Pesky Fun...

OK, having fun is NOT pesky, but the aftermath of catching up certainly is. I realized this morning that I didn't post yesterday's post. Does a draft created then count? Backdated that puppy to midnight and posted it just now. In my defense, yesterday evening was a little mad! Left home at 5:45 for the spouses' meeting and didn't get back till 11 PM, and I was shattered...it was a great night out though.

Lots of tasty nibbles, and we talked so much that the "hostess" ended up flipping the lights out on us to get us to scatter, like little ants at a picnic. There were some new faces, which is always great, and I think there'll be a cool day trip coming up. Christmas markets are getting into full swing now, and there's a Dickensian one in York, a HUGE one in Lincoln, all the German ones which are do-able as day trips, possibly even a King's Lynn one, although I haven't heard about it myself and I practically live there. Doing some research on that puppy today!

Today is set to be full of boring but necessary bits, like laundry, vacuuming, picking up, a trip to the grocery store, some volunteer-related calls, some volunteer-related list merging, and the usual stuff. Lily's got a friend coming over for playtime and tea, so I want to pick up some fresh playdough. If I had less going on, I think we'd make some, because that's a lot of fun, but their play time is limited, so I'll just have some ready. Our old playdough has gone sort of gray from repeated color blending, and sometimes it's fun to have the bright stuff.

Pictures as Promised

Here, Gentle Reader, are some pictures from the shopping trek Chrissie and I took yesterday. I love this one of me in my brown sweater jacket (see "I love you Tschibo" post from a few days back). You can see I don't look anything like The Tschibo Model, but I think it's a nicely cut sweater. Isn't the Royal Arcade a gorgeous place? Nice coffee shop; this is also where we bought the Shoes of Expensiveness for David this fall. The other picture is my New Crush....Beautiful Zara Bag, I LURVE You. Seriously, this bag makes me feel special; it's not like all the other bags. Heh. What a fun day.

Today I did a little erranding, a little knitting, and tonight I'm heading out to a spouse group meeting. I always love these - it's so nice to talk to grownups, especially those who relate to your husband's crazy work...

Shopping Recap and All That

End of a really good day - started at 7:15 AM when my friend and I met up and headed to Norwich, and ended just now, at 9:15 PM having dropped her off and made it home, after shopping Norwich so well we closed the city down. Fun, fun, time. New jacket, new bag, some other new stuff. I love having input from someone with style when I'm trying on clothes. My caffeine and adrenalin are wearing off now, and I sense bedtime in the very near future...

Pictures of the new jacket and bag and me to come, tomorrow, I hope.

Also, go see David's new game.

Remembrance Day

Headache

Some days just feel long and scratchy. Every sound in the house irritates me, even chewing, even laughing. I wish there were a Tylenol Irritation to take that would fix the headache AND the jangled feeling.

Not a big post today as we're heading out overnight. D.'s trying to figure out why our phonemail isn't working...both of us need to be reachable and get messages so it's another annoying thing.

Happy days to all of you, and calm, serene ones I hope.

Quick!

Go see this! Everwhelming Liz is making some teensy socks for tree ornaments, and she's got a pattern, baybee! So cute, so quick. Must. Knit. One. Or. Many.

Lovely New Jacket...

This is my newest clothing purchase. I am in luuuurve. Bought it last week at Tschibo in town for 17 pounds 50, after seeing it and thinking a week. I think it actually looks pretty good, although I am not the sleek chickie pictured here. The fitted cut works for me, and I love the chocolate brown wool.

Tschibo is a great shop - I thought it was only a coffee brand until I arrived in England. I've seen brick and mortar shops here and in Germany - the selection of items changes weekly, or bi-weekly and ranges from cooking gadgets to camping gear, jewelry and clothing to bicycles. You never know what's in stock, which makes it quite the adventure to stop in the shop.

FYI, the potentially bad news has turned out to be not bad, thank God. Life goes on, and life is good. Chocolate is also pretty good. And coffee. And Numb3rs. OK, I'm definitely in an "up" state of mind.

I cast on a new knitting thing yesterday. I'm not participating officially in NaKniSweMo ([Inter]National Sweater Knitting Month) but if a sleeve happens to be on my needles, and sweater bits happen to be knitted in November, it's not a bad thing. Working on the Basic Black cardigan from MagKnits, but in an olive khaki color. It's such a clean-lines sort of sweater that I have a teensy but of faith in my ability to add in bust darts. I'll keep ya posted, you lucky readers.

Has anyone out there started an Unoriginal Hat from the Yarn Harlot's recent post? So cute, so simple-looking. I have a ball of chunky wool that would rock out in this pattern. Maybe this weekend.

Vocabulary and Rice

This is quite an interesting little vocabulary challenge, and the site donates rice for every correct answer.

Thanks to the Shrinking Knitter for the link.

Warm Fuzzies

Friends are a gift. We knew that, didn't we? However, on a day when I'm awaiting potentially very bad news, it was fantastic to be able to meet with a recent acquaintance for our weekly crafty time and end up not knitting at all, just talking about everything under the sun and cementing a new friendship. Maybe even the beginning of a new fitness buddy partnership, too!

Slowly, slowly, I'm gathering good friends here in England. I have tons of friendly acquaintances, but very few friends for just hanging out. Recently, that's been changing for the better, and I am so happy for it.

Thinking Happy Thoughts and Hopeful Thoughts...

Pixels

Still no deep-thoughts posting today...just one burning question:

Do you see in pixels? Stare at something solid-colored - do you see thousands and thousands of little dots? I also see these in busy, multicolored things but it's harder to notice. Comments most welcome - I'd like to know if I'm crazy or not.

All Over the Topical Map, but Not Very Exciting

Well, I'm percolating a slightly deeper post, but it'll have to keep perking a while longer as my mind is full of really mundane stuff that must be purged first.

Item one: Great new sweater pattern in Magknits. I like it a lot - simple, classic, and perhaps achievable for NaKniSweMo? I've been backing off the idea of knitting a sweater in November, but if it could be done, this is the one.

Item two: Wow, do we like Numb3rs (Num-thers, as I call it). We've been catching up with Seasons 1 and 2 so far. Great cast chemistry, way cool math and science, and good crime show plots. I love a show that makes math hot. Plus it stars David Krumholz' hair, all wavy and fabulous. If a little too greasy-looking at times.

Which brings me to item three, also hair-related: The Interwebs Nit-festation of 2007 has made its way from the midwest in the USA (see my girl SusieJ's blog) to here in Merrie Olde. Saw nits and a few crawlers in Lily's hair after her bath tonight, and auuuuuuuugh. Nit combing shows none in mine or small D's, and David's hair is so close-cropped you can check visually. But I will have to deal with Lily's, and the bedding, and the soft toys, and the upholstered furniture and carseat, and any coats, and auuuuuughhh again. I hate hate hate hate hate lice. I was very chilled about it with Lily but they really creep me out. Not a fan of the crawlies.

We had a note a couple of weeks ago from the school that there was a case reported so I have been watching but why, oh, why must they hit here? Whyyyyyyy?

Sorry. So, you see. Not a very deep-thoughts sort of post, but what is completely filling my brain tonight. Now, I'm off to have a beer, and maybe watch one more episode of Numb3rs.

Frivolous Posting - A Britney Fug-trospective

Let's all indulge our inner readers of Hello! OK! and People this morning, shall we? Remember Britney Spears when she was a cute little pop princess? No, no, I can't say I do, either....the trainwreck that is her life has been so much more interesting in the past 3 years. Check THIS out - the Fug Girls have tracked that downward fashion/lifestyle spiral in pictures and snarky commentary. So delicious, so awful. I hate myself a little bit for being so amused. Hope the poor kid really gets rehabbed soon.

Operation Deny Christmas

David came home the other day with the news that, instead of missing Thanksgiving* on a short work trip, he may be gone for Christmas. He referred to these new plans as Operation Deny Christmas. Chances of this happening - approximately 100%.


I don't know exactly why this tickles me so much when it means he will be gone for Christmas, New Year's Eve, David's birthday, his birthday, my birthday and probably Valentine's Day, but I am still amused by it. Whatever makes me laugh, I guess. Now I keep coming up with other fun ways to refer to life events in our house. So far, I've created the following:



Operation Urgent Practice (when small D. has skipped tae kwon do practicing all week and needs to do his patterns a few dozen times to catch up)

Operation Moldy Tangles - tackling all the WIPs I have that are rapidly becoming UFOs in the knitting pile.

Operation Desperate Laundry - the baskets are overflowing and there are no clean schooliform shirts.

Operation Enticing Pizza - proclaiming the charms of visiting Pizza Express in hopes that I will not be making dinner that night.

Task Force Rolling Thunder - me, on a bad day.


* Missing Thanksgiving is no big deal, as there are only four of us, two of whom hate everything about Thanksgiving dinners except maybe pie. Besides, those two have school that day anyway, here in England. I could easily do without the festivities, and be thankful without the added calories.

Post-Halloween Reporting

Let's see. There were pumpkins. And Pumpkin Pi. Snork snork.

There was a naughty witch fairy, who went door-to-door with her small friend Piglet (small James, not pictured). There was also a skeleton pirate, who went door-to-door with his vampire friend (named James as well, also not pictured). There was much candy, and even a wandering candy minstrel, who charmed me. She was escorting her children around the neighborhood and had brought her own bowl of candy to hand out, since she wasn't at home to give it out. Very neat.

As we have for the past couple of years, we traveled to the nearest base housing area so that we could trick-or-treat in a concentrated zone of Americans, who are used to this sort of thing. The kids had a great time, and Lily fell FAST asleep in the car by 7:45 PM.

Funny

Best. Typo. Ever:

PSYCHOPHANTS for sycophants. Rocked me back in my seat.

Happy Halloween to you all, and I hope you're ready for the approaching deluge of postiness from me. Tomorrow NaBloPoMo begins...a post a day for the whole month.

Scary....

I found myself, just now, emptying the dishwasher and lifting a glass to the light to look for streaks. Helloooooo, Stepford. In my defense, I'd used a sample of a new detergent, and wanted to see what the fuss was about. So it's OK. Really. Right?

Quick Post

Still here - sick kid who was AWFULLY miserable and is now much better, and other bad news stuff that I can't do anything about and makes me wish I were in the States...no knitting this week so far.

Instead, let's distract ourselves (look, a puppy!!) with a quick meme, lifted from Robyn at www.bitchypoo.com. Mmmkay?

One word answers.
The Air: cool.
Favorite Fall Indulgence: coffee (wait, that's all-season. Pumpkin pie).
Out Your Window: gardener truck.
On Your Desk: no desk.
On Your Feet: clogs (and hand knit socks).
Favorite Fall Smell: woodsmoke.
Temperature On Your Thermostat: 20 degrees Celsius
Your Shirt: black sweater.
Your Hair: brushed.
Something You Want to Make Sure You Do this Fall: pumpkins.
You Last Took a Fall: ??.
Your Last Drink: water.
Your Last Meal: apple.
You’re Thinking About: blogging.
Hearing: leaves.
Favorite Fall Color: rust.
Your Take On Seasonal Novelty Flags (i.e. turkeys, pumpkins, scarecrows): Ehh.
A New Fall Show You Like: nothing new here.
Your Plans for the Evening: none.
Your Relationship With Pumpkins: friendship :).

In Lieu of a Cool Post from Me...

Go see this - I promise it's interesting. I also bought some mohair almost that shade at a charity shop today. But I digress. More content soon!

Too Many Needles?

Is there such a thing as too many knitting needles? I am in the midst of cataloguing mine for my Ravelry notebook and it's enlightening.

Who knew I had at least a dozen crochet hooks, when I very seldom crochet?

Who knew I had 29 pairs of needles without getting even halfway through the pile? Let alone sock needles and circulars. Hmmm.

This does not include the several pairs of needles living out in the knitting house, and the needles that are living in various WIPs. Hmmmm again.

I have used the opportunity to get rid of almost a dozen pairs of soft plastic needles that were well warped. I have several orphan needles so far, and I think I'll be ditching those too, rather than banding them together hopefully.

In my defense, the vast majority of my needle stash comes from thrift stores and yard sales.

It will be good to have it all organized. I still need to figure out a better storage system then up-ended into containers. Perhaps a long scarf as needle roll for the meantime.

Anyone out there type "doe snot" for "does not" a lot? Anyone out there snort whenever they do this? I do, I do!

Quick Knit?

How cute is THIS? The UK Handknitters website has the pattern available here (scroll down for iPod cosy). Absolutely cracked me up - this is a sweater I believe I could finish.

Not much going on - feeling a bit autumnal. Off to drink a coffee and work on my Argosy a while. If I could just stick to it for 2 nights, I can wear it when I go into London on Sunday, and I just know it wants to see the big city...