light wading for the unadventurous

adventures in baking

2011-05-01T16:00:00.002-04:00

I made rainbow cupcakes for my birthday! (Yes, I made my own birthday cupcakes, because I REALLY REALLY wanted these, and they were fun. I like baking, just not cooking.)

Dyeing six different colors of batter.

Foil cupcake liners make the insides a surprise.

(Plus they're shiny.)

Carefully dribble each layer on top of the next (in ROYGBIV order, of course.)

Here's a close-up, Mr. Demille.

Fresh out of the oven.

Here's the inside. They came out just perfect, and tasty, too!

My next project is Star Wars cookies for May the Fourth. Get it? May the Fourth be with you!

what's crazier than planning a wedding in 10 days?

2011-03-14T12:47:00.006-04:00

What's crazier than planning a wedding in ten days? Deciding you need to make a handknit sweater to wear to the wedding in ten days. The stress of getting married does strange things to one's ability to tell reason from madness.

So Jason and I decided it was time to get married already. We took our happy heinies to the courthouse and got a license, just figuring we'd get married at the courthouse in two weeks, the soonest convenient time, . Then we started talking and dreaming about what we REALLY wanted, and my parents mentioned the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, coincidentally the site of our third date. We checked prices online, and our favorite little garden was only 300 bucks! Booked! But, uh, now we needed to plan a wedding. 1, 2, 3, GO!

I had a dress already, so that was done, but, apparently believing this planning-a-wedding-in-10-days thing didn't sound crazy enough, I decided I NEEDED to wear a handknit sweater. I'd been playing with the idea of a basketweave cardigan in the orange Malabrigo, and fortunately I already had a gauge swatch, so I just cast on the correct-ish number of stitches and went for it.

My mom told me about her friend whose son is a photographer. Sold! Actually, the conversation went something like this.
Mom: "Kathy's son Alex does wedding photography."
Me: "Great. Let's go with that."
Mom: "Are you interested in looking at his portfolio?"
Me: "Nah, I'm sure he's fine. Book him."
Mom: "Don't you at least want to see his pictures?"
Me: "Nah. How many ways can you screw up a wedding? I'm sure he's fine. Book him."
Mom: "Look, I've pulled up his website on the computer. Come look at his portfolio."
Me: "I'm sure he's fine-"
Mom: "Come look at his portfolio!"
Me: "Fine." looks "He's fine. Book him!"

The body of the sweater finished quickly, and I cast on for sleeves. I made nice long cuffs because I have the arms of an orangutan and can never find sleeves long enough. Also, my hands are always cold and I like to have sleeves long enough that I can tuck my hands in them for warmth. I sort of winged it when I got to the sleeve increases. They came out a little wonky at first because I couldn't decide how I wanted them to work with the basketweave pattern, but I got it figured out. They're in the armpit anyway and with this deadline, I wasn't going to kill myself with the details.

My little sister had wanted to perform my wedding ever since she found out that was possible. We poked around and discovered that the state of Georgia really doesn't care who marries you as long as all your paperwork is legal, so we got her ordained as a minister of the Universal Life Church one night. (Confession: she was drooling on a towel after emergency wisdom-teeth-removal surgery, so I actually filled out all the stuff for her. Shhh!) Officiant? Check! And for free!

The sweater body was done; the sleeves were done, and I was running dangerously low on yarn. I put in an emergency order to Eat.Sleep.Knit. for two more skeins. Two days later, the yarn showed up at my door. I love Eat.Sleep.Knit, and the delivery speed further cemented my obsession. Those people are like yarn ninjas!

Jason's only suit was old and ill-fitting, so that had to be replaced. Honestly, this was the most trying part of the whole wedding. Guy clothes are hard to shop for and expensive, and Jason hates to a) try stuff on, and b) spend money. We've always had a backup plan, for if the wedding didn't work out: murder/suicide. That plan got a lot of VERY SERIOUS CONSIDERATION over the agonizing two-day deathmarch of suit shopping. We finally got a very spiffy-looking, not-too-expensive suit, and I finished the yoke of the sweater. Handsome groom? Check!

I ordered a bouquet of daisies from a local flower store, and Mom made reservations at our favorite restaurant for the after-wedding-dinner (I guess you'd call it a reception, but it was just like a dinner with our families.) I finished weaving in the ends of my sweater the night before the wedding, and by some miracle, it came out perfectly. I'd tried it on as I went, and used The Knitter' s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns to help me figure out the sleeve and shoulder decreases, but this sweater came out far more perfectly than anything designed and knit in ten days has any right to. The knitting goddesses were smiling upon me.

The next day, we got married, with a short little ceremony, perfect weather, a beautiful location, and our families. It was exactly what I wanted. Plus, I got this really great husband out of it!

Just add water, and boom! (Nearly) instant wedding!

what I did last Friday (another photo essay)

2011-02-24T22:42:00.002-05:00

Ninjabread men! (a photo essay)

2011-02-20T22:45:00.006-05:00

PS: Ninjabread men cookie cutters can be found here. Roll-out brownie cookie recipe can be found here. I added mini chocolate chips before baking for extra noms. Also, in picture 2, notice the wine bottle wrapped in plastic? Turns out I don't own a rolling pin. Oops.

snowed in

2011-02-15T23:58:00.001-05:00

Atlanta experienced some serious record snow in January, like shutting-down-the-city-for-a-week snow. It was crazy. I was supposed to start my new job that week, but instead I spent that time snowed in with my honey. It was nice. I'd wanted to take a week off between jobs to refresh and regroup but didn't think it financially advisable. Fortunately for me, Mother Nature decided I deserved a break.

I had plenty of time to go through all the pattern books I'd gotten for Christmas.

I think I'm going to be busy for a while.

I made banana bread.

I would include an after shot here, but my sweetie and I inhaled an entire loaf of banana bread in less than 24 hours. We were in full-on hibernation mode. It was wonderful.

Now, that's enough winter for me, thanks. Please to be sending spring now!

damn rabbit hole

2011-02-07T12:12:00.002-05:00

Please forgive my long absence. I have fallen down the rabbit hole that is Pinterest. I've been a busy little bunny there. If you want to check me out, I'm LightWading.

PS: I only got sucked into this because of Ysolda, so I thought about blaming her. But really, I think I should be more concerned that my girl-crush on Miss Whimsical Little Knits seems to be edging into obsession territory, with a possibility of stalking. I'm harmless, I promise!

warm and toasty

2011-01-17T11:58:00.002-05:00

I get really cold in the winter, miserably cold, all winter long. I've survived so far through a creative mix of layering and whining. I wanted to make myself a nice cuddly winter vest to keep my vulnerable bellular area warm, and Abrazo seemed like a perfect match.
My sweetie bought me the yarn, I swatched it, and then I realized . . .

I got the wrong yarn. It's supposed to be Malabrigo Chunky, not Malabrigo Twist. I can't get anything even close to gauge with the yarn I've got. Crap. I'm trying to decide between scrapping it altogether or forging ahead anyway and making a larger size to compensate for the gauge difference. I'm afraid I'll run out of yarn, though, and a warm winter vest doesn't do any good if it's not long enough to cover my belly button.

Fortunately, I got this in the mail today, a gift from my sweetie. I'll be the first to admit he may have an ulterior motive.

A drool-inducing cookbook that seems to have been written just for me. If I can't cover my belly with warm fuzzy yarn, I'll fill it with warm, tasty noms.

I'm out on a Saturday night!

2011-01-15T22:46:00.004-05:00

Tonight, to celebrate my new job (which, miraculously, does not require me to get up at the buttcrack of dawn every weekend), my Shiny New Fiance took me out to see Green Hornet. It was really awesome. I'm not sure why it got such lousy reviews. I'm not sure what critics were expecting, but it's a Seth Rogen movie. Olivier, he's not. He is, however, Seth Rogen, and he does a very good job of being Seth Rogen in this movie. It was a fun comic-book-movie sort of film, and a fun, comic-book-movie sort of fun was had by all.
While watching the movie, I worked on a new pair of socks

for my sweetie. You know it's real love when you find you're making socks for him. This is a true testament of my love for him, because I dearly love this sock yarn and want it all for my self (my . . . preciousssssss). But he loves it, and part of being in a relationship is compromise and not being a greedy yarn whore, so I am practicing graciousness and selflessness by making it into socks for him. I can already feel myself becoming a better person.

New year, new job

2011-01-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

It's news to no one (except my boss, but he lives in his own happyland) that I've been very unhappy in my job for a few years now. I've been searching for the past year for something new, tirelessly (if not uncomplainingly), and my hunt has finally paid off. This year for Christmas, I got a new job! Excited? You bet I am.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Christmas sweater, almost complete.

Christmas sweater completed, with snowflakes on the sleeve.

Christmas snowflakes in my hair.
(earrings were a Christmas present from my sweetie)

My doorstop, a big rock with the words "Nothing is Written in Stone" carved into it, with a dusting of snow.

I got many knitting books for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

perfect timing

2010-12-15T19:13:00.005-05:00

Every so often, events conspire to work out perfectly. Usually, it happens in a Murphy's Law, "ironic" kind of way: rain on your wedding day and all that. Today turned out to be the opposite of that: a perfect example of perfect timing.
I had to have minor gum surgery last night. It was a local-anesthetic-only kind of thing, uncomfortable and squick-y, but not serious. I distracted myself by planning cables for my next sweater project. (You know you knit too much when . . . )
Now, this was my third go-round with gum surgery (the others were in my braces-wearing, wisdom-teeth-getting days), so you'd think I'd have learned that oral surgeons are lying liars. When they say, "Oh, yeah, you'll be able to go to work the next day", what they mean is "Prepare to spend the next three days whimpering on the couch, dribbling soup down the front of your pajamas." Oh, and "a little sore" is code for "eating anything more firm than applesauce will be impossible. Just give it up."
Fortunately, the weather cooperated with my stunningly miserable mood by being freezing cold, windy, and rainy/snowy. I snuggled on the couch wrapped in blankets, knitting and watching flurries blow by. And dribbling soup down the front of my pajamas.

Oh, also, if you have your own run-in with gum surgery, learn from my fail: don't eat really salty soup. Just don't.

last Christmas . . .

2010-12-10T21:14:00.000-05:00

Last year for Christmas, Shiny New Boyfriend gave me a beautiful prezzie, with one condition attached.

I had to agree to marry him.

Well, it was a beautiful ring, and I like him a lot, too, so I agreed. We haven't set a date yet, because we wanted to live together first and get used to each others homicide-inducing quirks without the added pressure of planning a wedding.

He moved in about six months ago, and so far we're murder-free. This is surprising, because apparently, I roll myself up in the covers at night like a burrito, leaving him shivering and resentful, and he puts his dirty dishes in the sink to age properly before he puts them in the dishwasher right next to the sink, instead of putting them in the dishwasher in the first place.
In spite of this, we still like each other a real whole lot. We're looking forward to many long years of finding new ways to drive each other crazy.

(The Best Roommate Ever is now renting my parents' basement apartment about 15 minutes away. She's family.)

being sick sucks. Why can I not learn this?

2010-12-02T19:34:00.005-05:00

Why do I persist in thinking, "Man, if I had to stay home sick, I'd get all kinds of knitting time in!"? No. When I am sick I feel far too crappy to do anything other than lie there in a little ball of misery until the illness gives up in boredom and goes to find someone else to torment.
I woke up yesterday morning feeling like I'd been beaten all night with a sack of oranges. I asked my sweetie, "Why, WHY did you beat me all night with a sack of oranges?" He said, "Well, you've gotta tenderize 'em somehow."
Turns out I was coming down with a nasty little stomach virus that has left me fetal on the couch for almost two days straight. It's been awesome. I'm mostly vertical now, which is new and exciting.
All this illness has given me time to ponder the great mysteries of our world. For instance: why do they make thermometers shaped like that? You have to hold them in place with your hand or they squirt violently from your mouth and hit your reflection in the bathroom mirror. They should make some sort of flange or grippy part that you can hold with your teeth so you can do something useful while finding out if you have an actual reason for feeling like death. I complained about this to my sweetie, who helpfully explained, "That's so they fit better in your butt."
Um, no. "This is an ORAL thermometer."
"That's what you think!"
"It's an ORAL THERMOMETER, dammit!"
"Oh, no! Have I been using it wrong? I'm so sorry!" Then he collapsed into giggles while I glared and told him, "I don't love you enough to lick your butthole." He's still giggling now.
One day my revenge will come. One day . . .

the best kind of distractions

2010-11-19T15:30:00.007-05:00

No word yet from the job interview, and I have progressed from being on pins and needles to being on nails and railroad spikes. And possibly cacti.
Yesterday, after a grueling morning of having my gums violated by a sweet little sadist named Missy, who is concerned about my periodontal health and thinks the best way to fix things is by JABBING THEM REPEATEDLY WITH POINTY OBJECTS until I want to give up military secrets just to MAKE HER STOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, my sweetie took me out, to take my mind off things and possibly to keep me from chewing on the actual walls in my call-back-related anxiety.
We had a tasty tasty lunch at Atlanta Bread Company (oh, bagels. Why must you be so delicious?), in front of their wonderful snuggly warm fireplace and ice cream from my favorite ice cream place which was located RIGHT NEXT DOOR. (Was there ever a clearer sign of God's sanctioning of tasty noms? I don't think so.)
Then we went to Eat. Sleep. Knit. I had never been before. OH. MY. GOD.
When I asked the very friendly staff lady the whereabouts of the Malabrigo, she said, "In the warehouse in the back." I might have had a yarngasm. An entire warehouse? Filled with Malabrigo? Yes, little Kimmy, there is a Santa Claus. I then asked, "Do I ever have to leave?" and she said, "No! You can live here!" I love her. She thinks I was joking. The joke's on her; I'm moving in next week.
It was, to put it lightly, incredible. Rooms upon rooms of yarn, all beautifully organized by type and color. A warehouse of Malabrigo and Blue Sky Alpaca and Misti Alpaca. The entire building was redolent with that delicious, dyed-wool, vinegar-and-sheep smell. Did I mention the WAREHOUSE of Malabrigo? I feel dizzy just thinking about it.
My sweetie bought me Christmas yarn, because he is the perfect man.

Malabrigo Chunky in Sunset, destined to become Abrazo

Madeline Tosh Vintage in Forestry, to make Norah Gaughan's Droplet hat

Claudia Handpainted, in a color I've been coveting for a loooong time: Copper Pennies. It's sock yarn, so it doesn't need a plan, but I'm thinking maybe Acorn Stash socks.

So now at least I have plenty to do while I fret. CALL ME, DAMMIT!!!

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

2010-11-13T18:11:00.001-05:00

What do you do when you find that the place you fought so hard to reach is a dead end?

After much flailing and bitterness, I'm finally coming to terms with what I've been slowly realizing for several years now. My job has hit a wall, and in spite of all my efforts, there's no way for me to fix it. There's no chance of promotion unless someone dies (don't tempt me), no ability to move laterally within the company, and no possibility of getting another job in the same field unless I want to move to a different city.

I've been exploring my options, applying for jobs and debating going back to school. I really really don't want to have to go back to school (I did that already! I worked really really hard!), but I've found I've really painted myself into a corner by becoming so specialized. Hence the flailing and the bitterness.
And in this economy, I hate to complain about my job, because at least I have one. It pays me small but adequate amounts of money and gives me health insurance. But I need new experiences and new things to learn. I need new ideas and new challenges. I need things for my hungry little brain to munch on so it doesn't shrivel like a raisin and crawl out of my ear to find someplace more interesting.
I had a job interview last week. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

fall!

2010-10-31T06:02:00.000-04:00

Spooky earrings . . .

. . . so many leaves . . .

. . . bye, bye, summer clothes . . .

. . . who knew candy corn came in so many different varieties?

Happy Halloween!

new blog post! woooo!

2010-05-06T11:19:00.012-04:00

New socks!

After much fuss and bother and a seriously long hiatus, I finally finished the Peacock Feathers socks. (Also, admire my pillows. I got them on clearance (snoopydance!) from Urban Outfitters. They are by Masha D'yans and I loooove them.)
Anywho, back to the socks. They are by Cat Bordhi, from New Pathways for Sock Knitters. She calls it Veil of Leaves, but I think it looks more like feathers. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy, a gift from the inimitable Treats for Breathing.

I made a vow to myself that I would knit at least one pair in each new sock architecture from Cat Bordhi's book. One down, one on the needles (pics to follow), six to go!

don't be a jerk if you are crock-pot-sized and taste good with ketchup

2009-12-08T18:10:00.006-05:00

Common wisdom would suggest that if one is conveniently crock-pot-sized, then one should not be a jerk and go around destroying the property of wrathful crock-pot owners.

Who, me? No! I would never.

Exhibit A: My new bathroom rug.

Nothing too spectacular, but soft and cushy and absorbent and doesn't show cat hair and (thank god) cheap. I love this rug, and THIS:

is what the black fluffy buttmonkey did to the rug this morning, while I was standing there brushing my teeth. What is it about cats, when you yell at them for doing something they KNOW is bad? Dogs at least have the decency to look guilty. Cats look at you like, "What?" or "Yeah, yeah, in a minute. Lemme finish eating this rug first." Misbegotten ungrateful brat.

And no, of course I didn't slow roast the kitty, although I haven't ruled it out. Instead, I let both of them up into the linen cupboard to sleep on our towels and coat them with cat hair.

Yep. I'm a sucker.

progress!

2009-12-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

Here we have the lovely Paloma:

I reached a stopping point, put all the stitches on waste yarn, and put it in the stash to hibernate until more appropriate weather beckons.

The fit is great. Woo-hoo! I think I want to make it a leeeetle bit longer though. Full coverage on the girls and all that.

To celebrate, I whipped out a little hat in about three days (after about 47 false starts and gauge accidents. Why am I unable to accurately comprehend the size of my own head? It's a mystery, I tell you.)

And this teensy little thread is all I had left of the ball. I was so proud of myself; I wanted to use every last little bit of this delicious yarn. (A one-off hand-dyed by the lovely Reporebo, sadly on hiatus as she has come down with a bad case of grad school.)
Next on the agenda (and also giving me lots of trouble, due to my aforementioned ginormous melon-head), is this, also hand-dyed by Reporebo:

Yum!

Christmas socks: done!

2009-11-28T18:49:00.001-05:00

The Best Roommate Ever has been sick with death lately (not swine flu, just some sort of plague complete with hacking cough, making her life miserable). She's been getting plenty of rest and applying warm kitty compresses to speed the healing.

In other news: BRE's Christmas socks are finished! Woo-hoo! Now I have visions of Mason-Dixon's Felted Trees dancing through my head. They're just so cute, and look at how wee they are! They'd knit up in no time, like potato chips. Must . . . knit . . . cute . . . Christmas . . . decorations . . .

colder temperatures mean snugglier kitties

2009-11-23T17:22:00.000-05:00

Or perhaps just kitties who like to help with the crossword puzzles.

giant turtles and knitting whining

2009-11-02T16:42:00.005-05:00

In an effort to keep this from becoming the "all Shiny New Boyfriend, all the time" channel, I've uploaded our pictures to my Flickr page (twopointysticks, for those of you who want to suffer from nauseating cuteness, and also see me get mauled by a giant concrete turtle).

I turned the heel on the second Christmas sock for the Best Roommate Ever (after having drunk a glass of wine, I might add. Yes, that is enough to knock me on my butt. Yes, I am a prancing lightweight. I'm still awesome, with the sock heels, and the turning. Focus, people!) All I have left to do is the cuff, which makes for good movie knitting. The end is in sight! Still not bloggable, though. Just imagine all my other sock heels. Like that. Good.
My will to continue Paloma has completely fizzled out since blowing past the wedding deadline. And now that the weather has turned cold here (shut up! Sixty degrees is cold! It is too!), I want to knit chunky sweaters, and big warm hats, and cable-knit socks, not some wimpy little wispy lace thingy. I've promised myself that once I get to a stopping place in the pattern, I can put it aside for something else that got hibernated long ago. Or for yarn that has been in my stash so long that it's actually embarrassing.

Oh, my friends, how I've missed you.

happy halloween!

2009-10-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

Soooo . . . reasons why I should not shop alone:

I was ooo-ing over some itsy-bitsy little Halloween-themed baby shirts ($1 each!), when suddenly I realized, "Hey! We have cats! Cats are sort of wee-human-sized!"

Jaymie didn't seem to mind his, but Alex was less than impressed.

Having Mommy and Auntie Kim follow him around and take pictures was the final assault on his dignity. &*%$# paparazzi.

Happy Halloween!

environment AND kitty friendly!

2009-10-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

Jaymie would like to remind you to use paper bags or bring your own when you go to the store. Plastic bags are bad for the environment and kitties are not allowed to play with them.

See? I HAVE been knitting!

2009-10-14T11:23:00.001-04:00

Yes, my friends, there has been knitting. A few months ago, in July, I got the crazy idea to knit Paloma to wear to a wedding. It was perfect: beautiful, elegant, warm yet breezy enough to dance in, and it perfectly matched my favorite silver skirt. I had three months to complete it; plenty of time. Stop me if you know the punchline.

Louet MerLin in cloud grey. I am so in love with this color.

As you've guessed, the wedding was this weekend. This is how much I have done.

The yoke. That's it. Now, all of the people there have seen me naked (while changing my diapers, 28 years ago), but still. Appropriate? Not so much. In spite of my total knitting failure, an awesome time was had by all, and I keep chugging away at the sweater. It will be done eventually. Pics to follow soon.

I love the texture of this stitch pattern close-up.
It reminds me of the amazing photos in The Art of Knitting.

In keeping with tradition, I am busily at work on a pair of socks for the Best Roommate Ever. Unfortunately, I can't blog them until after she receives them at Christmas. Expect a blog filled with kitty pictures for a while. So, you know, more of the same.

I have a confession to make . . .

2009-09-26T10:51:00.005-04:00

I am totally in love with Shiny New Boyfriend. Totally and completely gone. He's so great and I'm acting all stupid and squishy and I lurrrrrrve him. And yet . . .
.
.
.
.

I still rock out to Single Ladies by Beyonce. (And by "rock out", read "car-dance in an exuberant yet dorky manner".)

Sing it, girl!

Update: Near as I can figure out, Beyonce was married when this song came out. Woo! Let the car dancing commence!

Reason #657 why I like animals better than people

2009-09-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

You can say horrible, horrible things to animals as long as you do it in a cute voice.

"Who's a giant pain in the butt? Is it you? Yes, you are! You can shut right up with your whining, because you are a fat obnoxious kitty who is not going to get fed. Yes, and if you don't get out from under my feet, I'm going to sell you to the gypsies to be made into a hat. I am indifferent to your problems; oh, yes, I am!"

Just try doing that to your loved ones.

Alex senses that his human slave is mocking him,
and plans to retaliate by barfing up a hairball on her pillow.

Holy torrential downpour, Batman!

2009-09-21T13:04:00.006-04:00

Amazing amounts of rain have been falling on Atlanta for the past week. It's been truly incredible. Fortunately, Chez Wading Lightly is on a hill (unlike poor Southbork), so we're not too worried about flooding. We have been fending off massive ant incursions as the little beasts look for somewhere dry to set up shop. Shiny New Boyfriend's car was totally and impressively overrun, but other than that, we've managed to escape unscathed so far. I'm really, really ready for it to stop raining now.

Jaymie is coping as best he can.

Things I learned today . . .

2009-09-15T22:36:00.002-04:00

Do not try to scratch your nose while riding in the back of a truck over a really bumpy road, lest you hit a bump and end up jamming your finger way up into your nostril and poking yourself in the brain. Smartz. I haz dem.

overheard at the movies

2009-08-30T14:16:00.002-04:00

Sitting in the movie theater with Shiny New Boyfriend:

SNB: Want a Junior Mint?
Me: No.
SNB: Want a kiss?
Me: Yes.
*smoochies*
SNB: Want a husband?
Me: Hey, waaaait . . .

He's a sneaky one, this one. I'm going to have to be on my guard.

cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

2009-08-27T16:15:00.004-04:00

I was entering receipts into my Anal Retentive Spreadsheet (tm) over the weekend, when I realized I spent FIFTY-FIVE DOLLARS on NAIL POLISH this month. *headdesk* Being an adult: FAIL.

On the other hand (hee!), my nails look fantastic.

handy storage solutions

2009-08-21T12:45:00.001-04:00

At first glance, it seems like a normal cluttered living room.

But on closer inspection, you can see the clever Hidden Kitten Storage Solution (tm) at work, keeping your kitty handy but out of sight while not in use.

To prevent leakage of cute, be sure to pack your kitty securely, lest it fall asleep and spill out.

where the heck I have been . . .

2009-08-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

Soooo. There's been a terrible neglect of blog around here, shameful really. About two months ago, my level of boredom reached a critical mass, and there was nothing to be done but to throw myself face-first into the dating pool (very out of character for me. As you might have guessed, I'm more a fan of wading lightly than diving in). All told, it was either start dating, or sell all my worldly possessions, move to Paris, and become a topiary artist. The Best Roommate Ever wasn't too fond of the uprooting-my-entire-life idea, so dating it was. I followed Yarn or Death's rules (Step 1: DO NOT pay for online dating), and set myself up on a site she recommended advertising myself as a nerdy girl, and BOOM! I was covered in boys. Turns out that's the way to go with internet dating: appeal to all the introverted nerd boys. It seems so obvious in hindsight. :-)

I wasn't in it for anything serious; after all, I have BRE, and what guy could compete with that? (Despite numerous bets by both our sets of coworkers, BRE and I are, sadly, strictly platonic. Otherwise, we'd already be married.)
I settled in quite happily to a whirlwind routine of being flirted with by interesting guys. It was a lot of fun: I got to get all dressed up and pretty and go out to eat with someone new who thought I was cool and pretty, which is just good for the ego. I met some really nice guys with whom I was completely incompatible: one revealed over dinner that he was a Libertarian and didn't believe in global warming; another seemed perfectly normal and awesome until we were trying to schedule our third date, which somehow devolved into a fight over vegetarianism, which he asserted was pointless because broccoli has a central nervous system and can feel pain. Uh huh. Sorry, I have standards. I can't date guys who are dumber than a brick.
Then, there was another one, who now has the nickname Shiny New Boyfriend. Yep. It happened. Our first date lasted six hours. We talked in the restaurant until the wait staff started shooing us out the door, then we talked in the coffee shop next door until the staff started putting chairs up on tables and sweeping the floor, then we talked on a bench outside the coffee shop until BRE started panicking that I'd been killed by some weirdo I met off the internet and called and yelled at me for not answering my phone. Poor girl.
We've been together for a month so far, and it's been great. He took me to the sculpture exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which I'd been DYING to see, and we strolled through it in the rain and he recited poetry to me. It doesn't even sound real, and yet somehow this has become my life. It's bizarre. When did I stumble into a romantic comedy?

picture shamelessly stolen from www.mooreinamerica.blogspot.com

He made me teach him how to knit. I was knitting on our first date (I prefer to get the crazy right out in the open), and he was absolutely fascinated and revealed that he had once started a scarf which was now languishing, and would I teach him so he could finish it? Well, you don't have to ask me twice. I swear, all I did was put the needles in his hands and show him once, and he was off and knitting. And purling. He's a natural.
Shiny New Boyfriend is fantastic. He is intelligent and funny and absolutely the most interesting person I've met. He's thoughtful and feministy and has a real weakness for super-nerdy smart girls, which works out well for me. He loves my cats even though he's allergic and he thinks BRE is the greatest thing ever. It's all very troubling, but I might have to keep him.

Mother-! Finger!

2009-07-07T23:14:00.003-04:00

Well, you remember how two weeks ago, I was trying to kill myself? Yeah, that seems to be the theme lately: Injury Tuesdays. This week, a coworker slammed my fingers in a car door. (He felt really bad.) It hurts like hell. Pics and gory details at the bottom of the post, but first, let's look at some yarn.

Araucania Ruca Multy, from Needlenook, also for my birthday. I, um, went a little crazy. It is going to become this.

ALSO! Primrose Path is finished! Here's a pic I took while picking up stitches for the neckband. Real, actual, finished FO pics to follow when I find someone else to play camerawoman and capture this sweater in all its sexy glory.

Now for horrible slammed-finger pictures. Avert your eyes if you're squeamish.

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Yeah. Ouch. My finger is not happy. Oh, and notice the little black dot in the center of the bruise/blood under the nail?

Yeah, that's where I drilled a hole in my nail with a hot needle to let the blood out and release some of the pressure. (Because it makes it hurt less, heal faster, and I really don't want to lose the nail.) I am hard-core. Let my hard-core awesome toughness never again be doubted. I performed bush surgery on myself. (Bush as in Australian outback. Get your minds out of the gutter. You know who you are.)

keepin' it cute

2009-07-02T21:27:00.003-04:00

The kitties are working hard over here in the Land of Wading Lightly.

Alex displays his fluffy 'tocks

while Jaymie treats you all to a little sleepy-tongue-sticky-out action.

Have a happy Fourth!

Thoughts while mowing the grass

2009-06-30T12:35:00.000-04:00

Thoughts while mowing the grass:

Oooo. Cool breeze. Restores will to live . . .

Pteh! Cool breeze blows dust and grass in my face! Pteh!

I really need a boyfriend, so I can make someone else do this . . .

I'm not dead yet! But I have been trying . . .

2009-06-27T18:46:00.002-04:00

So I tried to kill myself twice on Tuesday. The first incident happened at work, where I bashed the ever-loving crap out of my left ankle on a pallet jack and scraped my wrist. The ankle hurt so bad I duct-taped an ice pack to it and just walked around like that for the rest of the day. (Too busy! No time for injuries!) The second happened later that night. The Best Roommate Ever and I were both in our beds, snuggled down to sleep, when I realized I had to pee and went down the stairs to the bathroom. For some reason unfathomable to me, I completely missed the bottom step. Just stepped off into space like it was perfectly natural. I slammed my arm into the doorknob, which gave me a fantastic bruise, and came down hard on my right ankle. I lay sprawled in the hallway, right across from BRE's door, trying to assess the damage. Nothing broken; everything I tried to wiggle wiggled. I heard BRE (jerked out of a sound sleep by some idiot falling flat on her face) say to me, "Are you ok?" "I'm fine," I replied, from my spot on the floor. "No, really." "No, no! I'm fine!" I lay there on the floor in the pitch black, wiggling my toes, and thought, 'This is comfy. Maybe I should just sleep here.' Then I realized. I still had to pee. Damn damn dammity damn.
My plan for Wednesday, mowing the lawn, was postponed until I could be trusted with a power tool with a big spinning blade on it.

funniest conversation EVER

2009-06-21T08:04:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Torchwood:

Toshiko: No, Owen, I can't just hook something up! The entire telephone network is down.

Owen: What about a mobile connection?

Toshiko: [slowly] The. Entire. Telephone. Network. Is down!

Ianto: Mobiles, landlines, tin cans with bits of string, everything, absolutely everything: no phones, phones all broken. [holds up hand in imitation of telephone] Hello? Anyone there? No! Because the phones aren't working!

Er, well, maybe you had to see it. But BRE and I rewinded and rewatched about three times. We're still texting it back and forth. Still funny.

when knerds gather

2009-06-18T09:57:00.003-04:00

I spent a lovely, nerd-alicious evening with two of my favorite knitting buds earlier this week, getting our geek on while playing with string and amusing/annoying the other restaurant patrons. We discussed, among other things, the merits of Kenneth Branagh productions of Shakespeare, except for Hamlet, because for the love of yarn, four hours is way too freakin' long for a movie. I mean really. Also, the unbearable whininess of Annakin Skywalker and how even though it made sense that the evil overlord of the galaxy would start out as a whiny little creep, it was still pretty unbearable to watch. Kelly waxed eloquent about the unbelievable arrogance of George Lucas for assuming the fans would give a crap about The Clone Wars after the first three movies sucked so much. I ranted about the crappiness of the writing in the Lord of the Rings books and how vindicated I felt when all of my complaints were echoed by the screenwriters in the director's commentary of the movies. We rehashed the greatest moments of DM of the Ring ("Tell me your name, horsef***er!"). Kelly and Kerry roundly mocked TS Elliot. We also argued the merits of the Harry Potter movies (I still say they sucked), and agreed that Richard Harris' performance as Dumbledore was terrible (I don't care that he's dead. His performance was terrible.), that Ian McKellan would have been infinitely superior, seeing as Gandalf and Dumbledore are practically the same character, and how awesome it would be if Sir Ian were to play Aberforth in the last movie. (How awesome would it be? So awesome that my bladder control becomes questionable, that's how awesome.)
We don't have to practice to be this geeky; it just comes naturally.

low-stashing status: going . . . going . . .

2009-06-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

. . . gone, baby, gone. These arrived in the mail last week: Summit Sock, hand-dyed sock yarn from Impulse of Delight.

The top one is Blackberry and the bottom one is Crocus. Here's a more accurate picture of the Blackberry.

The most awesomest and amazing thing about this yarn is: see the pics on the labels? The dyer is also an amazing nature photographer, and those are pictures she took. She then dyes the yarn based on the photographs. It's truly amazing, and all I can do not to just direct deposit my paycheck to her. (I also got this from her for my birthday. So pretty!)

And, AND! She gave me these with my purchase!

Cute little stitch markers! Which is perfect because I don't have any stitch markers! (I just fake it with paper clips when I have to.) Except they are too pretty to use as stitch markers so I strung them on a chain and am wearing them as a necklace.

See the cat hair? That's how you know it's me.

In other news: ta da!

Above picture is more accurate to color, but below pic shows the lace pattern better.

That is how the pieces looked at the beginning of the evening, and this is how they looked at bedtime.

I'm in the home stretch!

things I've learned

2009-06-09T08:20:00.002-04:00

If I look at my to-do list and it seems short and easily achievable, that means I'm forgetting like twelve things. Sigh.

Sleeve ahoy!

2009-06-03T11:27:00.000-04:00

Sleeve #1: finished! Sleeve #2 soon to follow!

so . . . there was a sale at Knitch . . .

2009-06-01T12:28:00.000-04:00

So . . . Knitch was having this great sale a week ago . . . and I found this beautiful lumpy, bumpy cream colored wool. I'm going to use it to make a nice, mesh-y sort of winter sweater, something a little sexy but still warm. And of course, the Vogue Knitting was lonely, so it had to come home with me, too.

I think I'm quickly losing my credibility when I call myself a low-stashing knitter.

be vewy, vewy quiet . . .

2009-05-28T10:29:00.003-04:00

We is hunting squiwwels.

do you ever . . .

2009-05-25T16:47:00.002-04:00

Do you ever find a new extremely funny website that has extensive archives and you feel compelled to read EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM and your whole life gets sucked into it and you finally emerge in a daze weeks later to find out everyone thought you died? Um, yeah. www.textsfromlastnight.com

painting may be . . . done?

2009-05-21T19:20:00.003-04:00

I have finally finished painting my room! I saved this painting project for last, and you can see why.

Never one to do something small, am I? I used ten different colors in graduated shades of yellow, orange, pink, purple and blue.

The "bedroom" wall, where all the sleeping happens, is blues and soft purples. (You can also see the freakin' awesome closet system my incomparable father built for me.)

Shades of pinks, orange, and bright yellows liven up the "working" area by the desk. It was a lot of work, but I am so happy with the results, I could squeak.

Jaymie was a very helpful kitty throughout the process. Here you can see him lending vital emotional support on top of the drop cloths.

bad knit-blogger! no cookie!

2009-05-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

I went back through my archives and realized my last post was the first I'd shown of my recent WIPs. Bad blogger. No cookie.
The socks are Veil of Leaves by Cat Bordhi. Whereas Cat thinks the pattern looks like leaves, I think it looks a lot like the feathers of a peacock's tail all fanned out. And since I happen to have some extra-special yarn that looks just like the colors of a peacock . . .

Dream in Color Smooshy, a gift from Treats for Breathing. I absolutely love this picture. It shows the color and the pattern really well, and I love how the lamplight turned everything all golden. I can't believe I didn't post it before. Hm. Bad knit-blogger, no cookie.
This pattern, I have to tell you, blew my ever-loving mind. Cat Bordhi will do that. Someone way more articulate that I (probably the Yarn Harlot) once said that when doing a Cat Bordhi pattern, you can't try to think, you just have to do exactly what the directions say and it will all turn out OK. Boy! Howdy! Is that ever true. Every time I tried to visualize or otherwise think about what I was doing/supposed to do next, I'd lose days to confusion and head-scratching. Fingers crossed that the second one will go more smoothly, now that I know not to think.

Here's a progress pic with Helpful Kitty Paw (tm). I modified the pattern a little to include a little lace panel going down the top of the foot. I couldn't make it fit with the lace pattern from the cuff because of the increases, so there's a little stockinette border between the cuff and instep. I think it turned out all right, and it proves that I am biologically incapable of knitting a plain sock.

This is something just wonderful I fell in love with at Needlenook (the second-greatest yarn store on earth. Sorry, guys, but there's no way you're beating out Knitch.)

Katia Bombay, a nice sport-weight mercerized cotton. I realized this would be just perfect for something else I had fallen in love with, from Twist Collective

Primrose Path, by Angela Hahn.

It's been a really quick knit, with just enough lace to keep it interesting. (Although I wouldn't recommend it for those who hate ribbing.) I'm using the yarn doubled, which is breaking up the striping somewhat, although it's still pretty stripy. I think it'll come out fine, though. If not, you'll be hearing me say, "Primrose Path? No, I never knit that sweater. What are you talking about?" :-)

The second picture is a more accurate depiction of the colors. The pinks remind me of all the lovely spring flowers we have in Atlanta, from the softer dogwoods to the riotous, kick-to-the-eyeball-neon azaleas. I'm modifying the pattern from set-in sleeves (which are my archnemesis) to a bottom-up raglan. I cast on for the first sleeve last night while watching Mythbusters. Hopefully, more progress to report soon!
Thanks to all of you with your patience for my incredibly sporadic posting of late. Pics to come soon of what was keeping me so busy, as soon as I finish with the touch-ups!

I ordered two t-shirts from Ravelry . . .

2009-05-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

They arrived the other day. I lay them out on my bed to get some blog pics, and, well, the inevitable happened.

Now is not time for photographing shirts! It's time for rubbing kitten ears!

isn't this supposed to be a knit blog?

2009-05-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

Why, yes! Yes, it is. I have in fact been knitting, just not blogging. I finished my first Peacock Feathers sock on Monday

Actually, I finished it almost two weeks ago, only to discover that it was way too short. I had to rip out the toe and add another repeat to the foot. Stupid star toe. More attractive than a standard toe, but a lot shorter.

Very pretty, though. I love how this lace pattern looks like feathers.

I've also finished the body for Primrose Path.

I like my shirts a little long, so I may be adding some more length.

I've also decided to do it as a bottom-up raglan instead of doing set-in sleeves, because set-in sleeves like to kick my ass and then taunt me. There's only one lace chart for the yoke, so that shouldn't be too difficult to adapt, right? Right?
Here's a little teaser of what's kept me from blogging for so long.

Pics to follow soon!

I'm not certain . . .

2009-05-10T16:13:00.002-04:00

. . . it's hard to tell, really. But, I think there's a chance I may be experiencing a slight bit of PMS.

I also don't think BRE is going to let me go to the grocery store unsupervised ever again. Now, if you'll excuse me, my blood sugar levels are woefully normal.

say hello to my leetle friend!

2009-05-02T12:01:00.001-04:00

My caulk gun has been my very best friend for a few weeks while I've been caulking and painting all the (millions of miles of) trim in my bedroom. I am finally, finally finished, after having to buy more caulk twice, and running out of paint once. So now, can we please stop snickering when I say things like, "I need to go to the store to get more caulk" or "I can't believe I'm using so much caulk!" I mean, really.

planning ahead . . .

2009-04-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been trying a new concept in my knitting. I call it "planning ahead". As opposed to last year, where I was forced by beautiful spring weather to abandon my heavy brown sweater WIP for something more seasonally appropriate, I'm trying to plan things to be finished at appropriate times. So, I cast on for February Lady in, well, February, and finished it up by mid-March. I only had 300 yards of yarn (Brookside Yarns Pico Alto in Spring), so I made a cropped, sleeveless version.

Basically, instead of putting the sleeves on stitch holders like the pattern said, I just bound off, which luckily made cute little cap sleeves with no effort on my part, and then knit the body in garter stitch until I ran out of yarn. All done totally by the seat of my pants, but it turned out great.

And it's perfect for anticipating spring, throwing on over a long-sleeve shirt or when I need a bit more layering at night.

The crazy-awesome pin is from Impulse of Delight. She was offering an amazing deal where all yarn orders placed in March would get a free shawl pin. Sign me up! I actually made buttonholes and everything, but I don't think I'll ever put buttons on; I like this so much.

Next up, I'll be making this from this:

I saw it at Needlenook and fell in love. Hopefully, by the time I finish, it'll still be cool enough for a mercerized cotton sweater. Planning ahead? Well, maybe. :-)

look! we made our house all pretty!

2009-04-27T13:06:00.000-04:00

I've been very busy with house stuff lately. (What else is new, right?) Last weekend, we finally got around to hanging some pictures.

a kitty painting given to me by a work friend as a housewarming present

my favorite tulip painting looks so cheery over the mantle. Also, check out BRE's lamp from Ten Thousand Villages. Cool, no?

BRE's wall-hanging, also from Ten Thousand Villages

pictures from Dryads Dancing

a very cool collage that BRE made with pictures from an old calendar of aboriginal Australian art. Here's a close-up.

really, we should know better

2009-04-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

The Best Roommate Ever and I tried to put together a puzzle last night.

Why are we surprised by this? Honestly.

why I whacked all my hair off

2009-04-15T18:26:00.001-04:00

One on my coworkers, on seeing my new 'do, said, "Wow. Did you get mad?" Um, no. I did not pull a britney.
I cut off all my hair to donate it to Locks of Love. I'd been planning to for quite some time. When I was in college, I did all sorts of wacky things with my hair like shaving it down to three-eighths of an inch and dyeing it blue. I miss those days. But, upon graduating, I had to enter the real world and get a real job, where I couldn't have pink hair. So I decided to shave it all off one last time and start fresh. I would grow it out until I couldn't stand it anymore, then cut it all off and donate it.
This January, I was getting dresed and accidentally tucked my hair into the back of my pants. When I told the Best Roommate Ever, she said, "Haircut!" "But, but, but-" "Haircut!" "But-" "HAIRCUT!" She knows when to be tough with me.
As soon as it got warm enough, Little Sister and I went to her hair stylist, the fabulous Susan, at Helmet, who whacked off all my hair and sent it to be made into wigs for children with cancer. Now, if only I could claim it as a deduction on my taxes.

it's awfully hard to get anything done around here sometimes

2009-04-11T13:13:00.001-04:00

This is how the Best Roommate Ever spent her weekend, held hostage under a pile of kitties.

what the crap is this???

2009-04-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

It is 30 degrees. And SNOWING. (Flurries, but still, flurries count!) In Atlanta. In APRIL!!! This is not ok! Weather, I am putting you on notice. You have been warned. Straighten up, or else!

I lost some length recently . . .

2009-04-06T12:54:00.001-04:00

before April 1st:

after April 1st:

Goodbye, hair!

One hundred thirty-eight thousand, nine hundred sixty stitches

2009-04-05T17:07:00.000-04:00

Of all the things I've made, my Lizard Ridge blanket is the one I'm most proud of. The pattern was published in Knitty in fall of 2006, shortly after my boyfriend moved out. I was shattered and in desperate need of comfort knitting, something repetitive enough not to tax my weary brain, but interesting enough to help stave off the moping, a project that would become something warm and comforting to wrap around me. Check, check and check. It was perfect, with the added benefit of using Noro Kureyon, which I had always been obsessed with but was too itchy to wear next to my skin.
After a couple of squares, I could have knit the pattern in my sleep. I loved watching the stripes of colors form. I knit on them everywhere: in the airport, in meetings, at family gatherings, anywhere I could get away with it. Thirty squares and over a year later, I had a blanket.

(And yes, that stitch count is accurate, to the best of my knowlege. I had to know. And I'm a math nerd.)

so cute my ovaries are cramping . . .

2009-03-29T16:20:00.003-04:00

Baby manatee!!! Oh, the cute. I'm trying to convince my ovaries that there's no possible way they could make a baby manatee, but they seem determined to try. Must. Snorgle. Baby. Manatee.

in which I am tired of winter

2009-03-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

Dear Winter:
Things just haven't been the same between us. When you first arrived, everything was exciting and new. We did so many fun things together. Remember cuddling in front of the fire and knitting warm socks, making soup, and snuggling under the blankets at night? You even pulled out all the stops and gave me that big exciting snowfall last month. But things have changed. We're on different paths. We want different things, and I'm tired of being cold. I made this supercute cropped sweater, and I want to wear it without my bellybutton icing over, but you won't let me.

I've tried to make things work between us, but I'm just not feeling it anymore. We need to go our separate ways. It's not you, it's me.

Sincerely,
Kim

PS: I lied. It's you. It's all you.

the wagon and I have parted company

2009-03-21T12:22:00.000-04:00

This year, I had a very determined goal to reduce my stash. I've had some of my yarn for a few years, and I was getting frustrated by always getting sidetracked. I like to be able to realize the possibilities of my yarn, and having too much makes me feel overwhelmed. I was doing so well, too. All of the knitting I've done for myself has been from stash, for like (. . . leafing through the archives . . .) the past year. Wow. That's crazy. I'm so impressed with myself. That's so much better than I would have thought. (None of the gifts have been, but gift yarn doesn't count, right? Right?) Then, well, I wandered into Knitch a few days ago, and it was my birthday, and, well . . .

Numma Numma Saucy, in Going Green

Numma Numma Saucy in Squeeze Cheese

and Lotus Aura, in Rumplestiltskin.

Then, because Cast-on Cottage sent me a coupon, seeing it was my birthday and all, I headed up there for a little day trip. This came home with me.

Louisa Harding Grace Hand-dyed, which will be perfect for this sweater, which I've been dying to make. And then, cuz it was my birthday (are you sensing a theme here?), my mom gave me this Blue-faced Bliss in New Spruce 2, by Impulse of Delight
I didn't so much fall off the wagon as wildly fling myself from it.

wheeeeee!

2009-03-17T15:01:00.003-04:00

My birthday is tomorrow and I am so ridiculously giddy I feel carbonated. I was going to do a proper blog post, but instead I'm just going to put us a teaser of all the beautiful new birthday yarn I've been buying myself lately. More later when I'm more coherent!

because she's my sister, and I love her

2009-03-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

I swore that after I finished the great Christmas Obligation Knitting (and subsequent Felted Clog Obligation Knitting), that I was going to be a big selfish jerk and knit only for myself until I didn't want to anymore, dangit! Then I asked my sister what she wanted for her birthday. She had only one wish: a cute green hat just like the one I made her for Christmas. Crap.

Happy birthday, little sis.

let me give you the tour . . .

2009-02-23T18:36:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my humble abode. I've been meaning to do a big blog tour of my house since, well, since I bought it, but the crazed fixings-up have kept me busy, and the house kind of scary and unpresentable for a long time. (Case in point.) So this little tour will be taking us through the parts of the house that do not look frightening.

First we have the "formal entryway." That was how it was described in the ad, and it cracks me up endlessly because it is tiny. Wee. Both itsy and bitsy. The picture above is all there is to it. I have had closets bigger than this. "Formal entryway" makes it sound enormous and grand, like we should put in marble and a sweeping spiral staircase and a chandelier.

Then we have the living room, now a lovely apple/mossy green color. This is where the Best Roommate Ever and I hang out in the evenings, engaging in our grueling Spinster Training Sessions by watching Jeopardy and hours of Murder She Wrote on DVD.

Here is the kitchen:
The walls are the exact color of tumeric. I've always wanted an orange kitchen, and now I have it. I rule! The cabinets are all IKEA, and I put every single one together myself. So worth it in the end, but the screwdriver blisters were brutal, let me tell you. The kitchen gets the best light in the late afternoon, and it's so warm and orangy-golden. I love it.

BRE painted the bathroom this beautiful blue all by herself on her day off. She went over to the house, put up one coat of paint, went back to the apartment, spent four hours packing and moving boxes to the house, and then put up a second coat of paint. There are no words.

I'm still undecided about the mirror situation. The bathroom came with a medicine cabinet, which I am loathe to part with, but we got a bigger sink, so the placement is very weird. Mom found these great little mirrors for me with leaves and shells and things on them, and words like "believe", "create" and "inspire". I like this placement and I hope it looks more organic and natural than weird.

I hope you enjoyed the partial tour of my little house! More pics to come as I enforce civilization and order throughout the place.

finished objects everywhere!

2009-02-18T22:30:00.001-05:00

Well, it's definitely been one thing after another here in the Land of Wading Lightly. Between the Best Roommate Ever's mom (who is doing great!), an old friend succumbing to cancer, nuclear-meltdown-level work drama for me and BRE, and Jaymie licking a cut on his foot until it became a big nasty infection requiring antibiotics and e-collars, we've been run ragged. Fortunately, all the fretting, worrying and carrying on has been fantastic for my productivity, both knitting- and painting-wise.

The living room and the entryway both got their second coats while BRE's mom was having surgery, and then touch-ups over the weekend.

I finished these warm and snuggly beauties, and I am done, done I tell you, with Felted Clog knitting for this winter. The pattern is awesome and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I really like the marble-ized effect you can get knitting with two different colors.

I also finished (woo-hoo!) my Brookside sweater, at long last. It is every bit as warm and cozy and pretty as I was hoping it would be.

For now, BRE and I are recovering our strength, hoping for more boring times to come. All this excitement has worn us out.

Satellite Kitten says: I'm on ur TV, boosting ur signal.

Smooth is my middle name.

2009-02-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

Of course, my first name is Not At All and my last is In Any Way. I was at my local hippy grocery store last week, when I saw the hottest guy. He looked just like Seth Green, only taller and hotter, if you can believe it. We made eye contact . . . and I turned and fled. Sigh. Smooth like a really bumpy thing.

painting party

2009-02-13T13:00:00.001-05:00

They say that friends help you move, but real friends help you move bodies. Well, I didn't have any bodies that needed moving (this time), but I did have a living room that desperately needed livening up. So last week, a bunch of my friends came over and we had a painting party.

Miss Rereading Proust, thinking she's backed up out of frame, but I was too quick for her.

Princess Jana Banana, taking a much-deserved break.

Gotta Knit, who will probably never forgive me for posting an unflattering picture of her butt on the internet. Disclaimer: her butt is much better-looking than those pants would have you believe.
And Carina, Wielder of the Paint Roller.

Ladies, I couldn't have done it without you, and I love you bunches! Sorry for posting unflattering pictures of you on the internet.

we need a better word for this

2009-02-10T11:40:00.000-05:00

I took off my Monkey socks the other evening, beginning the soothing process of my nightly rituals, preparing me for slumber.

And noticed this.

The squeamish among you will want to avert your eyes.

It isn't pretty.

Consider yourself warned.

And all thoughts of sleep were indefinitely postponed as I flailed about the room, swearing with impressive vigor and enthusiasm. My rational mind, bless its little heart, put forth a number of completely rational suggestions, like, "OK, there's a hole in your handknit sock. It's not the end of the world."
The rest of my mind, the part that was vacillating wildly between flailing and passing out, shrieked, "Screw you, rational mind! It is a giant *&%ing HOLE IN MY HANDKNIT SOCK!!!"
Rational mind: "Yes, but you can fix that."
Flailing mind: "Screw you, rational mind! It is a giant *&%ing HOLE IN MY HANDKNIT SOCK!!!"
Rational mind: "Calm down. I can totally fix it. All you need is the leftovers of the yarn, a few size 0 sock needles, and I will handle everything."
Flailing mind: "Screw you, rational mind! It is a giant *&%ing HOLE IN MY HANDKNIT SOCK!!! Also, this is a completely rational and proportional response to finding a giant *&%ing HOLE IN MY HANDKNIT SOCK!!! I will calm down when I am good and ready!"

Eventually, we all reached a compromise, and my flailing mind settled down to hyperventilate quietly while my rational mind began to pick up stitches and begin the repair.

I know they're called "darns", but let's be honest, they should be called "*&%%^#$ (*&^ (*& ^$#@ $#!!^".

kitty knows best

2009-02-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

I found a cute basket while out shopping a few weeks ago. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, but I knew I'd be sorry if I didn't get it. I brought it home, set it on the floor, turned my back for one second, and when I turned around, I saw this.

Silly human. It's a kitty holder. Of course.

All clear!

2009-02-06T12:32:00.001-05:00

We're in the clear! (Just like BRE's mom's shiny new arteries!) She came out of surgery just fine, and all is well. Thanks for your support!

an idle Tuesday

2009-02-03T15:13:00.003-05:00

Everyone, please keep the Best Roommate Ever's mom in your thoughts. She's currently in surgery, undergoing a quintuple bypass. BRE flew down this morning. I'm taking care of the cat-monsters and trying to figure out if there's a way to fix open-heart surgery with knitting.

painting party!!!

2009-01-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

Possibly the most uninteresting picture I have ever posted on my blog:

A nice, shiny, newly-painted ceiling! Painting party on Saturday! Woo!

something lurking . . .

2009-01-22T12:31:00.003-05:00

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the laundry . . .

too bad I don't have extra-large armpits

2009-01-18T17:15:00.004-05:00

The last two days have totally redefined my definition of cold. There's nothing like making deliveries for an hour at 7 AM when the temperature, without windchill, is 13F. When I looked at the weather forecast yesterday, my reaction was, "Wow! Overnight low in the 30's?! Sweet!!" Which would have sounded crazy to me only a week ago.
The weather today has been beautiful, in the 40's (practically balmy!), bright and sunny, with a gentle breeze and soft blue sky. It's almost as if the weather is apologizing for the misery it inflicted on us.
And let me tell you, it's a good thing too, because I am having Sweater Issues, or, more accurately, Being Incapable of Counting Issues. I brought my Brookside Sweater out of hibernation to finish it up before the cold weather ends. (That was why it went into hibernation in the first place. I just couldn't face finishing a brown sweater in May.) I'd finished the body and sleeves up to the point of joining them and doing the raglan decreases. Quick and easy, right? Wrong. The first time, I was only doing half the decreases I should have been; but with a quick trip to the frog pond, I was back on my way. This time, I inexplicably seemed to forget about the second decrease point. I was decreasing at points 1, 3 and 4, but not 2. Is it weird that my first thought was, "I could make this work if only I had extra-large armpits"?

a little FYI

2009-01-15T09:35:00.001-05:00

If you should find yourself trying to access Home Depot via the internet, be really really sure you include the "m" when typing in the address. Otherwise, bad things. Very very bad things.

2009-01-12T13:12:00.003-05:00

My dreams have gotten a lot more mundane in recent years. I guess my mind is more focused on the day-to-day details than when I was a kid. Besides being more boring, this has another downside. If I dream that I'm married to Bob Dole and raising penguins in Guam, I can be pretty sure that's a dream. But today I found myself wondering if the conversation I had where my Dad told me he found wire shelving on sale for the garage actually happened or if I dreamt it. Crap.

reflection

2008-12-30T23:45:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. The winter solstice, the darkest night of the year, has come and gone. The sun creeps out earlier and sets a little later each day, but the weather turns increasingly cold. All sensible creatures hunker down and hibernate until spring. It's a time to reflect, repent, revise and resolve.

A friend's recent breakup of a five-year relationship has led to many deep discussions and ponderings about the nature of love. This recent comic also struck a chord of recognition with me. It depicts, with eerie accuracy, the course of um, all of my relationships. Because when I think back on them and on my exes, I don't miss them. I don't miss our relationship.
I do get lonely. I miss very much being special to someone. And I have a loving family and many friends who shower me with affection, and I try to soak up as much of that as I can to fend off the lonelies. But I miss having someone who thinks that I am special and wants to be with me and make me happy. Boys can be very cute when they want you to like them back. And I am both very cheap and very hermit-y, so a boyfriend is good for getting me out of the house and forcing me to try new stuff. The only time I ever go to movies is with a boy, and though I go out to restaurants weekly with friends, I don't eat. I am so tight, I squeak.
So I miss that. But I know (oh how I know), that the only thing worse than no boyfriend is the wrong boyfriend, and I would rather be lonely by myself than lonely with someone. Because there is no worse feeling in the world than being lonely with someone laying in bed next to you.

Finished!

2008-12-24T13:02:00.001-05:00

Christmas knitting is finished!

Socks for Mom. For some reason, this colorway doesn't photograph well. It's a very lovely teal and brown, called Teal Party actually, in Claudia Handpainted. She picked out the yarn herself, but she can't remember what color it was anymore. My evil plan worked perfectly.

Socks for the Best Roommate Ever, in Lotus Yarns Nirvana. The colorway is called Dig, and it's a beautiful mix of golds and coppers and bronze.

Felted Clogs for my brother-in-law. He and my sister live in one of those uber-trendy concrete lofts, so she suggested slippers to keep his tootsies warm.

Here's how big they are before felting. (That's my foot, not his.) If I were a nice person, I'd felt them before gifting, but a) I want to let them dry on his feet so they'll mold perfectly to fit him, and b) I want to see the look on his face when he unwraps these and says, "Boy, thanks! What the hell is it?" I'm a bad person.

A hat for my little sister. She recently dyed her hair a brilliant red, and the pink (fun fur: oh, the shame!) hat I made for her a few years ago clashes terribly. She also has cute little bangs, so I made her a tam so she can avoid crushing her hairdo.

Here's the detail close-up. It's not as easy to tell as I'd like, but those are little hearts done in purl stitches.

Merry Christmas to all from everyone here at Chez Light Wading!

(actual) fun with coworkers

2008-12-19T21:13:00.002-05:00

Coworkers, I think, are the part of a job that simultaneously has the greatest effect on your work experience while being the part that you have the least control over. Coworkers can make a crappy job fun and a fabulous job miserable, yet you can't interview potential coworkers, or negotiate for better coworkers. They're a little like family that way: you're stuck with what you get, so you just have to figure out how to deal with their eccentricities. Every once in a while, a coworker comes along that you actually like, who makes you laugh and makes your day go by faster, a coworker that, if you are really lucky and very good and eat all your vegetables and pray real hard, knits.
Enter Sara. In addition to being one of the sweetest people to ever draw breath and a maker of nummy nummy baked goods, she was kind enough to allow me to teach her to knit. I taught her two years ago, took her to a few yarn stores, gave her some yarn from a sweater that defied me once too often. She took to it right away, made a scarf or two, a couple of hats for Christmas, but showed no sign of falling down the rabbit hole. (Unlike some of us, ahem.)
Then a month or so ago, she blithely announced that she was knitting a pair of socks for her mom. She also wanted to find a pattern for a cabled hat. Not one to miss an opportunity, I let her use my Ravelry account to surf for patterns. Three days later, she had her own Rav-name.
She has fallen and fallen hard. I couldn't be prouder if I'd raised her my ownself.

She's Knittingscared on Ravelry. Look her up and say hi. She's having the most horrible case of hives right now, and I know she'd love the encouragement.

Christmas knitting

2008-12-17T09:16:00.001-05:00

My brother-in-law's first slipper is done. Well, except there's this second sole thing I have to knit and attach, and then I have to felt the whole shebang, but I'm focusing on progress. Whee, progress. I think it makes a remarkably attractive hat, but the Best Roommate Ever disagrees.

Tres sexy, non?

Party aftermath

2008-12-14T13:24:00.011-05:00

Party has been thrown and was a wild success! Everyone declared my house "adorable" while I regaled them with stories of getting the toilet installed the day before we moved in. Cookies were eaten, champagne was drunk (thanks, Fairy Yarn Mother!), the knitters behaved themselves and refrained from overtly scaring the non-knitters. A few pics of my apartment (HOUSE! Not apartment. House!), all sparklied up:

Many wonderful prezzies found their way into my home.

The cutest teapot ever, with tea from Sara, Coworker of Awesomeness

a nummy nummy candle from the lovely lady at Reporebo Yarns. I also received an illustrated copy of the Devil's Dictionary from blogless Alice, and from my Dad, what every little girl dreams of:

my own drill and bit set!

M-F-er!

2008-12-11T10:46:00.002-05:00

I just got a bill from Dekalb Medical center for almost $900 for a procedure that was done in JANUARY. The letter says something like "it has been 30 days since we billed your insurance provider . . . " Well, NO FREAKING KIDDING, JERKS! If you'll excuse me, I have to go invent new curse words, since my current stock is woefully inadequate. Any suggestions?

does a thing like this happen to a nice girl like me?

2008-12-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

Usually, I am a card-carrying, flag-waving, loud-and-proud member of the Selfish Knitters Club. No, really, check it out. And yet, somehow I have ended up planning a handknit gift for almost every person on my Christmas list. The Best Roommate Ever is getting handknit socks, as is my mom; my sister is getting a hat, and my not-yet-but-might-as-well-be-and-one-day-will-be brother-in-law is getting slippers. (Ok, actually, I know how it happened. I put down a downpayment on a house and realized I was out of money. That's no excuse for my actions, though. What the hell was I thinking?)
Fortunately, I'm coming along pretty well. Mom's socks (begun in July) and my sister's hat (made with Cashmerino Superultracrazybulky) are finished. BRE's socks are done up to the cuffs, so I'm hoping a few knit nights will knock those out. My brother-in-law's slippers, though . . . Does this look even remotely like a slipper?

I'm scared.

Party on!

2008-12-01T15:31:00.002-05:00

OK, new plan! Party is on Saturday the 13th, from 1-ish to 4-ish. Email me for directions!

if it's not one thing, it's another . . .

2008-11-28T19:30:00.002-05:00

So, housewarming party plans have been derailed already. I have an appointment at 3 that I can't move or skip. So . . . I seek opinions from those of you more socially ept than I. (Or from those just as socially inept as I am. I like opinions. If you've got one, throw it in.) Should I move the party to the next Saturday (the 13th)? Or is that edging into Christmas-crazy-busy-ness territory? Or, should I move the party to later in the day, say, starting at 5-ish? Or is that edging too close into dinner territory? I was going for a little afternoon gathering with snacks for noshing, because I really truly don't cook, and while the CDC is quite nearby, I don't want people to show up with the expectation that I'm capable of feeding them a non-fatal dinner. Halp!

a year in socks

2008-11-25T21:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, all ye of American persuasion! I was reminiscing the other day about this time last year, when I was working on the RPM socks and taking them for a little jaunt in the mountains of north Georgia. Which led to my wondering how many socks I had completed since them, which led to a little impromptu photo session on my new living-room rug.

Six pair, not counting the socks I finished for my Mom's Christmas present, or the socks I'm working on for BRE. Not bad. I'm no Quiddity, but I'm pretty pleased with myself. (How that woman can turn out so many socks so fast is a constant source of wonder and befuddlement to me. It's truly amazing. I would be jealous, but she's such a delightful person that I just can't. And she has the cutest cats ever.)

The house is coming along at a good, steady pace. Every day there's a tiny bit less chaos. Of course, Jaymie is helping as only he can.

I think we're ready for a housewarming party, which I'm tentatively scheduling for Saturday, December 6th, early afternoon-ish. Consider yourself invited! Email me for address and/or directions.

Last year I put together a really great Thanksgiving post, and while this year's will not be as full of deep thoughts and ponderings, I think it's important to be thankful and remind yourself of the good things in your life. So, in no particular order, I'm thankful for:

my parents, who have basically given up their lives and all their spare time to fix up this house. This would absolutely not have been possible without them.
the Best Roommate Ever, who proved herself even more awesome than I would have thought possible with all the renovation and moving chaos.
my knitting friends, who keep demanding to know when I'm going to let them come over and paint my house for me. You can't get better friends than that.
all of my extended family, whom I got to see this year for a big wedding, and whom I'll get to see again next year for another wedding. And for never asking me, "When is your turn?" because then I'd have to hurt them and that would ruin everyone's fun.
the kittenbeasts, to whom I am the sole mommy for Thanksgiving week, as BRE is out of town visiting family. I promised her that if I sold them to the gypsies in her absence, I'd get a good price for them.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I just haven't been the same since that house fell on me

2008-10-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

Greetings, all! I am pleased to announce that the Best Roommate Ever, No No Bad Kitty, No No Bad Kitty 2, and I are successfully moved into our new house! And that we are not dead and no part of the process killed us (although it tried real hard). Rennovating turned into a much bigger job than we had anticipated, but I feel really good about it because now we know that everything is good and fixed correctly and there aren't any ugly surprises for us to find. Because we already found them all. The Best Roommate Ever took care of all (and I do mean ALL) of the moving stuff while my dad and I worked on all the renovation fun. She was absolutely amazing and made of awesome. I considered upgrading her to Greatest Roommate of All Time, but then I realized her abbreviation would be GRoAT, which doesn't sound very nice. So she will remain BRE, and my hero.

Everything is still kind of everywhere; it's box-palooza for now, but I have been assured that one day I will be able to find stuff again. I will post pictures as soon as I a) find my camera, and b) have internet at the house, and c) have all of the parts of my computer located and assembled properly. No guarantees on when that will be, but I hope to rejoin the world very soon. I've missed you all!

leaving, in a Ford Focus . . .

2008-09-29T21:19:00.001-04:00

I'm leaving in the early hours Wednesday morning to go to St. Louis for my uncle's wedding. We'll be gone five days, and I've packed four knitting projects. Is that overkill?

Nah.

Things I have learned while renovating . . .

2008-09-25T11:29:00.001-04:00

Things I have learned while renovating my house:

1) It takes a lot of demolition before you get to the part where things start to look better.
2) I love caulking. It's fun and messy and makes things look instantly pretty.
3) It is very difficult to remove splinters from your own butt.

You may be wondering, what has the Best Roommate Ever been doing while I've been slaving away on the house? Why, earning her nickname, of course. She's packing up the apartment, with some helpful feline assistance.

don't panic!

2008-09-18T18:22:00.006-04:00

House update: kitchen that originally looked like this:

now looks like this:

OK. Breathing deeply. It will all be ok. I mean, how often do we really use the kitchen anyway? So what if it's not done in time?

Nope, not working. Urge to panic . . . rising!

Obligatory cute kitty picture:
And knitting update picture:
One completed Mom-sock.

OK, gotta go. I have a lot of panicking- er, I mean, work to do.

housewarming prezzies!

2008-09-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

Yay! Look what Treats for Breathing got me as a housewarming prezzie!

Gorgeous, hand-dyed yarn! In what appears to be the perfect weight to use for socks! However did she know?

2008-09-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

Here I am, popping up like a little groundhog to give an update and reassure everyone that the house hasn't killed me yet. I've been doing a crapload of cleaning and cleaning and yardwork and taking down seriously icky A/C window units (those things are freakin' heavy!), and yardwork and lots more yardwork. My bedroom looks so much better.

OK, well, you can't really tell from the picture, but believe me, it does.
And um, here should be a picture of the enormous pile of brush and lawn debris that my parents and I made, but I guess I was too busy trying not to pass out and die to actually get a picture. Crap. Just visualize.
My parents have come out the past two Saturdays and helped me bushwhack the yard. They are amazing. Aparently I have a pretty sizeable side yard, but you could never tell because it was horribly overgrown and covered in English ivy.
My next big task is picking out paint colors.

I have actually been accomplishing quite a bit on the knitting front.

Mom's socks have two toes and two heels, and lack only cuffs to make them complete.

The Branching Ferns shrug is almost three-quarters finished. I have one more lace repeat before I join for the sleeve.

The Best Roommate Ever's socks are coming along. I finished one toe, which I did not take a picture of, because I am full of picture-taking fail today.

And finally, I have a few gifts for guy-type people that I promised to make, so I snapped up some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky at Knitch. Soft, machine-washable, and on sale! If only guys weren't so boring about colors.

I CAN has house!

2008-08-31T20:36:00.003-04:00

Look! I has a house!

And, uh, yeah, expect posting to be sporadic for a while, because I have a lot of work to do. All you lovely ladies who volunteered to help, expect me to be calling in those favors soon.

tomorrow

2008-08-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

I can haz howse?

the theme for this week: creation!

2008-08-24T21:33:00.000-04:00

I woke up Wednesday morning (the first day of my "weekend") with a wicked pancake craving, so, armed only with my wits, a vegan cookbook and a spatula, I made these little beauties.

Mmmmm, vegan pancakes. Topped with vanilla soy yogurt and berries (frozen, hence the vivid purple color) and accompanied by fake bacon, since I wanted some salt to go with my sugar. Intense amounts of numminess, and a rather odd and alarming continuation of a recent trend. All recent evidence to the contrary, I am severely cooking-skills-deprived. It was only recently that I figured out if I don't make food, no food will appear. Don't ask me how I survived until now. I think it was sheer dumb luck.

Crusoe socks, finished! I didn't even need to be sat on.

The larval beginnings of a pair of socks for the Best Roommate Ever.

My mom's socks have two toes and a heel! Yay for progress and speedy mindless stockinette!

I finished one sleeve of the Branching Fern shrug. (I made the pattern up out of my head, with a little help from Barbara Walker, and for the time being, it's going well.) Modeled with a recent purchase, one of my very favorite shirts, which I then tried to take a picture of in the bathroom mirror . . .

forgetting that if you take a picture of words in a mirror, they will be backwards. D'oh! Attempt #2:

Much better. And so very true. Need one of your own? Here. (I especially like the bumper sticker.)

So close! And yet . . .

2008-08-17T17:36:00.004-04:00

I am SO CLOSE to finishing the Crusoe socks it's not even funny.

I've been almost finished with them for about a week now, and every night I say, "Tonight I'm going to finish those socks!" So far, not so much. Last night I was distracted from sock knitting by the need to make little wee tiny lemony minicupcakes

and ice them while watching Brick for like the eighth time. This level of domestic goddess-ery is weird, unprecedented and unsettling. But the cupcakes are quite tasty.

(My excuse for not watching the Olympics is as follows: all they were showing was boxing, and in the words of Lymon Zerga, "Hand-to-hand combat does not interest me", and the marathon, which is spectacularly boring to watch. "Yep. They're still running.")
Fortunately, I am having dinner with some knitting friends tomorrow, and they will sit on me and force me to finish the socks. You ladies know who you are. I'm counting on you and your evil ways.

Warning: too much lolcats can be detrimental to your spelling

2008-08-13T13:24:00.003-04:00

Toze!

I has dem.

sometimes it's hard to get anything done around here

2008-08-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

I was cleaning the other day, and tossed the rug from our wee tiny entryway area into the living room in order to mop. The Best Roommate Ever came by a few minutes later when the floor was dry to put the rug back, and saw this.

Don't see it? How about now?

And here's a view of what was peeking out the other end.

It's awfully hard to get things done around here sometimes.

Yay for knitting pics!

2008-08-09T13:03:00.001-04:00

Now that I have a camera again, I can finally post some progress pictures. The knitting has been continuing apace. Both heels are done on the Crusoe socks

and I just have to finish the cuffs. Note the hairy legs in this picture. Tres chic, ne c'est pas?

This little beauty is something I'm sort of making up out of my head (with a little help from Barbara Walker). It's going to be a shrug in the Branching Fern lace pattern (from The Second Treasury, I think), and it's made from Brookside Yarns Pico Alto, which is so very sadly discontinued. I started with a provisional cast-on at the center back and I'm going to knit the sleeve until I run out of yarn, then pick up the stitches and knit the other direction for the other side. I must use every last bit of this nummy nummy yarn.

And THIS is something special I'm making for that lovely patient woman who gave me life . . .

MOM, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, YOU BETTER NOT LOOK

A sock, of course. What else. It's make with Claudia Handpainted Fingering weight, and the colorway is Teal Party.

This picture is a little more accurate representation of the color.

The Best Roommate Ever and I watched the Opening Ceremonies last night and I knit a ton on this sock. I'm almost ready for the heel. I just have to blindfold my mother and check the length.