bandwagon-ho!

Yup, doing the ABC-along. Funness.

Oh, you want content? Hmm, best get moving to another blog, then, eh? Scuttle along. I'll talk about Knit Wit and the 5 new skeins to be adopted to my stash (mmm, Lorna's Laces) and my mother's almost-finished blanket when this computer STOPS BEING SO BUGGY! It pauses every second and I can't tell what I'm typing! V. annoying.

Bye now!

Merry Christmas!

I thought this was more appropriate. Merry Christmas, my friends.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Lousy song title.

I finished Christmas knitting in October. I have nothing I need to frantically knit. I'm casual and catching up on the teevee. Alton Brown is my darling, as are any and all home improvement shows and What Not To Wear (orange actually works with blonde hair and blue eyes? I gotta try this). I also have lost any desire to even LOOK at the knitting I brought with me, other than the occasional work on mom's Noro scarf.

Instead I've been spinning. That pound of roving is no longer a pound and I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's pretty even, but I think I mentioned all this. So let's head over to the Yarn Barn. Pretty nifty place and oh wow, the stuff they have there! I only criticize them for the lack of Mountain Colors but otherwise, very cool. I managed to come away clutching some merino/tercel in Dragonfly colors. Once the practice roving is gone, I'm going to spin up some of this really shiny stuff. I just have to consider what to make of it.

Ohhh, I hate not having a camera! I would love to show you this bit of loveliness (because it looks nothing like the picture on the website).

My heart goes out to those of you who decided that it wasn't enough to just buy gifts but to make them. You are some dedicated (read: "freakin' off your rocker, what were you thinking?") people. Please do consider that if your wrists/shoulders/back/neck hurt, to take a break, stretch, use the opportunity to use the restroom, walk around a bit and give your joints a moment to reconfigure.

And in the meantime, I have my own project brewing in my head. It comes to me while I'm trying to get to sleep, but I'll work hard to get it out before I nod off. It'll be awesome, interesting, and inspired a bit by some reading I did before I came here.

I'm here

Not much to really say. It's been snowing all day today, but that didn't stop us* at all from going out to see Narnia at 4. I love that movie. I look forward to them doing the rest of the books.

It was snowing all day but it's so dry and cold that you don't get the packing snow. I call it Legend Snow because it reminds me of the super sparkly 80s snow featured in the movie Legend, starring a very young Tom Cruise and two horses with horns badly attached to their heads (notice that Narnia!Peter's unicorn did not have a bouncy horn). You could see the crystalline structures so clearly. It was perfect and beautiful.

My mom and I set up the Christmas tree tonight, too. The tree came with lights attached and so all we did was put the ornaments on ribbons and hang them on the tree with some beads and some ribbon. It's not the most decorated tree, but sometimes less is more.

I think I'll take apart the noro hat and re-knit it using Susan's method**. I'm also making my mother's share of the Noro love into the Mohair Shale scarf**. It's the easiest pattern so I'm able to watch the teevee or bring it to the movies and work on it.

Spinning has been fun, I made yarn out the the smaller of two balls of roving and towards the end, it was even getting puh-retty even. I'm so glad I got so much roving from WEBS**, it was so generous. My biggest problem with spinning is drafting to the point that the roving goes FOOF! and I end up having pulled it apart. Bah! So annoying, but I'm learning that a gentle but firm touch and a large helping of patience makes it go much easier. Sounds like parenting, really.

On personal matters: I feel a bit lost right now. Perhaps empty. I think it has to do with coming here and as much as my parents love me so and my friends are thrilled to see me, I feel out of place. I think I've put down my roots, finally. My roots never go deep, but they do hurt to rip out. I also don't have a car here, so I feel the loss of freedom and the old reliance of the generosity of others to get around. I'm just chafing at the bit, I suppose.

Anyways, there is knitting, I brought as much as I could and as soon as I get my camera to work, this will actually be a blog worth following again.

Love, Kit.

*us = parents + me
**will link to it later

This is not a subject line

I don't know what to write as a subject line, but I think that it would be a very bad idea to write the lyrics to The Widow by the Poozies. Naughty naughty song. But most amusing.

Speaking of most amusing, I think I have found a new love. This love is Noro Kureyon. I adore the smooth transition of colors, how it's scratchy but doesn't itch my neck, how it goes from thick to thin and back again. I'm addicted. I need more. Look, I'm getting a twitch! My hands, they shake! I have the worst munchies! I just can't stop. I need to go into a NA program (Noro Anonymous of course!). But how can I give it up? Argh! The deeper I go, the worse the yarn addiction gets.

Anyways, I knitted my Noro on the plane from SLC to Kansas City in the evening. I disappointed the stewardesses by not finishing the whole thing in 2 hours, but c'mon, I'm not an AMAZING knitter, I'm just a knitter. Anyways, flying at night is awesome. Denver is a big sprawling mass (at least, I think it was Denver) which was the neatest thing in the world. It looked like melted ice cream.

I did have a wonderful time at the SLC S'n'B! I think I got a little overly excited and managed to make a damn fool of myself. But all the same, it was great. Susan was so nice as to get me started with my spinning (I'd tried a little earlier but I do not win on the spinning-on-my-own thing). Yes, my WEBS roving has a very long staple. It's kind of nice for first learning except I pull too much and it comes apart. Beginner's clumsiness, I suppose.

And Johanna (who might have a blog but I'm not sure) was visiting from Japan (which makes her extra rawkin' cool) and we made our trade. For some Interweave Knits and Vogue Knit magazines, I got the coolest bits of cute things from Japan! It's all so very cute, but then again, Japanese is all about adorableness. Someday, I WILL go. So, anyways, thank you, Johanna! You win at coolness! Love you!

And in conclusion, I am very tired and Kansas is gorgeous as it always is.

What?

You want to know a little piece of the Poozie's Widow song? Wicked children, you know better than to ask that (because you know I can't say no, you're so spoiled). Oh very well:

And when they came to number 9, the widow cried out 'More!'
And when they came to number 12, again she cried for more.

There, you go, make what you will of it.

A request

For Christmas, I have a small request. Well, maybe it's a really big request, it's all on how you look at it. But...could you all please sign your organ donor cards? I'm not saying you have to, but I think it would be really good Karma to do it.

some whine and cheese

I'm not handling this well. I never realized what a camera addict I've become. I can't take pictures of my dying fish. I can't take pictures of mountains covered in snow. I can't take pictures of my whole living area being an absolute disaster (ha, I'm such a hypocrit, calling my uncle and his family messy when I'm no better when I'm trying to study or get something organized). But at least there's still the scanner. I love the scanner. It allows me to show off my sock. So, look at the sock, it's one repeat chart away from heel time.



I can hear it laugh at me. The camera sits on my nightstand and sniggers. WELL KEEP SNIGGERING! I'll get you. I know where you sleep.

Alas

Ladies and Gentlemen (do I get Gentlemen here? Oh well),

A moment's silence. My Olympus camera has passed away (I think) and refuses to turn on with either fresh batteries or gentle psychotic pleading. I wonder if it somehow got a little too cozy with the hot beverages I keep at the desk (I don't see any sort of stain or anything where it was so I don't think that's the case) or it hit its warranty. This has me more than a little irritated because I got:

Maureen's final Secret Pal Package! It was so wonderful, I wish I could have taken a picture of it all. But it included a gorgeous cashmere keyhole scarf, wonderful cards (I've had so much fun with the knitting cards you've sent!), awesome patterns, and sock yarn...and finally, the Socks, Socks, Socks! book! You know how much I've wanted that book? Apparently you do! *grins* It made me squeal. Did I mention I also squealed with the Yarn Harlot book I got with the previous package that I forgot to mention (because I'm really rather absent-minded like that)? Because I did. It made my day, thank you SO much, Maureen! I can't wait to finish the Pomatomus and get cracking on some of the knitted socks in that book!

And now I'm thinking of stuff to bring with me to my escape to Kansas. Obviously the Pomatomus socks (the pattern is so much fun) and my corset (can't only work on one project at a time, the very idea!) and...my homework. *grunt* This thing is a bigger monkey on my back than anything. I can't wait until it's OVER.

But yeah, hi, Merry Christmas, may it be special.

foiled!

Made sure I had the evening free to go to S'n'B in SLC and what happens? Slick as snot snow. *shakes fist*

And then my camera refused to ever turn on again. I'll figure THAT one out soon.

Thanks to Miriam, I have 13 subscribers. *blush*

edit: Crazy ol' Kit, she's the only one who subscribes to the wrong blogline thinger. Oh, yes, I do subscribe to my own journal. How else do I make sure it works right? And I'm also terribly narcisstic. But you knew that, right?

Tagged by Crazy Aunt Purl who tagged EVERYONE IN THE WORLD! and I guess that means me, too, then.

10 Random Things About Me

• I have recently developed a nasty hatred for cardboard/wood rubbing against other wood/cardboard, the same I have for squeaking balloons and nails on chalkboard. Ugh ugh!
  
• I suffer from bouts of insanity and mania. That's when things actually get clean around here.
  
• I'm in the best of moods except when I'm tired or PMSing. Then I cry.
  
• I really want a bird instead of a dog or a cat.
  
• I wonder if my fish will outlive me. Sturdiest little betta I've ever known.
  
• I'm getting to like hiphop.
  
• I have some awesome calves because I try to walk 2 miles every day and push off hard with my foot with every step.
  
• This hasn't been happening lately because my left ankle has been loudly and painfully protesting the weather change. Owww.
  
• I have a story and I wanna publish it! Right after I finish with my RN.
  
• I think I'm going to totally shock my dad and take classes on drawing naked people. Like it's something new for me, a nurse, right?
  

9 Places I've Been

• Germany
  
• The Netherlands
  
• France and some of Paris in 7th grade. Paris is its own little island of desperate rudeness and snobbery in an otherwise lovely country.
  
• Italy
  
• Austria
  
• Kansas
  
• Missouri = all the Joseph Smith type spots and the RLDS temple, which looks very weird, but the people were nice.
  
• Utah (doy)
  
• Various airports
  

8 Ways To Win My Heart

• Don't ignore me.
  
• Random little things to make my day...they really do.
  
• Knit with me.
  
• Notice things.
  
• Be open-minded.
  
• Smile
  
• Be patient
  
• Remember me.
  

7 Things To Do Before I Die

• Skydive. I'm serious.
  
• Cure cancer. (aim high!)
  
• Receive a standing ovation.
  
• Visit Japan, Ireland, Venice.
  
• Fall in love with someone who reciprocates.
  
• Publish.
  
• Find somewhere I fit.
  

6 Things I'm Afraid Of

• Scary movies.
  
• Dogs off leash (c'mon, people, tie up your dogs because so help me, I am not afraid to Tae-Kwon-Do kick your monster into a coma!)
  
• Outliving my parents.
  
• Being unready to face the world when I finally do step out on my own.
  
• Losing Briana as a friend because I can't keep myself together.
  
• Going insane and not realizing it.
  

5 Things I Don't Like

• Politics. Red or Blue, Left or Right, I just don't want to hear it.
  
• Various agendas that I don't see the logic in fighting for. I won't list any because I will invariably be flamed for my opinion because I KNOW I'll be trodding toes.
  
• News Media. They don't bother to tell the truth, why should I bother to care?
  
• Lack of Respect. Be it trashing the environment, making fun of your wife, beating the dog, swearing, whatever. I hate it. Everyone deserves respect.
  
• Apple Crisp Yoplait Yogurt. A crime against the palate if I ever tasted one.
  

4 Ways To Turn Me Off

• I could be cheap and say 'See Previous', but I can come up with more venom. So, #1: Tell me how to eat. Dude, nurse. I got it. I just don't always do it. Just like how some nurses know aaaalll about the evils of smoking and still light up with every break.
  
• Speak ill about someone. Even if it's someone I really don't like, it still makes me feel ick inside.
  
• Diss yarn and knitting. I have sharp pointy things in my hands, you know better.
  
• Give me STUPID unwarranted advice. I love knowing if I've got a booger hanging out my nose, but I don't need someone telling me "Maaan, you really ought to hurry up and finish your RN and get out of your uncle's basement". Like I live here for fun?
  

3 Things I Do Every Day

• Shower (I'm sure that makes you so much more relieved, right?)
  
• Pray. Nothing more effective and more uplifting.
  
• Listen to music. Get the new Enya CD, I'm not kidding.
  

2 Things That Make Me Happy

• Making Heavenly Father proud (doesn't happen all the time, but I do know when I've done a good job).
  
• Making other people happy.
  

1 Thing On My Mind Right Now

• Wow, it's 10:46 am, I haven't even put in my contacts or finished breakfast or talked to my friend with the birthday yesterday so that we can get together and hit up Unraveled Sheep for my birthday present to her.
  

*goes to do #1*

Blah Humbug

I am not a fan of Christmas. Or rather, I'm not a fan of the American Christmas. In Germany, Christmas lasted for days and it was about family and friends and relaxing and eating things. A time to rejoice in the miracle of the Savior's birth, a time to realize and be grateful for all we have.

In America, it's about presents. It's about the most expensive. It's about Santa and What Will Santa Bring??? There are no Three Wise Men to mark on your door with chalk (regardless of religions practiced, there was always a trio of kids or adults to mark on the door). It's like people are scared to celebrate Christ. Or to celebrate Christmas as I feel it should be celebrated. That's why I like Thanksgiving so much better.

Being half Dutch, there are some practices I hope we keep up when I go home. For one thing, I hope we use the good china and plates for breakfast and have hot muffins and tea. I would like to put out shoes instead of stockings. And have a Family Home Evening of some sort. As much as I wish, I can't have lots of family over, but I hope my parents and I do something really fun and visit friends and such. I hope we go for a walk around Westridge or Clinton Lake. I hope to have some of mom's Dutch Apple Pie because maaan, I missed out for Thanksgiving!

And I hope mom and I can visit some knitting shops (maybe Dad won't mind coming with if we promise to swing by Cabella's on the way home).

What practices do you guys like to keep for Christmas?

---

On a knitting note, I am currently highly fond of WEBS. I just got four skeins of Noro in the mail and then! I ordered their Beginner's Spinning Kit. It was $25 and I got half a pound of roving, a Louette drop spindle (SHEEPIES!) and a book that would tell me how to spin. That's so exciting to me. :D And then, when I went to pay, they only charged me $13.25! I find that mighty strange when the email said $25 and the website said $25. So I've since contacted them to let them know about the inconsistency.

I hope they don't want me to pay the rest, let me just pay the $13.25, but I shouldn't expect it. I mean, they're a business and a good one, too. $25 is already pretty reasonable to me. Anyways, just my thoughts.

I leave for Kansas on the 14th. I'm so excited!

P.S. Dear SLC S'n'B...I am so sorry I've been such a slacker of late. I keep ending up having to work on Tuesdays! This week I could only fit in 2 days before the pay period was over so I had to work last night. Trust me, I really and most sincerely wished I could have made it because the crazy people, they were driving me crazy. Oy.

Favorite things

Y'know what I love doing? I talk with my closest friend (the idea of Best Friend kind of died about, oh, 3 years ago? May 2002. Yeah.) Briana--well, more like we write stories together and talk about whatever comes to mind as we write. Never at a loss for things to say because once the chitchat's over, we're off using our imaginations--and I knit. And every so often I make some Rooibos tea to chase the chills away or some hot chocolate if I need something to sit a bit more solidly in the stomach. My favorite is Stephen's Irish Creme or Italian Amaretto. That constitutes as an evening well spent.

Lately I've been catching up on Crazy Aunt Purl. I love how she's so frank. She also has a marvelous sense of humor. Why did no one shove me at her blog earlier? Oh well, it doesn't matter, she has inspired me to be more open. I like that.

So, I have a bit of something to confess. I am NOT a very good girl. Oh, I try, heaven knows that I do. The Lord and I, we have kind of a rapport and I KNOW He laughs at me at times and shakes his head and goes "C'mon, Kit, you know better than that!" and I smile and look sheepish and go "Yeah...I do." But hey, being human means that I'm learning. Which means I'm not always an A+ student. Never was. I have a small habit of swearing every so often (my favorite is actually not applicable in American, it's for you British. And that would be "OH BU**ER!" and that's not 'butter' there. I only recently learned what it meant and now I know I really should stop but it's not easy). I also kind of laugh at inappropriate things that should really shock a fine, well-bred lady. And have a taste for violent movies that might be, well, R-rated. And I am not a caffeine person, but I do like Green Tea when my pills are hammering at my GI tract again. I also realized lately that I am a little TOO fond of rum-flavoring. Like in Eggnog and Chocolate Rum Icecream like they have at Skoops-Gelato in the Provo Townie Centree mall. They called me the Wild Mormon at the Assisted Living place back in Kansas. Because I'm not your Utah Mormon.

Oh yeah, I was BORN in Utah. But it's been 20 years since I left there and then came back. I've seen the world since then and being LDS is not the same in Germany or Kansas as it is here. People here seem to be more lukewarm here whereas there you either are or you aren't. And I never came into strong anti-Mormon sentiments until I came here. Whoooa nelly, you don't like the LDS, you don't have to BE here. Seriously. There are other places to be that pay more and cost less. I suggest Lawrence in Kansas. Nice place, very granola, very open-minded. Blue as my own two astigmatic eyes.

Anyways, I have to hold back because I have relatives that might read this. Hi Sis! Hey Aunts, Uncles, Cousins who have floated over from Sis's blog! It's amusing because most of my life I was this chubby shy kid that you've all come to know and tolerate and maybe like lots. You don't realize that then, College happened. Ohhh college. KU. Kit found her feet and her spine at KU. But that was just the start. Since then, Kit's gone to Nursing School, aka the Gauntlet. Kit's Moved Out. Kit's had to be a bit more self-reliant. And Kit has started to live in the Real World. Now, don't get me wrong, I haven't lost my sense of manners and respect, but I have lost a lot of timidity.

But all that aside, this is a Knitting Blog. The real life blog is on LiveJournal and I may someday show you which one is mine, but not right now. I like being a bit hermetic.

Now for Knitting. I've started up the Corset again for lack of anything else to knit (argh! Must knit something, anything, what can I knit, I have Second FingerlessGloveWithHoodie Syndrome!) and had to start it all over because I stopped mid row and heaven help me but I just couldn't figure it out. Whatever, I will stay in the groove this time.

And congratulations to anyone who read all this sh...tuff. See? See? Swearing. On a Sunday. I'm a Work In Progress. Can't wait till I'm my own FO*.

*Finished Object, yannow.

Heeeey, so THAT'S where that big bag of Cinnamon Almonds went...!

Ina, Dad, remember when I couldn't find them? Figured they were lost forever in the fourth or fifth dimension of the minivan? Yeah. They're a little stale but I haven't: a) died b) broken out in some terrible rash c) made a dash to worship that white idol, the Porcelain God. They *are* a little stale. This, you notice, has not stopped me at all. Whatsoever.

I haven't blogged here for a bit. Life and Parents Being Here* (seriously, I was thrilled, it was SO fun) kind of stole me away. Since I last posted I:

*have not bought a drop spindle. It's like they're too expensive (I say this when I ALMOST bought a $70 framed bit of art at BB&B today...then bought a Salt City Christmas Eve candle instead). Maybe I'm afraaaaid. Maybe I need to find a good reason for buying one (okay! Plan: Buy drop spindle when Nursing Concepts 6 is passed. Okay. Good!)

*HAVE finished my scarf. And verily I did block it and it DID NOT STAY UNCURLED! Arrgh! *insert several expletives here* I haven't woven in ends, I haven't put in the fringe but I did block it and it's not stayed blocked!!! Stress! Bite! Oh, okay, I won't bite the scarf, but that's because I'm only a little crazy, not a lot crazy.

*have made...wait, let's do this right. Mom, sis, niece, and I went out for shoppings today. Yeah yeah, I'm not like all the other cool kids and I participated in the rabid shark pond of consumerism. And I brought some knitting with me. Anyways, mom got some Nifty Foundation, the powder sort and got some really cool free stuff and it all came in a silvery bag. She tried to shove it off on my niece, but my niece would have nothing to do with it. So I said I'd take it. And whaddaya know it holds my stuff! In this case, that would be a fingerless-glove-that-may-also-have-a-mitten-hoodie. I finished it not long after my parents, trying to beat the OZ (pronounced "snowstorm") to Kansas, ran away. If they'd stayed through one more episode of Good Eats (the cheesecake one where I suddenly gain five pounds just watching it) they'd have Lived Long And Prospered. Wait...that sounds so not good. Ina, Dad, drive SAFE, don't give in to large trucks driving too fast while carrying TN-freakin'-T. Don't spin out into snowy medians and kill innocent signs that our taxpayers have put up to slow down big minivans like yours. And PLEASE LIVE LONG AND PROSPER ANYWAYS. And move out here so you don't have to go back to Kansas all the time. Kansas is for sucks. Utah is much prettier, you can see STARS...at least, when it's not Inversion, which is a big word for poetic and foggy mountains in the distance. Pretty.

*have not cleaned up since the Major Clean Up that I attempted before my parents came over. I prayed they wouldn't use the little bathroom where I kept the cleaning supplies and that big hiking boot that killed Shelob (*shudders*) and the strange and mysterious green goo that lives in the caulking around the toilet. But they did. First thing mom does after bringing stuff down into the family room? No, not unpack, clean that STUPID BATHROOM! Why? But at least they weren't as squicked out about the Fuzzy Air Grate above the bathtub and mom cleaned the Green Toilet (except it's green again, mom says it's not mold but I disagree).

And anyways, it was a great week except for when it wasn't but that was very small compared to when it was.

Oh yes, really cool trick. If you hit the Shift Key while clicking on any link, it opens up the link in A NEW WINDOW! Huzzah! God save the King! Now I don't have to put 'target="new"' in my links! Please turn your pop-up-blocker off when you do that though. Or hold the CTRL key down, too. So, Shift-CTRL-*click* or something like that for new windows.

Peace Out.

*Mom knits, YAAAY! And that's just how Dad watches every movie. I'm not kidding. Unless he paid for the theater, but I don't know, may be does sleep at the theater. He sleeps at church. *tattle tattle*

shut down in 3...2...1...

At a certain point at night, my brain goes "nitting iz hrd" and I end up having to tink more than I knit. Lousy scarf.

Sinner

For being a naughty recipient of SP6 love by not posting and thanking my sweet SP sistah (no, really, her email calls her KnitSista), I have had suffered retribution by nasty cold. It came at me Monday and hit me with a 2x4. A 2x4 with a rusty nail that set my sinuses and throat aflame. I'm glad I didn't schedule work because I'm telling you, hell hath no fury like a cold scorned. But she was so kind, I love her little knitted bag with the soap in it (nice!) and the fun knitting cards. The chocolate and tea were very welcome at this point ('specially the tea).

I am, however, feeling better. I had the sinus and throat thing on Monday, felt better but exhausted yesterday, overexerted myself by inviting friends to share in some restorative sushi and miso soup at Demae and then too much chocolate brownie and Fruits Basket (an anime, one that my little blog button is from incidently). This morning, my throat is thinking things it shouldn't be thinking (how wicked!), my nose has become Mucus Central, but I feel stronger. Which is a good thing, or rather, better be a good thing, I have a lot to do today. After all, my parents are coming over and they're staying in the basement family room that still needs sweeping and vaccuuming, if I can get over my fear of black widows (it's cold enough for them all to be dead and gone, right? Right? Woes!).

Okay, and now for something actually related to this blog:

I want to start spinning. Oh heavens, another something for me to dabble in! I don't even know what I'd spin or why, it's just something I want to learn to do! Anyways, I was perusing eBay for a proper drop spindle and there were a whole heck of a lot. I became rather fond of the Rapunzel one. It looks so neat! But I don't know if I'd get terribly serious about this. Ah well, if I wasn't crazy about it, I could always re-sell it, right? What's your opinion? I already have some gorgeous merino roving that I don't know if I dare to spin. It's too pretty. Alas.

I'm on the last half of the last repeat before the tapered end on my Faina scarf. It's not very long and it's rather wide. But I think it will fast become my favorite scarf. It's always special to wear things you've made. I wear my Rogue on a regular basis. It makes me so happy.

Ah, for the love of knitting.

Getting It Together

I know better. I do. Making To-Do lists at 2am? Madness. My brain starts going "Oh yes and don't forget...and that too". Look at that. Can you imagine the amount of lazy I've been struck with to have let it all build up like that? And those 20 pages, ohhh, they're killer. They take me over 2 hours to do because I am Queen of ADD when it's something I'm not fond of doing. I could knit for hours. I canNOT type from textbooks with obscure answers to all my workbook's questions for hours straight. My brain starts wandering.

Also, 2am is not the time to be relying my brain for rational thought. I have some bizarre things on that to-do list.

I will still go to SOAR tomorrow. I just hope Margene left a *little* yarn for this cookie monster.

not SOARing

I thought I'd hit up SOAR today. It sounded fun, Lawrence's Yarn Barn was representing (YO MIDWEST, WASSUP!) and it was fun to see on the market-list that after everyone had their little blurb of what they would be bringing to the market, Yarn Barn added their own touch of "onery-ness" to their wares. I never knew that was marketable. I bet I got enough to sell to keep me warm all winter.

However, I am about 80 pages behind when it comes to my workbook. So instead of happily perusing fine wares, fibers, and selections of onery-ness, I am studying up on various STDs (apologies to any genteel family members who may be reading this, nursing isn't always a pretty profession).

However, Saturday evening looks promising. Which is hopeful since I tend not to have anything to do ever on Saturday evenings.

In knitting news, the scarf is progressing nicely, thank you for wondering. I am going to do an official Kittyville 62 hat for a friend for Christmas but I need appropriate DPNs, which I...do not have. I shall have to go scrounge up some nice Boye needles for that.

Anyways, back to the studying. I can't wait till this is all over.

Angels Never Would Fall

It's been a rough bunch of weeks. It may be the weather, lots of rain and gloom (though I tend to LOVE rain and gloom, we had more than enough to love in Germany). It may be that Kit has been in decafe withdrawal. I certainly don't see my friends as much anymore, as much as I try to seduce invite them over to hang out in my basement (it's a wonderful place to hang, the black widows are very friendly). Or perhaps, and this is most likely, a certain non-knitter in Oklahoma has been keeping me up WAY too late. I tend not to have a problem with this because the longer I'm conscious, the more I knit on my scarf. And since I just got a haircut like the sweet anime ladies in my button, I am cold. Soo cold. I'm getting to dread hairdressers, they just seem to be a bit crazy with those twitches in their eyes and just a little TOO happy with the scissors. Scary. But, coming back from that sidetrack, when the cousins awake at around 7 in the morning, there is no rest for the wicked weary. No offense to them or my uncle and aunt (if you're reading this, I really love you tons and I understand that mornings are very hectic).

Either way, I did spend a few soppy days at home. And one evening of transforming into the human hosepipe. But I am better now! And I have more scarf to show for it. The problem with not posting images the day I take them is that knitting continues on. My scarf is already a full repeat beyond what you see in the pictures. Alas, but at least here you can see it.



Gorgeous, isn't it? Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Wild Raspberry, going to Obsidian and then back to the Wild Raspberry because, um, I was 100 yards short of the Wild Raspberry. This way, I'll have enough for the scarf and possibly some mitten/fingerless glove dealies. Those are really cool and I want a pair.

Oh, I would have draped it artfully on a tree, but when I did...the little fragile limb snapped. I figure, it wouldn't have survived a good snowfall anyways and I really didn't want my scarf to be the Destroyer of more trees, so I left it in the little Lantern Moon basket I've been using. That basket is so cool, too. It smells like green tea. Mmm.

And, since everyone else is doing it, I have my own Autumn pictures.


Have an awesome day all!

Busy Knitter

You know, I think I have a terribly cushy little job. I go in, I set up my medications for 4:30 and 8:30, print off the med change report sheets, set the juice and blood glucose stuff up and I'm pretty much set for the other 6 hours of my shift. No one's ill, no one's too terribly volatile, no one has a catheter/IV/vitals, etc.

It can make my job a tad boring. So what do knitters do when bored at work (and has gotten full permission from the RN)? Hahaha, what a silly question! They work on Sandy's Warm Hands, of course!



Now, granted, the one on the right took me from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon while the one on the left was started on Monday and just barely finished, but dang, that's a quick knit. And they're good and masculine and boring. I had some fun with them at work.

I had brought the finished one with me to work to see if it fit REAL MEN and their massive hands. Well, I handed it off to one of the psych techs (who was about 45 or so) and it fit perfect. And then it disappeared. I couldn't say where it went and I had to count narcotics with the RN anyways, so I just left it to its fate.

Moments later, there was a knock on the window to the med room and I looked up. I don't know WHERE they got the googly rolly jawbreaker-sized eyes, but the psych tech had them propped between his knuckles and the mitten had become a Halloween Monster. A rather goofy one too. It was wicked funny. Men just never grow up...thank goodness.

Anyways, the mittens were great for work (though what do I knit tonight???) but I thought it would be nice to work on something a bit more...challenging. Enter Faina's Scarf. I'm being terribly naughty by going madly off gauge (sport weight? I laugh in your face, ha!) and using some stash-lurking Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Wild Raspberry. Ha, take that!



I apologize for the rather sad quality of the photo, but this way you can see the colors better. You already know what the finished product may look like.

I'm using a pair of size 4 Addis (not the Turbos, but just as good and half the price on eBay) and I feel...luxuriant. I've knit with some lovely stuff, but this is gorgeous. The colors are divine, the needles are like buttah, my neck even approves. Only problem is, it's coming out a bit wide. But oh well, that's just more of my neck that gets covering, right? And it's acting so nicely, I've only had to tink back once (though that took about an hour, I really should know better than to try to catch up on anime with subtitles while knitting something that requires just as much attention, if not more).

Anyways, that's my very late WIP Wednesday.

Oh, and the corset? The corset can wait until later, when the Ren Fest isn't another year away. I like working under a bit of pressure. ;)

Mitt Knit Monday

If only my hands were not stumpy, a production of 16 years of prednisone. If only I had man hands. If only I had chopped off my Dad's hand (I only need one, he can live with a left hand...oh all right, I'll take the left if I must).

But if only any of that were possible, this would not look so absurd:


I seem to have a serious problem when it comes to sizing things and the only men around to help model things for me is my uncle who claims to have "small hands" and as such, I am not sure I can trust him for proper sizing.

You can quit laughing now.

Whole lotta bloggin' goin' on: Part 4

This is the last one. Promise.

Stitch N B...otch, SLC-style
I brought the recently frogged (nearly spelled 'flogged'. I suppose it would be appropriate) and reknit corset with me. An hour of heavy traffic is not my friend, but listening to Conference while watching the sunset during stop-and-go traffic made it a lot easier. I get so tired of radio stations sometimes.

I think people kind of recognized me this time around. Impressive! And there were a lot more people this time around. It was good to get together to chat and knit and see all the gorgeous projects. And when it came time to get home (I had pills to take so I had to leave a bit before anyone else), it was hard to go.

I can't come next Tuesday, but I'll have a bit more foresight next time I schedule some work hours (part time is so lovely) and leave Tuesday free.

The Yarn Stores
Y'know, getting lost or missing your turn doesn't always have negative connotations. Why, when I missed my 600 S. exit on the way to the hospital around 8am yesterday, I took the next possible exit, turned, and found myself confronted with the most glorious sunrise. Clouds, sun, and mountains making an incredible display. The clouds were on fire, the sun was a shining gold pool, and the mountains were stalwart silhouettes. And then, on 600 S. and having to turn left, I managed to get onto S. Temple instead of 100 S. And as I drove down it thinking that nothing looked familiar at all (I'm a SLC n00b, bebes), I found the Black Sheep Company!

Well, you know that after two blood draws and a flu shot, I just HAD to make up for it. So I went in for a visit. Charming store. But it just didn't suit me. And as I was driving back home, I waffled between taking the 9000 S. exit or not. Ooohhh, it was way past pill time, I argued. But how often do I manage to be in SLC/Sandy? And especially during yarn store hours? I finally went and made my way to my favorite yarn store, A Unravelled Sheep. I don't know if the 'A' belongs or not, but it's a silly typographical error.

I went in and the store owner was there, merrily knitting. So, I grabbed her books of lace shawls and scarves (heh) and we sat and chatted and knit (because that's always inevitably in my big messenger bag). I soon found myself comfortably talking about my family, Kansas, observations that I'd been keeping to myself and things I normally don't just talk about with a stranger (actually, I don't just talk about *anything* with a person I'm only barely acquainted with). But she made me comfortable, she had a wonderful no-nonsense attitude about life and she was knitting a beautiful jacket for herself, one of the first things she's made for herself in a good long time. Anyone in the area should definitely go by and sit and chat. I lost a good hour just being there with her. And I bought two patterns that I found through the pattern books and just enjoyed myself.

I didn't get home until 1pm, which was a long day considering that I left at 7am. But it was worth it.

Knitters are awesome people, are they not?

Whole lotta bloggin' goin' on: Part 3

Phew, you tired of reading this stuff yet? But it is my duty as Kitting Goddess to keep this blog updated! Who else would do it if I didn't? Really, a goddess's work is never done!

This one is for Jessimuka's benefit. And it was supposed to be done Wednesday (WIP Wednesdays!) but, uh, right. We don't need to keep gnawing on the same ol' Lazy Kitter bone, do we? I feel terrible as it is!

Here we have Annie Modesitt's Lovely Corset Tank in progress. I started it Sunday, got a good chunk done, and then realized I had buggered everything all to pieces and into the frog pond it went! But not for long, I started it right over. I think I deserve a knitting cookie for that. Also, a tip for those of you who lose stitch markers...rings work perfectly well (see right). The only downside is that your finger gets terribly lonely for that ring-made-stitch-marker. I'd better hurry up and finish that row.

And, for Sandy's Warm Hands KAL, here is what I finally decided for my Dad's Mittens:

Made from the same KnitPicks Andean Wool in Lettuce that my corsett is made from. It's a good "thickness" and will most likely work just fine for him. I hope it'll be warm, but at least it'll be soft and if he finds it too "gurly", he can just wear them under his Big Mittens. Pattern is just something I'm taking from a book I got at HalfPriced Books: The Joy of Knitting Companion. I really like this book, it's so good for basic patterns and includes hats, socks, mittens, scarves? (like it's so complicated to knit a big rectangle? I dunnow). It also has knitting graphs (wonderful!), needle and knitting gauge rulers and just everything you'd want for starting out. I think it wants to be a gift, though.

After the mittens. ;)

Whole lotta bloggin' goin' on: Part 2

Second of all was my darling SP6. My first package came in...um...a few days ago. *blush* Kind of like almost a week ago and though I love it all, I've been madly lazy. But here, this is what came in for me the day after I got home from Kansas (I won the race, SP!).

| |

I love the Native American card on the left. And tea! She (he?) reads my blog, how wonderful! I love tea. The point protectors are so cute, I love that. And the notecards are not going to last, I'm afraid. They're too awesome to hoard, despite my rabid desire to do that. The little halloween notepads are SO CUTE ARGH! I use the ghostie one for shopping lists and as I was depositing my check at the bank in Walmart, the rather attractive man at the counter grinned and asked what my little ghostie was for. Heh, shopping list, what else? ;D The lotion is nice, I look forward to trying it out. And the sketchbook with charcoal pencils? That was an EXCELLENT idea. Really! And the patterns are way sweet. Thanks, SP! *big hug*

Whole lotta bloggin' goin' on: Part 1

We come now to the part where Kit goes "OH NOES!!! Lookit all the stuff I have to freakin' BLOG already!!!" I mean, there are FO's, SP6 love, WIP's, SLC S'n'B experiences, and stories of wonderful yarn stores!

Okay, calm down, Kit. Let's take this a step at a time. *big breath, deep breath, lets it out before she pops*

Finished Objects First

I'm going to shamelessly cut and paste from my LiveJournal. If you read this already, hush your noise and let me get on with it already!

Rogue


This is quite form fitting. Yus, I'm a goddess of bounty, thank you for noticing. And I only have one arm. Terrible accident involving derring do, pirates AND ninjas, passionate love making, and a badger named Earl. The sweater took me since May and the crazy thing is, I practically have two full skeins of the Cascade 220 left over. Talk about miscalculating, but maybe it's the reason why the sleeves are a tad bit tight. Ah well.


Speaking of sleeves, check out that celtic knot action! That's my hip in the background, the knotwork goes all the way up to where the sleeve connects. Awesome, no?


Oooooh...it's the hood! I'm a clumsy seamer, I know. Next time I make the Rogue, it will have pockets, no cardiganizing, and a better looking hood. Still, yeah, I had fun with this one.

Cut Your Teeth


These are those infamous socks. The ones that have guided me to lovely men. Socks that have been admired by the infamous and semi-famous and just ordinary citizens. Socks that were knitted with love. Socks...that are apparently two different lengths. *sigh* Sorry, mum.

Mittens...

My dad wants a pair of mittens to wear under his other Big Mittens. I was thinking "Huh, well, that'll take sock yarn! Nothing else would really be comfortable in them!". But when I went home to visit and showed him the KnitPicks yarn in Zinnia, he said it was too fine. He wants something thick.

Thick? He won't be able to move his hands if they're "thick"! But then I got to thinking, perhaps he wants something more that he could wear outside of just his Big Mittens.

So, should I just stick to using sock yarn for mittens? Or should I make two pair?

If I don't have time, though, I do think I'll just make him one pair and give him the other later (if I even make two pairs). Which should I go for, thicker mittens (which I don't have yarn for, but certainly don't mind going out to get) or sock yarn ones?

FO's and SP6 lovelies to come!

Love and peace!

P.S. Dear Yarn Harlot,

After reading the chapter in your book about how your husband refused to wear sage green because it wasn't 'masculine' enough, I can only say this: When my parents took me to airport, my dad was wearing a sage green shirt with a black/red motif and lots of textural designs using a series of knits and purls. I was constantly poking and staring at it, it was a beautiful sweater. And my dad is as masculine as John Wayne when it comes down to it. In conclusion, your husband and my dad need a talk.

Love,
Kit

P.P.S. To my commenters: Abbie, I am so glad I'm helping to be an inspiration. There's nothing you can't do and your baby booties are awesome! Thanks for your comment, it is always nice to hear such things. :)
Teri, if you're ever up for it, I do think I'll hit the Shakespeare Festival next year (Margene went to this last one and it looked marvelous) and maybe we can carpool over and I'll try to have a costume this time around (all I actually need is a bodice, I have the rest). It's not the KC Ren Fest, but it should still be mad fun. :D I hope to see you Tuesday, I'm going to try to make it to the SLCSnB this week.

To The Renaissance Faire!

So I made a little trip to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. I've been there I don't know how many times and it never fails to enchant me...and my pocket book. But I deserved all I got for myself and others. It was just a good time.

Check it out, I got to meet Jack!

who was quite charming and very, well, YOU know. Be-rum'd.

Also, I really did check my programme, never did see anything about Scheduled Executions, which was most disappointing.


But what made up for the disappointment was...yarn. Oh heck yes, there was yarn. I can't remember the FIRST store, but there was lovely bits of little dolls made out of the yarn, not to mention the bin. Aye, the bin of merino wool. I wisely made the decision to take one skein of apple green to match my shirt and would be enough for a nice hat. Most of the handspun stuff was very coarse, though. But the eyecandy, well, it was lovely.


Then, later in the day, footweary and rather tired of the scads of people asking my friends who had come with me for the umpteenth time what kind of dog Antrig was ( for the love of wool, a standard poodle with a very short haircut. Next time, I think he should wear a sign.) I saw a sign for A Wolf in Sheep Clothing. Dare I dream? The store hit me in the face with tawdry things made of Fun Fur (oy...) like scarves, hats, vests. But in a lovely little corner, I saw it. My heart raced, my face flushed, and I was drawn to it like a moth to flame.

I fondly caressed the merino, held the alpaca to my neck in awe of the lack of scratchy itch, smiled at the laceweight mohair, glared at the FunFur and then I saw it. There on the hangers, sockweight merino. The little tags exclaim "Enough for two socks!" and it was only $10. Well, that called for a heartfelt "HUZZAH!" (internally, I didn't want to shock the customers). And then my hand brushed by some merino fleece. ...oh dear... Someone local-ish want to show me how to spin? The two ounces I bought are asking quite politely for some skill.

Though, I do think when I return tomorrow, I'll ask the lady for a quick lesson. She has a wheel and maybe she'd like to show a newbie a few tricks.

Anyways, I return tomorrow, tickets are 2 for 1 and I'm only going with my dad this time, who is more than happy to just do whatever, show up at various meeting places every two hours and let me run madly around until I run out of people to buy things for and join him.

Goin' out of town.

To my KSSP, SP, Knitpicks, and Handpaintedyarn.com (though I don't expect the latter two to actually read this blog or *care*), I will be out of town and won't be receiving mail until Thursday the 13th.

However, I will not be netless. I just have to remember to bring the camera.

Previous Post's comment responses (I hate how I can't respond to people's comments):
Lolly - Thank you for the encouragement!

Feeling rogueish...

This was Saturday night. She's waiting for me to hem her and put the sleeves on. Mum will help me with the zipper since 1. I've never put a zipper in before and 2. she has a sewing machine and I don't. But that won't be until maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Still, so very close! I'm so excited!

Moving

Not much knitting done lately since I have moved. I didn't go far, though, just down two stories. It was all done in the matter of two to three hours and my uncle, aunt, and three cousins pitched in.

I'm amazed at how strong I am because only my legs are vaguely sore from all the travelling up and down stairs. My arms don't bother me at all! And I was moving heavy things (though I didn't bother carrying anything too heavy, I refuse to go through another two weeks of torment, unable to even roll in bed for fear of my shoulders screaming out in pain).

However, here are a few notes of progress:
I finished and seamed the hood to Rogue.
I am about two inches from working the toe on the second sock of Cut Your Teeth.
I had to frog the first sock of Cut Your Teeth because I made the cuff too short...this isn't necessarily progress, but it is in its own way. It will be longer, stronger!, Shinier! Er, sorry, getting carried away.

Now I just want an opinion. Which would be preferrable for the Rogue:
Zipper or buttons? And by buttons, they would be something like frog clasps on the inside so that the seams would still match up.

Pros and cons of each would be appreciate. And your ultimate opinion.

Remember to smile today!

Postscript: I did find my skein of Knitpicks sock yarn in Zinnia that was hiding my #2 DPNs. It was in one of those sterilite containers that hold my stash. Now THERE was a forehead slapper, oy. *laugh*

nothing but blue skies

Today I play along with a contest and contribute Sandy's sky contest. Utah's got some great skies but my favorite is always and ever will be clouds.



Taken on one of my morning walks. Joy!

*facepalm*

I'm a moron in that I never did reveal the mysterious mysteries of my secret pal.

It's Knitting Sunshine! Just a brief glance at her blog will show you how incredibly talented she is. Her stitch markers are a wonder (yep, I'm still using mine, don't know if you saw them or not on my Mistake post...btw, I'll leave it and do some manipulation with a tapestry needle or sumfin.), she has yarn for the selling (*so tempted*) and is gorgeous to boot.

Thanks so much, you've been a total awesome Secret Pal!

P.S. Borders ditched all their lovely chai in favor of a new franchise known as Seattle's Best. I don't know about you, Seattle, but Oregon Chai is mud next to Border's DeCaff Chai. I'm in love with that stuff (yes, decaf...you can't knit and twitch at the same time, it don't work). And now it's gone. *weep* I hate you Borders.

Not for the weak of stomach.

I hope those of you who are not easily sickened for what I am about to show you makes *me* queasy. ME! Nurse Kit who has dealt with pee, poop, pus, tunneling wounds and nursing professors! This stomach's made out of iron, but this makes me quaver.

Want to know what it is?

This.


See it? No, not the Lippincott Nursing Bible. Here, perhaps this will help.



It's painful, my friends. So painful. Look at all that work...and now a miscrossed cable. It's enough to make me weep.

You know what? I bet if I don't point it out, non-knitters and non Ren Fest celtic nuts won't see it.

...

Yeah, I'm seriously screwed. *sob*

fifteen minutes

I do believe my Cut Your Teeth socks are special. They have introduced me to cute guys and cool guys. People from Kansas/Missouri. And today, they've had their 15 minutes of fame.



The CBS Early Morning Show had one of their people over at the Vermillion Skies cafe where I attended. Everyone was bleary eyed and though we were promised that they would come at 5:00am, the blonde chick didn't come till quarter to 6. I got my knitting out and though I'm very camera shy, right at the end of the show, she insisted on showing my knitting.

The sock was very thrilled and was eager to show off its intricate cuff and ribbed bits. Its mate was knit on twos that I have since misplaced, along with the skein of Knitpicks Zinnia yarn they were hiding in. Bother that, I suppose the 1s that SP sent me are preferrable anyways. The needles strike fear into the hearts of men...or at least, I pretend that they do. Well, I suppose only insomniacs and medical staffing are up early enough anyways and only the insomniacs will be watching. Thank goodness, I'm still not thin. And cameras always put on extra weith, y'know?

But I had an awesome time. John (the 'cool guy' of the above link) was making faces the entire time, which I found most amusing. I think I like him. He amuses me. He's the "bouncer" of the cafe and I kept challenging him. "You steppin? Huh? You wanna mess wit' dis?" and I wave my size 1 needles at him. He takes it all in stride (he does not fear the needles, tch).

Here's hoping the socks make a good segue into the whole knitting club I'd like to get started again at the cafe. I want to hold it more towards the afternoon (say 4pm-ish?). I'm trying not to have it too late, because that's when the crowds come in and Christin, my dear friend and owner, likes to knit but has a priority when it comes to customers.

I'll continue to think about it.


As for Emerson, he just wishes I was knitting up sausages for him to eat. Pikachu was unavailable for questioning.

curiouser and curiouser!

Well, after recovering the mail key from the hotspot of Doom in the kitchen (where the sterio is and where everything else kind of goes), I realized that my SP sent to more letters with...letters in them. I seem to be terribly dense because I knew there were little flittery letters in there and still took no care opening up the envelopes. I am not quite sure what it is I dropped, I'm hoping it's the letter 'g' because that would make a ton of sense.

Let's see, the letters I have now: K N N N S T T I I E

I can spell KNITTIN with S E N left over. NES? SP, are you a gamer, perchance? ;)

Not much else to say. I passed my Nursing Concepts 4 exam, hurrah!!! On to NC5, then 6, then 3, then I'm done with that part, onto the clinicals and the NCLEX and...let's just say I better not run out of anything to knit...not that I really am too worried, eh SP? *winknudge*

ETA: Got I N G in the mail yesterday. So! here's what we got now.

G K N N N N S T T I I I E

K N I T T I N G | E I N N S Hmm...

N E S T I N G K N I T | N I Maybe?

Am I still missing a letter? Rrrgh, dunno! *puzzles*

Hurricane Katrina

Today I let my opinion monster out. In a crisis, sometimes all people can do is scream blame and point fingers, trying to find fault. I find this to be a selfish act. It's an attitude of "It's not my fault so I don't have to help" in my opinion.

It wasn't my fault either. But I donated to Margene and Susan's Give A Little. I'm afraid to say that I hate phones and the website wasn't working so I went over to The LDS Humanitarian Aid Site and donated there. It still goes to help those in need and it won't be the last time I give. I don't tend to trust charities and instead, give it to Fast Offering. This works, too.

And I pray for those people. I am grateful that I am not there and even more grateful that I am in a position to help.

I got a notice that they have room at the hospital for those who need help. They'll clear the cafeteria and the gym for people. I don't know if they really will take people all the way to Utah, but we're ready.

In other news: Rogue is coming along quite nicely.

And my my hair is red.

That is all.

Time is short...

I thought yesterday was a fluke. A bit of nippyness in the air, barely reaching the 80 degree mark...but no. No, today was just as nippy, if not a little more. And it was GORGEOUS. I need to hurry up with Rogue, but guess what? I'm already at the neck. Yes! That far! Sometimes I boggle at the way my mind sometimes has a hard time wrapping around only doing HALF a pattern (what was God thinking, trusting me with such a delicate piece of machinery when He knows how clumsy I am?) since I'm working on the cardigan version, but hey, I worked it out. I'm smart. Nothing's impossible.

Red. Yes, I know just where to find some red. Right up behind Seven Peaks, there is some definite red. And orange. Maybe a little yellow. It looks very much like the my version of Cut your Teeth. Images are coming soon, duckies.

Knitting also helped me meet a girl from Kansas City, my old stalking grounds, particularly during nursing school. Nice chick, she also agreed that Douglas/Johnson County is just a not so nice people place. Then I also met a lovely young man who looked like Brad Pitt, except without the smarmy face that makes me want to kick him in the nuts. Gorgeous man, I wanted to kiss him. Mmm mm mm...but I'm a good girl, I only flirted wildly with him and defiantly knitted at the same time.

And to the ProvoGrrl(tm) who was "Definitely going to buy my socks next time she sees me"...I hope you have a spare $100 on you. If I worked on these at minimum wage, that's how much they'd be worth. No? Your loss, these socks are one of a kind. And really made for my mom so too bad, nyahaha.

Anyways, I really ought to post pictures but I've been too lazy...*coff* I will soon, at least of Rogue because she is seriously wanting some loving here.

P.S. SP, I have five letters now. N, N, I, S, & E. I'm thinking Senni? Nines? If you have 'knits' in your name, I'm at a loss. But I didn't check the mail today so maybe there's another clue awaiting discovery in the mail. Hmm.

Oh, and happy September First!

I Blame It On The Moon.

What else would I blame for last night spent in tears over nothing more than music? Blasted hormones. And then a ghastly dream that I blogged and then hid so it wouldn't haunt me again today. It's that miserable moon's fault. But this morning was bright and cool and beautiful. I bullied myself into two miles of walking. Now, I didn't walk it in power-walk mode, merely fast enough to keep my inner coach from pestering me too much (his name shall be mud if he's too mean and yes, my inner coach is a lovely young man...blame it on Mr. Pepper, my former Tae Kwon Do instructor who has partly been inspiration for this coach).

I had lots of acrylic yarn to distribute (destashing effort, you know) so I was busy packing it all off to send. And wouldn't you know it, I reach for a cardboard box and the mean little blighter slitted my middle finger! Now, in an eager attempt to cleanse and possibly stop the pain, I shoved it in my mouth without figuring precisely where the cut was. And when I wiped the excess saliva onto my shirt I realized that the blood must have done a little spurting and now my martial arts shirt (today was not the day to be gorgeous, so it was jeans and shirt day) had a lovely blood print on it. Actually, that may be considered appropriate for the shirt.

Well, after everything was shipped off as cheaply as possible (as much as I aspire to be, I am not yet a billionare and cannot hand deliver items in a personal jet. Some day, though), I came home and decided to check the mail.

The Moon may irritate and annoy, but the Moon also makes merry and lo! there was a package from my beloved SP. You know, she covered the $50 minimum in just shipping her gifts. Lovey, you are SO on my Christmas Gift List. Let me know what your favorite color combo and animal are because...yeah. And don't be bashful, I really really want to do something for you. I will cry if I can't. You don't want to make me cry. /guilt-trip *laugh* But look at this love!



Tea At The Empress. Ten heavenly teabags, just delightful. It reminds me of the Netherlands, both the tea and the tins (I'm half Dutch and so I delight in proper tea). I was opening it and thinking "Gosh, I hope she didn't send chocolate, it'll be a puddle of goo!" Oh but she did. I tried a little taste and it's heavenly. I suppose it goes on crackers? I can think of many uses for it, either way. And the prickly pear marmelade made me giggle. I think I will have that on toast tomorrow. Who would have thought prickly pears would have made proper marmalade? I didn't even conceive of them being edible!

The book: SP, you have read my mind. I've been eyeing that book for so long, but I haven't been able to see it in stores, though the praises for it are high. So, yes, excellent choice! The Yarn: That would be Knitpick's Shadow in Vineyard. It is a rich, dark purple and will be just the thing for my next lace project. Well, as soon as I get over my monogamous knitting (must make corset before the Celtic Chaley at the KC Ren Fest!). Mmm, but it is sure nice to carress and love and snuggle and...er...um, yes. *puts the yarn away* I'll be back for you later!

Oh, and the scissors, too! They're perfect for small bags, purses, everything! And they're so cute!


Finally, I loved the card and the cross-stitch! Indeed, Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries. And what a mysterious card. When I opened it, little letters fluttered out. I collected all three and then read to find that I will receive more of them in letters to come when my Secret Pal's identity is revealed to me. How enigmatic of you, SP! A fun trick! You are an excellent Secret Pal and I am envious of anyone to receive you as a Secret Pal in the future! You have made me very happy, take a look:



See? Yes, I dared to put my face on the internet because I learned this: when you take a picture of yourself flopped on the bed, your face hides the rest of the bulk. *grin* Oh yes, and normally I don't wear my glasses unless about to go to bed. But my contacts were irritating my eyes, so I decided I'd give my poor eyes a break.

Thank you!

two posts in one day!

Okay, covering up my lame post of previousness, I would like to spread some love.

First up, we have one for a woman who has a myriad of problems, including Graves Disease and various cancers. Please do what you can, buy one less skein of sock yarn and donate the money you saved to here: http://www.4christina.org/

And secondly, most of you are aware of the need, especially if you read the popular blogs. http://emma.prettyposies.com/ Her son is in need of special equipment, including an electric wheelchair.

Governments and special institutions don't always cover and help everyone. And usually it takes a good lot of friends and a lot of faith and hope to keep going. So, please give what you're willing.

yeah yeah, going back on going back on my promise.

By popular request (trans: got two people asking "hey, I thought you were gonna post about this!"), here 'tis.

The Joy Of Being A Woman

It seems that these days, it's not just men who can make us feel a bit foolish about not being born with a penis, but women too. For example, during my LPN days, one nursing professor (the one who taught the OB/GYN rotation, ironically) would go on about how PMS was man's excuse to say that women were too unstable to hold positions of power or prestige. "Just think!" she would exclaim, "Would you trust someone running for office who went completely irrational once every month? I sure wouldn't!" And then she would proclaim that there really was no such thing as PMS.

Obviously she'd been through menopause too long ago to remember that she, too, would get the hormonal red light flashing. Personally, I would say that I am perfectly rational when it comes to important decisions when my body is giving me the hormonal red light. I'm just not very sociable. And slights, real or imagined, can make me angry enough to cry. Now, granted, if I were to burst into tears in the middle of a board meeting or something, that would make me seem a little bonkers, but in all, I think that this professor of mine was pretty much filling our class with unresearched, unreasonable, and unprofessional bull.

But the great part about women is that men tend to trip over themselves for us a lot of the time. I remember reading about how to catch men with just a glance in Memoirs Of A Geisha. So one day...I tried it. You know what? If you can do it right, it works. It really does. How's that for fun?

Girls also have much nicer clothes with a better variety. This includes knitting pattern. Men canNOT wear shrugs, stoles, or shawls. Women can and it's awesome.

Women also smell nicer. Not that men stink.

And can have better manners. Not that all men are pigs.

It's hard to put a finger on it, but I also think men are more fun to watch than women and it would be awkward for me personally to be a man watching men. (Not that I haven't had odd dreams where I was a man and wishing I was a woman because some of the dream men were quite good-looking...though I've never been an ugly man in my dreams either).

I dunno, feminists just seem to have this need to be more manly than men and I find that to be less than fun. Just be what you are and enjoy it!

P.S. working madly on Rogue until I get the stuff to make this lovely corset. There, that's my knitting for the blog.

Lace and tea

Remember once upon a time when the Mystery Stole was barely a square patch of lace? It was so cute and it seemed like it would never really grow, not much and certainly not fast. It's been quite a while since that picture was taken and...well...it's gotten bigger. And made friends.



That glass of dark and mysterious liquid is none other than a steamy glass of Fruit Medley from Adagio Teas. It tastes a bit like fruit loops, which I guess was the point. Mmm. Very nice with a good tangy aftertaste. And I have more tea to test out because mommy was so very very nice and got me the infusetea thinger (hehee, isn't it cool to see it? It's even more fun to play with after you figure out how to make the water come out...well, I'm sure you will all figure it out in moments, I was going nuts trying to figure it out. Some days I'm not a very bright monkey) and it came with a selection of samples. The samples come in little tins that will make you 10 cups of tea, enough for you to enjoy. I think I put a bit too much fruit medley in the infuster, though. Whatever, it was good anyways.

As for my health, as of last Sunday, I have stopped waking up to sharp pains in my arms. No, my arms didn't fall off, though I was worried for a minute not really. My arms have recovered and the rest of me has pretty much, too. This means that I can resume my evening walks and next time I have to move heavy boxes, I'm going to recruit someone ELSE to ruin themselves over my possessions. Even my church buddy said I should have done that. Bah, silly Kit.

And now I'm itching to do a little writing. Study? What study? Notebook? The one in my satchel? Hush! I'm trying desperately ignore it, so leeme alone.

This ain't it, yet...just had to say...

...thank you, SP. You are an absolute doll, the letter was so sweet! I am feeling better, particularly if I remain moving. I think when I moved down my boxes from the second floor of the house to the basement, I really insulted my body and now it's like "AH HA HA, TAKE THIS!" and all I can do is bully it back. "Oh yeah? Well, you're getting out of bed ANYWAYS and you are climbing up and down these stairs until you feel better, you bugger!". Y'know, a mad battle. But I will come out on top because I am KIT! Goddess of things and totally not going down because my body is being a rotten badger.

Also, to the one guy who I know reads this, hi. You're still cool. Even if you're a total stinkin' badger.

Lessons I learned.

1. Even if I feel better, it is NOT wise to lug a 50 pound box from the upstairs corner of the house into the basement. Three days later and I'm STILL feeling it. Sharply.

2. When driving to a wedding that is two hours away, lace knitting makes it go faster. Also, when contentious little sisters on hypersensitive "just wait till you say that about MY kids when they're that age!" mode (no, love, your children have a mommy who stays home and cares for them, our cousins aged 7 & 9 and carry on like Lord of the Flies, do not), it is good to pretend that you're in a Very Difficult Part of the Knitting and cannot be bothered.

3. When parents are over and you are PMSing, do not play with the fine, sharp dpns your socks are sitting on. It's just creepy.

4. When you see a book that's gone out of print show up at Half.com for a few bucks lower than the title price (and all the other offers come up between $30 - $70), SNATCH IT LIKE THE CRAZY MAD WOMAN YOU ARE!!! Just like I did. (Note: It was the Tap-Dancing Lizard that I saw at the Topeka Library weeks and weeks ago...I'm not a fan of intarsia and fair-isle, normally but...it had dragons. *weak-kneed*)

I would like to warn you all that I am cooking up a Joy Of Being A Woman: Single Version post. If you're a strong feminist, you may just want to click on one of the delicious links on the right hand column and pretend that you still love me when that post pops up.

Creation

Well, it's been a couple of days so I thought I would poke in and say hello.

Things have gone less than ideal since I last caught you up. I have been weakened to the point where every joint feels like they had just been cast from the jello mold of creation. Ironic since jello is made of, well, you know. And, heaven help me, they hurt. They protest like the children I live with. I still shuffle like an old arthritic 70-year old every morning as I adjust to standing after 5-7 hours of lying prone. My hands were swollen on Sunday, but now the swelling has gone down, though there is now a rash on my fingertips. If you look close, you can see these little 'pits' the size of pin-pricks all over every last finger. It's a similar (but milder) reaction that I get in the face of latex. And as my body tears itself apart, my mind decides it needs to work the reverse.

It started innocently enough. I finally dragged my Wacom Tablet out, found a Painter tutorial, and colored an old sketch. It's a far cry from fantastic, but I've ignored this aspect of my talents for quite a while and now I want to improve. I doodled while at work. I created livejournals for my story characters and a community for them to harrass each other in.

And last night...I spent a blissful twenty minutes listening to Sarah McLachlan's Solace album as I knit on the Mystery Stole.

My hands will heal, I've had this rash before, though usually much more local to one finger and usually just under the fingernail, never on the fingertips before. My joints stop feeling like tortuous jello after an hour's use anyways, and this stint of physical deconstruction will leave me inspired and just that much stronger.

I wish I were more eloquent about the effects of adversity on my mind. I'm not a writer, I'm a fighter. I could cry in woe at all the trials I face, but I relish them. I grow while I am weak, I glow in my trials, and I always know that in the end, I am stronger, happier, wiser, and better for it all.

Knot about Knitting but Knursing.

I have recently begun to visit the nephrologist's office in happy SLC because I was incredibly sick and tired of the Foreign Doctor. Foreign Doctor who would have me come into the office once every month so that I could sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes, then sit in another room, the sort with charts and that odd bench that wishes it was an automatic bed, y'know what I'm talking about. There, a medical assistant takes my vitals and then the doctor comes in, sits and reads my chart for five minutes, tells me that everything looks fine (as far as I could tell that's what she said with her very heavy accent) and to come back in a month. I finally asked her in January why she wanted me to come in every month. She gave me a look and said "Okay, come back in July." ...right, I don't know what her deal was but I couldn't understand her hispanic anyways, so rather than risk my health because SHE has an issue, I decided to switch over to SLC.

Besides, I was about ready to slap the secretaries at the front desk with their God-complexes. When I told them I wanted to change doctors, they gave me this snotty little act as if I had insulted them. And when I told them that I had a problem with Foreign Doctor, the answer was "Well! We've never had any complaints before!" Maybe because normally the patients assigned to her are hispanic, too. I don't know, don't give me this crap, just give me my chart!

Anyways, new place, new start. While I'm there, I'm talked into participating in a drug study where they essentially have taken a pill that I'm already taking and made it enteric coated (so it's not broken down in the stomach but later on in the digestive tract, defeating nasty side effects). And within moments, I am meeting Ms. RN of the study.

Ms. RN is a young lass, maybe my age. A wisp of a girl like most other women in ye olde Utah (what is WITH that? Does no one female between the ages of 10 and 35 eat?) with a charming smile as she introduces herself to me, and the inner nurse within me is up and ready to see how this chick does with being an example.

Nice bedside manner? Check. Knows her crap? She read the pamphlet so check. Can actually do nursing worth a damn? Errmm...

Ms. RN is in need of my blood to be sure I qualify for the drug study. No problem. She starts with the tourniquet and...strangest thing, she uses a clip to keep it tight when any other phlebotomist just knots the thing. It's clumsy and awkward, I'd never use it myself, but if that's what she's used to, fantastic. She dons her gloves and then with a pair of scissors, cuts the tip of her right index finger to her glove OFF. The glove is now rendered useless, she is exposed to all blood products and I am horrified.

Oh, I'm not concerned about me. In fact, I nearly laugh my ass off when she rubs an alcohol pad on her finger. Oh honey, I'm really relieved for that, promise, but that glove isn't for my sake, it's for yours!

So she has the needle, pokes the Veteran Vein (the one you can see from a mile away and is about as thick-skinned as any ex-military man) and with some struggle, gets blood...both in the tube and all over the needle and she gets her finger in it. If I had any sense or nerve (people with sharp needles make me lose said nerve), I would have told her that what she just did was unacceptable. In fact, I would have spoken up as soon as I saw her cut off the finger of that glove.

But any respect I had for her was lost forever. It's the first law of nursing, to keep that protective boundary up, to protect yourself because you do not want a missing finger on your glove when you're dealing with vomit or piss or something vile like that. Blood's the same. The only reason she took the finger off was to feel my vein. But when you can SEE the damn thing, big, blue, and about as wide as your PINKY, you don't have to be all delicate about feeling where it is. The glove won't cut down on being able to feel it, it's like a freakin' inner tube! I wear gloves when doing blood sugar, even if the person pokes the finger themselves and gives their own shot. I don't know who's got some sort of blood borne disease, gotta be careful and assume everyone has hepatitis and AIDS just in case.

She also forgot the compensation check I'm supposed to get for this study. Bah. Me no likie!

Kit Knitter and the Half Finished Objects.

Oh ho ho, such a clever subject title, I win! Just kidding. I lose because I haven't been knitting much at all. Or doing much else, just kind of working to come home too exhausted to do much. I really ought to just start scheduling for afternoon shift, then I'm not so tired. I'm such a night owl, after all.

My SP is a huggable, squishable darling. I love her (I'm assuming she's a she here) and her presents. The knit bag is so excellent. I can't tell you much the sheep amused me as well. I tried not to break it as I pulled out the measure and then watched it zip back in. How unpleasant for the sheep, however. To have your tail pulled and then your middle squashed. Teehee...I'm so silly. I even started a sock with the Regia that she gave me from her stash *love*. This on top of the other UFOs waiting for me. Thank you so much!

Speaking of UFOs...this is really pathetic. Since I came back from Kansas, I've done very little knitting, as I mentioned. I have no pictures because I haven't really advanced much from the pictures of UFOs from last time. *shame*

However, I have good news. I'm going to start on an experimental immunosuppressant. Seeing as how it's just the enteric coated version of one I'm already taking and the FDA has already approved this drug, I'm not too worried that it'll make me grow a tentacle tail or a third head or something like that. But I get 3 months of free experimental drug plus...compensation. Since I'll be doing this at U of U in SLC (where I had my first kidney transplant, huzzah!), I think I'm going to explore after visits, finding some lovely yarn stores. I want to visit the Unsheared Sheep store in Sandy again, that was a fun store. But I do hope the drug works. If that's the case, I don't have to buy Imodium every month or two. Man, yesterday was a bad day...I took 3 of the lousy imodiums and then laid in bed all day. I'm glad I didn't have to work despite being scheduled already. *sigh*

Anyways, I'm still waiting for Knitpicks to come through so that I can send off my package to MY SP already. *laugh* And I'm trying to be all packed up since I'm moving into my cousin's room so that he and the other cousin from the basement can share THIS room while my eldest cousin and his soon-to-be wife can have the basement to themselves.

Once they move out though, the basement SHALL BE MINE, MUWAAHAAHAA! or at least until I get my own apartment, which I'm desperate for. Must study to get a good job as an RN first. *determined*

The Gift of Hard Work

This is dedicated to the ones who don't understand the work that goes into a knitted project.

Now, you can pretty much go anywhere and get a cute thing that's been machine knitted by some cold machine that works tirelessly for hours on end. The machine never gets sore wrists, the machine never drops a stitch, and the machine never has to be paid. Thus, you can go to Target and get a cute pair of socks for under $10. Or a nice knitted poncho at Walmart for under $5.

Or...you can go with handknit. Handknitted objects are works of love, care, devotion--who am I kidding? They're works of frustration a lot of times. There's swearing involved, dropped needles, wrists that refuse to work somedays, and boy does it take some time.

It took Kit two weeks to make one sock. She doesn't steadily knit, but if she did, it would've taken about 8 hours if she was a freakin' cold-blooded machine without friends, family, or a job.

So, consider 8 hours for one sock. At minimum wage, depending on the state, that is between $40 and $50 dollars. Then factor in the price of yarn. Kit just bought a skein for her birthday of Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn for $20. Or Knit Picks has yarn for under $5 per skein. 1 skein makes one sock, so $10. And then the needles. If she gets the cheap sort, the Boye needles, it's about $2-$3. If she fancies needles that don't squeak and that glide lovingly through yarn, the price can go up to as much as $20.

So, grand total: time x min. wage = $40-$50 x 2 = $80 - $100. Plus yarn = $10-$20 = $90 - $120. Plus those needles = $3-$20 = $93 - $140.

There you go, a price range of what a pair of socks can cost if you want to pay fair for it. Want it for free? That's what Kit gets hit with.

Imagine if you wanted a sweater.

Where Kit makes a fool of herself.

It was a day. I could not sit and concentrate on my studies at all. So after a while, I abandoned it for tidying my room and getting the Kitting Bag ready for the stitch'n'bitch. There was some work on the Mystery Stole and I realized the magic of not knitting so tightlyyyyiiieeee! Genius, Kit! Your medal is in the mail along with your reimbursement check for your Nursing Concepts 5 exam. Right.

Well, around 5:30ish, I printed the directions, refueled Tohru and headed to SLC. Then this exchange took place.
Tohru: "Hey Kit, guess what you forgot to do today."
Kit: "Eh?"
Tohru: "Feeling a bit...warm?"
Kit: "Aw shit. The refrigerant."
Tohru: "Bwaahaa, you are so screwed."
Kit: "Just you wait, I'll do it tomorrow."
Tohru: "But it's 104 outside now." *more evil cackling*
Kit: "Grr..." *weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth*

So no air-conditioning in the Tohru. But oh well, there are alternate options, like...oh, windows.

I had good directions this time, though I passed the place once...oops. But I found it second time around and that's when it struck, the shyness.

I was going in, that much was true. But was I lame enough to bring in the Kitting Bag? Oh no, I wore such a lame shirt. And my hair, such a mess! Oh noes, oh noes...and then the Spine Chip I had installed not too long ago kicked in. "Girl, what are you thinking? You bring that bag to Vermillion Skies and defy anyone to call you lame, then! You grab that bag, you finish that sock, and you have fun! That's an order!" Well, who can really ignore such orders? Not me.

I walk in and I think I catch someone talking about 'Kit'. I have an admission to make...my real name is Kirstin. Kit's an online monniker and though it's perfectly acceptable to call me that offline, I'm still trying to get used to it. Anyway, I meekly walk up and make my introduction and I'm afraid I never really caught everyone's name. But everyone was very warm and inviting. I sat in a tall chair for a bit, but felt a bit aloof up there, so I sat next to, er, Susan (I'm so sorry for not catching anyone's names! Well, except for Margene). It was so much fun, especially when the lass who was working on the scarf got into an intense Harry Potter discussion with Susan. *laugh* Oh that was so much fun. I *must* check out MuggleNet now. It seems that Harry Potter is more of a murder mystery than a fun fantasy story.

Oh, and I'm so coming back, though not next week, since I need to be in bed by 10pm to be up by 4am for work.

But I am a bit embarassed...the topic meandered to homosexuality. Disclaimer: The Kit does not care about sexual orientation, it does not change who the person is, really. Anyways, lovely-scarf girl was agrieved to the reference of a place by the virtue of its orientation to the house a pair of "gay guys" lived. And I wondered, well, if that's how one understood where the place is, well, isn't it the same as saying "the house behind the blue house" or "behind the house with the large swimming pool and rabid hamsters." After all, I'm sure the men knew that they were an anomaly in that neighborhood, just as I know I was in Kansas, the 27 year old virgin. Just as I am here. *laugh* Anyways, I talked about the gay couple in my neighborhood who amused me by mowing the lawn without shirts on (mmm, eye-candy). They were nice guys with a wonderful sense of decor. I liked them well enough. But I'm sure that by saying that they were a couple of 'gay guys', I was not being politically correct. And when I want to impress people, I don't want to leave on a bad note...oh dear.

I have a confession to make. I do object to men being gay. Gay men can't be seduced by The Kit. That's my only objection.

Anyways, now I'm ready to sleep and figure out what this goose-egg bump behind my ear is.

P.S. If you guys could introduce yourself so I know who is who, please? Thank you!

stitch'n'botch

Since I don't have any sort of classes or work tomorrow, I have decided to go to the SLC Stitch'n'Bitch. As long as I don't come down with a nasty case of the shy-s. I hate when it happens, I thought I was over it. But for some reason, I ain't. Anyways, I'm having trouble deciding what to bring.

In the left corner, we have the Mystery Stole! Despite the fact that all the steps have already been released and she has had plenty of bloody time to work on the monster, it is only into 1 repeat with lots of mistakes and two dropped stitches to incorporate so far! Will she want to bring this, embarassed as she is with bringing something so inexpert to an SNB filled with so many accomplished knitters?

And in this corner is a sock. One of the wilder creatures she's attempted with a cuff she adores and yet worries that her mother will never really truly appreciate the sock for what it is. This sock also has special emotional value, for it has helped her keep conscious during church, amused the play bandits on the Heber Creeper, and has yet to receive its debut at the Vermillion Skies decafe so has kept itself a mystery. It is also...almost finished. Will Kit decide to impress all by finishing her sock? Will she collapse under pressure by trying to do the kitchener stitch for the second time in her ever-lovin' life and this time in front of an audience of, again, accomplished knitters?

Decisions, decisions.

No joke!

Well, Kansas was a culture shock after my guard had been eased down by the gentle Utah people and atmosphere. Breathing humidity wasn't easy. Seeing all the people going around with severely fewer body parts covered than usual was a bit of a shocker for this woman. Seeing a homeless guy without pants peeing into a corner was an interesting experience. And this is during the day, I wonder if the guy didn't care or was a bit scattered in the cerebrum.

Anyways, I promised photos, so photos I got.

It was a long ride from Utah to Kansas. We left around 7 or 8 in the morning and got there around 1am. The family dog, Daisy, took it all in stride and slept through most of it. And at every stop, she was ready to go out, stretch her legs, and look gorgeous. She's seriously a wonderful dog. Great manners, very friendly, just a wonderful thing. I worked on the Mystery Stole a little bit, but in a cramped car with a stinky dog, I wasn't all that crazy about knitting.

My birthday came after the hungover-from-long-car-ride day. I awoke with an envelope in front of my nose, though my short-sighted eyes had a hard time figuring out what that was.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" my mother crows and I'm thinking that the only thing happy is that I'm too tired to be snarky on my birthday. To my delight, the envelope contained $100 from my oma. Yes, yarn money!

But then I finally come to and pull out my list of yarn stores to visit. I could go to Kansas City but it's very labyrinthine and I don't want to be lost in one of the nastier parts of KC like I did last time I tried to find one of the yarn stores down there. So it's out. Closest one after the Yarn Barn is Knit Wits. Okay, I've been to Olathe (actually after I finished LPN school, there WASN'T a part of the Greater Kansas City area that I had *NOT* visited or gotten lost in). I could find my way around.

But still, the cities aren't nice and conveniently grid-like as they are in Utah so I pull up directions from Mapquest. This was a stupid mistake because Mapquest is crap. But I don't find that out until later. Wanting company, I grab my little brother (I guilted him into it because otherwise he would have either been playing on the computer like he did during every waking moment that I was there or been at D&D with his buddies) and we headed off.

No problem finding Olathe, but really, what were they thinking with the directions? The street we were on was no longer even called what Mapquest called it. So I stop in a few gas stations, asking the slack-jawed attendants if they knew how to get on this street or that. Finally one of them had a sparkle of intelligence that the summer sun had yet to beat out of his head. He told us right how to get there. I hope Karma gave him a good kiss for me.

With a bit more snooping and U-turns (I've grown quite expert at U-turns after living here in Utah for a while), we finally found it. I was so excited! Upon entering, I was delighted to see it bursting with yarn and though the novelty yarn was in good supply, so were the other yarns. I found Mountain Colors, oh bliss! And my brother, the darling soul of my heart, was bored out of his ever-lovin' mind, it was vaguely alleviated by the entrance of the Yarn Puppy. He was the owner's dog, slightly skittish, but he knows a good soul when he sniffs one. My brother and he made friends and the owner let me photograph the wee doggeh.

A few notes about Knit Wits. 1. It's quieter than a morgue in there. 2. Only ONE of the staff was friendly, outgoing, and happy to see a customer. The rest seemed irritated at someone who might interrupt their knitting/crocheting. 3. 'spensive stuff, yo! If I'm paying for your yarn, gimme some love, okay? I hate going and getting yarn from snobs.

But despite that, a skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Wild Raspberry adopted me (many more lunged at me and after I put them all back, the Wild Raspberry would not let me go). $20 but it was aaalll worth it.

I have more but it's almost 1pm and I have chores. So...TO BE CONTINUED.