie/knitting adventures) did at the county fair.
It was pretty intense, because it's always easier to do well when no one is expecting it, but they really wanted to retain their championship Junior showmanship title and...drums roll... they did! WOO HOO and much relief.
The dynamic duo then competed in the master invitational showmanship class (top two from seniors, intermediates and juniors) and...again the drums roll... they came in second. WOO HOO and much excitement. The official titles now are Deschutes County Grand Reserve Showmanship Champion and Deschutes County Junior Showmanship Champion.
Following all this hoop-la, she had to compete in the Deschutes County Small Animals Championship where she not only had to show her dog, but also other people's guinea pigs, chickens, doves and rabbits. This did not go so well, because she was suppose to be able to answer poultry/rodent questions in the same way that she can answer dog questions. (Though wouldn't you have liked to have been there: the two dogs were a terrier and a spaniel literally in the hen house!!!)
Incidentally, she will not be competing at the state level in dogs (much to her dissapointment) because juniors have been deemed too young. We're keeping our collective fingers crossed that she'll do well next year--when she moves up to the intermediate class--and will be able to go.
Oh well, life is a learning curve. And just because no good deed can go unpunished, she now wants chickens so she can be in that 4-H, too. The DH has overbuilt a chicken house--which I'm calling the Hen Hilton--and now we just need the chickens.

Good thoughts Please

I work with a lot of freelance writers. The sister of one them was in a car accident Christmas week, and I got this email today:

"Things are ok, my sister is conscious again but still silent and not entirely responsive. At this point nobody seems to know what the long-term prognosis is. We’ve got several different doctors telling us completely different things. All we can do is wait and hope, I suppose."

This sounds brave and heartbreaking to me--certainly NOT "ok." Please send good thoughts, wishes and prayers out to Morgan, his sister and their family.

THANKS EVERYONE as of Jan. 24, Morgan's sister was doing much better: she has a LONG road to recovery but there seems to have been no permanent damage. See how wonderful the power of thought is?

Oh that Jane--She Tagged Me!

7 Random Facts Meme
Here are the rules, and they must be posted to your blog.:
Link to the person’s blog who tagged you (see above).
List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. (Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog and also so they can look at your blog and not tag the same people all over again!)

My 7 random facts
1: I grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, New York
2. I LOVE oceans
3. I worked for Margaret Mead for a summer while I was in college
4. I once worked in a bookstore and while there I read everything on the fiction shelves between A and F. (I worked there for two months)
5. I'm addicted to the HOme and Garden channel
6. I've always been interested in other places and--as a kiddo--had 12 penpals from around the world.
!7. Butterscotch--not chocolate--is my guilty pleasure.

Who I've tagged: Susan ,Vigdis, Jamie, Irene, Penny. And OK I know that's not 7, but those are five people who I feel comfortable tagging (because they can tell me no thanks Stephanie!) and as for others I could have tagged... Jane already got them!

Knit Knews

I've also joined a Loose Knit Group where a different gift item is knitted each month. This month was a gift for the hands (i.e. wristwarmers, fingerless gloves, mittens etc.); looks like next month might be hats. My hope is that belonging to a looseknitgroup and the gift KAL (see below) will give me some focus and reinforce my knitting here. (And if I can't keep myself on track now, there is absolutely NO hope for me!) As a consequence I've taken a good hard luck at my UFOs and revamped my goals list a bit. The good news is that I've made some progress:

1. Fingerless mittens/wrist warmers for Swap-bot exchange (must be mailed by 1/15): DONE! Also finished a pair for moi. Took a picture of the pair for me and will post it when I know the recipient has received her package.
2. Hat for brother Peter's birthday (must be mailed by 1/29): CHANGED. Liked making the fingerless mitts so much I've decided to make him a pair of Dashing.
3. Hat for brother Alex's birthday (must be mailed by 1/30--no they're not wierd twins or something: they were born 4 years and 1 day apart): CHANGED. Found a really nice scarf (think the pattern is called Askew) in a very nice merino in the UFOs. Can't imagine why I stopped making this. Am back on it now, have been knitting like a fiend and should have it done tonight (she writes with fingers crossed). DONE!
4. Finish cabled lap robe for Ria (should be mailed in mid-February)-SAME.
5. Make 1 pair fingerless mittens for 2008 Christmas: DELETE having made fingerless gloves for swap bot, myself and the DD and changed the goal for #2. I think I'll soon be fingerless-gloved out.

New challenge

We'll see if I can do this:

OUR FIRST QUARTERLY CHALLENGE;
This challenge runs from January 10 until March 31st.
To be eligible for a prize in this first quarter challenge you must complete TWO gift items that are due in the last quarter of the year. IF you complete TWO gifts that you intend to give in October, November, or December of '08, you will get an entry into the drawing for the first quarter prize.
Be sure to tag your posts with Q1ChallengeFO so that I can find them easily and email me when you've finished a gift.
TWO gifts in TWO months and TWO weeks time? You can do it! And just to round out the theme, we'll draw prizes for TWO winners.
Good luck everyone! Keep up the momentum!

A new KAL

I've joined a new KAL: Knit All Year. The idea is that you list your gift goals each month so that you actually get presents made ahead of time. You can't list more than 5, and you can roll items over from month to month. Wow, what a concept. Does this mean no more abandoning a gift midway through (read what I have to say about my helleborous debacle in its entry at ravelry) in favor or a purchased present? We'll see!

Here are my current goals for January:

1. fingerless mittens/wrist warmers for Swap-bot exchange (must be mailed by 1/18)
2. hat for brother Peter's birthday (must be mailed by 1/29)
3. hat for brother Alex's birthday (must be mailed by 1/30--no they're not wierd twins or something: they were born 4 years and 1 day apart)
4. finish lap robe for Ria (should be mailed in mid-February)
5. finish dreaded helleborus by Dec. 15. (that would be 2008...I think...my idea is to make at least one Christmas gift a month)

My hope is that this KAL will help me keep my ambitions in better (or at least more honest) alignment with my actual talents and timelines. On the other hand, I've been looking at the other lists (so tempting) and now have to ask myself if I've just discovered another group of enablers.

(If you're interested in joining, head on over there for all the details. Sign ups end Jan. 31, and I'm listed as SheWhoMust--there was already a Stephanie.)

Ornaments

I've really on a Nisse/Gnome kick. You will all have to blame Irene, Susan, the creater of these little cork gnomes (aka. korknisse),and all those knitting enablers over at Whoduknit?. I made these for all the gal pals in my face-2-face book club, who...in the spirit of bonhommie, self sacrifice and friendship helped me drink all these bottles of wine.

(The actual amount of time expended to drink this wine is protected information: What happens in book club; stays in book club. Though should anyone need any corks please let me know.)

Happy New Year--the diet starts NOW

'Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
"Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie - not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

~Author Unknown~

Happy New Year to all!!

And while author is unknown, many thanks to Mary Catherine for sending this to me

Gnome heaven

Here's the gnome I made for the Around the World Christmas swap. Many thanks to my d.s. pal Susan for sending me a photo of him at his new home in Southern California. (Didn't have a chance to take his portrait before his departure.)This has got to be heaven for a gnome--to be put in a dark packing box and then to finally see daylight in the land of palm trees, sunny skies and easy living. Thanks Susan for being such a great pal.

Happy 2008--May it be happy, healthy and prosperous

One Opened; One to Go

As much as I received two swap gifts, I also sent two off: one for Around the World and one for Whoduknit? The Around the World gift arrived, and you can read and see pix here. I'm very happy that Susan took photos. (I didn't take any before I sent the package off.) She is also ONE crafty lady, so be sure you check out her blog.

The Whoduknit? gift's status is unknown.

Christmas is here!

This year I participated in two Christmas swaps: Whoduknit? and Christmas Around the World. Evidently both my upstream partners--Irene in Denmark/Whoduknit? and Jamie in Canada/CATW--thought I belonged in the nice (rather than naughty) line and rewarded me accordingly. (And I won't tell them any different.) Both packages arrived a few days before Christmas and were stashed beneath the tree. I'll do this in the order of arrival.

Thank you so much to Irene for my wonderful Christmas swap package. As you can see she sent no end of treats. There were lovely knitting patterns (given the $ doldrums I have only lusted after Rowan patterns--how nice to have some) and a copy of our current read. Not only did she send a recipe, she also sent some of the cookies and the spices with which to make them. (Please note that cookies are not in photo...they were really good:)). Also included were lovely red hearts for the tree made by her mother, and candles made by her sons (who obviously inherited their mother's craftiness), plus she sent paper nisse and a woven angel from her childhood. This was a unique and thoughful box that--beyond the presents--made me feel included in a very special Danish Christmas.

My package from Jamie was no less spectacular. I received an incredible box of knitting goodies and just plain goodies for Christmas. There were knitting tools, teas, paper, cute cocktail napkins, three ornaments (2 snowflakes and a sweet little bear) a mug, yarn, needles, a chocolate orange (love those things), custom made Christmas CD, Christmas memories book, a beautiful knit hat and scarf for me and a really fabulous curly-cue ruffled scarf for the DD (who was thrilled to find out she had a package, too). The photos here are of the box's contents and of me and the DD in our Christmas Jamie-finery. (While we had a sunny and cold rather than white Christmas, it did snow a few inches last night.)

I'm VERY lucky and know that I received a lot more than just gifts and presents from these two very special and giving women. Merry Christmas everyone and happy new year.

Santa Delivers

Both my swap packages arrived this week and both came from outside the U.S., which I think is really, really cool. Have no idea what was sent; the DD and DH put them under the tree, though I was allowed to look at the return addresses. Took a quick snap before the dogs could block the view and now things are not only askew but--on closer inspection--I can see the DD monkeying around in the back!

Thank you Jamie in Alberta (Christmas Around the World--box wrapped in shipping carton) and Irene in Denmark (Whoduknit--package with blue paper in forefront) Will give more specific thanks in a few days.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone. With luck I'll be better about posting in the new year (but let's be honest...). I've been involved in two swaps--Christmas Around the World and Whoduknit?--so my excuse is that I didn't want to give away any clues.

Easy-Peasy Scarf

Please note that this is a sticky!
Here's a pattern for all the knitting students so they can make something they feel proud of AND practice all their new-found skills. Anyone can Knit it, but if anyone should ask you where you got the pattern please send them here. (One of these days I'll post a photo of the one I made, but right now it's hanging in the LYS--see Juniper Fiberworks at right.) Have fun!

• Easy-Peasy Scallop and Rib Scarf
  Level of Experience: Beginner
  Materials needed: Approximately 340 yards worsted weight yarn, No. 8 straight needles
  Gauge: There is no gauge with this project, but this finished scarf will be 60 inches long.
  
  Cast on 22 stitches
  
  Knit each row (garter stitch) for 3 inches
  
  Next row: Knit 2, purl 2 until end of row (you will end with knit 2). Next row: Purl 2, knit 2 until end of row (you will end with purl 2). Repeat these two rows for 2 inches. These 2 rows form the ribbing.
  
  Purl each row for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches.
  Knit garter stitch for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches.
  Purl each row for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches
  Knit in garter stitch for 3 inches
  Knit in ribbing for 14 inches
  Knit garter stitch for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches.
  Purl each row for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches
  Knit garter stitch for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches.
  Purl each row for 3 inches.
  Knit in ribbing for 2 inches.
  Knit in garter stitch for 3 inches.
• Bind off in knit stitch.
• Block and add fringe if desired.

Wadda Week

This is what happened at my house this week:
School started (way too early in the day for my liking)--the DD is in seventh grade
Changed work hours to accommodate school hours
Car started making horrifying screechy bonking noises (this is the same car that was backed into by the publisher during previous week).
Got stomach flu
Got chickens: Lucky and Pep-her
Got new (well, to me) car.
DD has first soccer game of season and scored 8 goals in the first half; played goalie for rest of game (final score was 15-0; told her the limit is 4 from now on unless they are loosing)
I really hope next week is boring.
What happened at your house?

Christmas Swap Questionnaire

1. Are you religious? Not overtly. I do go to church several times a year and Christmas is one of those occassions.
2.How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? I've been knitting since I was 8 (last century-LOL) I'd call my self intermediate; though it depends on what it is. I'm quite good with cables and bobbles but a neophyte with lace.
3. Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting? Reading, playing the piano (albeit badly) trying to speak French (also done badly). Also like to swim, downhill ski and bake bread.
4. Favorite color(s)? Blue (but also that nice Christmas-y cranberry color). Favorite combination is blue, green and yellow.
5. Do you collect anything? Hmmmm books, Christmas tree ornaments (they--along with yarn--are my souvenirs when I travel--easy to pack and then they remind me of the vacation) also I like magazines and newspapers from different places.
6. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? No, but I don't like scratchy stuff
7. Do you have any pets? Yup, 2 dogs (see previous posts for their adventures)
8. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Coffee!!!!!!! Also--and this is from my childhood--I really like a nice cup of (malt-flavor) Ovaltine on a cold winter's night.
9. Cookies or Sweets? Both! But probably prefer the former. Favorite flavor is butterscotch
10. Do you knit socks? Nope
11.. If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits)Hats, scarves, mittens, purses and the occasional sweater.
12. Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? Yup. In fact we get a permit from the U.S. Forest Service and go chop one down!
13. Favorite holiday treats? Chocolate oranges and MARZIPAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14. Favorite holiday smells? Apples, cinnamon and the best of all the smell that fills the house once the tree is up. Also when you go outside and there's that slight smell of wood smoke from fireplaces.
15. Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate. Very traditional: we decorate the tree, hang a wreath (and if a Central Oregonian reads this, please see the Youth Choir link at right--they sell fabulous wreaths as a fundraiser)hang stockings, go to church and eat way way way too too much.
16. What are your favorite holiday traditions? I LOVE the local Christmas parade, making our annual ornaments with my daughter, getting ready. I think my favorite part is the general spirit of bon hommie
17. Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about...kindness.”
18. If you were a Christmas ornament you would be……a teddy bear--just because that's my favorite ornament--it's from Poland and I bought it with babysitting money when I was about 13.
19. What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given? I'll have to think about this and get back to you.
20. When do you start your Christmas? Well this year, right now!
21. Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them? Yes we send them; they are photo cards.
22. What is your favorite Christmas dish? MARZIPAN (oh is that not a dish?)
23. Carolers are at your door. What do you do? Listen, enjoy and invite them in.
24. When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? We open one on Christmas Eve (in a nod to the tradition in my DH's family) and the rest on Christmas day.
25. Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Both. With the DH and DD on Christmas Eve (the rest of my family lives on the East Coast) and with friends for a HUGE orphan potluck on Christmas Day.

Summer Fun

Here's a photo of where we stayed when we went over to the Oregon coast earlier this summer. Scroll down, too, I finally added the photos of Short Stuff at the fair.

A Disclaimer about Socks

At one point in my life in the not-so-long-ago past, I had sock aspirations. I thought of how cozy it would be to pad around my house in socks I had knit myself. I also thought the DD could wear socks I had knit for her, and--if she was having a tough day--she could look at her feet and know that she was loved. Since then I've had several thoughts:
1. I've got slippers; and
2. The DD better know that she is loved anyway.
Also, and most important in the practical sense, I tried figuring out how to make socks on my own and failed. Should the LYS ever offer a class, I'll take it. In the meantime I do have one of the world's most fabulous collections of sock yarn.
Any suggestions on what else I could make with this yarn? (Yes, I know I could save the yarn for when I know how to make socks but when I learn how, I'll want to buy more yarn...as it will be a special occasion!)