Triangle Shawl

The very beginning of a new project.

Yarn: Lion Brand Trellis in color #302 "Ocean"
Needles: US Size 13

Random Update(s)

Almost no picture today, because I did not have the camera with me. But then I discovered that the Macs in the one computer lab at the college have built-in cameras. Kinda weird, but there ya have it.

I have been invited to join a Flickr photo group for people who take pictures of meals that include beans.

Do not trust the judgment of naked cats in sweaters.

The Sphynx Makes Her BCS Championship Prediction

Seriously Big Crow

Cawing across the street on yet another afternoon of drizzle.

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Dinner for two on a chilly night.

If There Were an Award for "Honorary Frugal Yankee," Then Surely I Would Win It

You know how you buy those big jar candles that smell really, really good, but then the wick burns down the right-hand side and you’re all like, “Noooo!” ‘cuz when the wick burns down like that you know when it sputters out it’s gonna leave a huge chunk of, like, 60% of the wax in the jar? Dontcha hate that? I hate that, ‘cuz it takes, like, two hours of work to gross enough pesos to buy one of those big jar candles and I hate throwing out 60% of what I worked two hours for, even if it does make the trash can smell good like the candle for a day or two.

Solution: metal cups and wicks purchased for a couple o’ bucks at the local craft store. Boil a pot of water on the stove and put the jar candle in it ‘til the wax melts, then pour. Voila! New candles, in all your favorite scents, at a fraction of the cost.

Reality is a Dirty Keyboard

First day back to work in 2007. I seriously need some canned air.

How long d'you think I'll be able to keep posting a photo a day?

Drive-By Shooting

Was in Chelsea today for the first time since October. The new library is finished and I would have liked to have gone in, except I had the cat's insulin with me and needed to get it to a refrigerator. I always enjoyed walking to the library in Chelsea, which, even though it was small, usually managed to get the books I put on reserve to me within a week. In contrast, I can never find anything I want at the Ann Arbor libraries and placing items on reserve means a month or more wait.

I coudn't resist driving by the old apartment on the way out of town. I miss the porch, the tall windows, and the birds that came to the windowsills for peanuts. I miss the bathtub and walking up to the corner store on Sunday to buy the newspaper and a day-old Zingerman's muffin.

Seed catalogue arrived today. Will need to figure out where to put in a garden here. Six months later, I still think of this place as "new."

New Year, New Curly-Hair Products

Sorry for the horrid white flash. No sun here for months.

First birds of 2007 were the seven or eight pigeons wheeling around the gray sky yesterday morning. Too bad the turkey vulture I saw this afternoon wasn't around a little earlier.

Knitting Socks

Yarn: Regia Bamboo Color, color 1064 "Ethno"
Needles: Double-pointed US size 2

Socks knit in the round are my hand-made specialty. I've made scarves, mittens, fingerless gloves, hats, and a short-sleeved sweater (too small), but I keep coming back to the socks. They're seamless and comfortable, the yarns are fabulous, and a pair takes two or three football games to knit on the double-points.

Knitting in the round means that every row is knit, instead of going back and forth on straight needles alternating knit and purl rows. The sock starts at the top and is knit in a tube until my favorite part - turning the heel - where the knitting makes a 90-degree turn in a few short rows. After the gusset and foot, I finish the toe with kitchener stitch to avoid a seam across the tootsies.