things to make you smile on an otherwise somber day

I know that on this anniversary I should be offering, at the very least, a moment of silence here on my blog, but that won't happen for two reasons.

First, because I've decided to take back this day for my (blogless) friend Lisa as it is her birthday and she is older than 5.

Second, because I can never stop babbling when I'm sad (it's a nervous habit), so I might as well just let it all out right here. Perhaps in the process, one of us will get a giggle and it will lighten up our day a bit.
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Hot Dawg.

This dude was trying to beat the heat on Main Street at the Harlot's book signing.
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There is a menagerie living at Shanty de AmpuT (now, really...I can't honestly be calling it Chez AmpuT or Hacienda de AmpuT...that would not be accurate). Anyhow, this tiny abode is occupied by: two humans, two dogs, one cat, one gecko, and up to forty crickets (for the gecko).

And lately we've had some visitors.

We have racoons come at night, we had a snake in the yard a couple of weeks ago, and last Friday I got (blurry--he's fast) pictures of our newest tribe member, Stuart Little:




Stuart likes dog food. Just the perfect yummy morsel.
You'd think the snake or the cat would have gotten to Stuart before I got him with my camera. I think they are all in cahouts.
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This is part of the clan at TheMIG's Maisonette. Lately TheMIG's been coming home at night, opening the doors to air the place out, and this little dude...

...just strolls right in and helps himself to cat food. That's a pic of him outside right after getting the boot.

I think he's cute. TheMIG says he's ugly and looks like a big rat. But he's owned rats before. So I'm not sure what that means.
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More photos from Harlot Day. At the yarn shop I fell in love with these hand-turned wooded needle cases.

Each one was a unique in shape, and there were silver or goldtone options. Of course, I cut off the label in the photo, so I can't recall who made them. But that's cool, because if I ever have the dough to spring for one, I'd like to buy it from the store to support them anyhow.

Ok, so the best part of the packaging was the back label.

A ladder???? This seems something like Engrish, only from what I could tell, it's made in the USA.
So what does one call that?
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Here's what I knit for myself while hanging out at the booksigning:



One should probably show up at a Harlot event with a sock to work on, but I have no socks on the needles right now *gasp!*. Instead I brought along the lovely celery colored yarn Rebecca had sent me for the Secret Pal swap, and paired it with some companion off-white I had picked up from Skein Lane at a discount (they are closing). Then I made this simple cowl. Simple simple. Like really simple. Simple so that I could pay full attention to Stephanie and not screw anything up.


I'm going to have to title this, "Cowl-Scowl in Green, With Splotchy Red Eyes". Yesterday sucked, and I'm not sure if I'll ever write about it because today is a bit better, and I'm not sure I want to revisit it. But let's for now just advise y'all that I am definitely having a mini-depression.

ChicKnits Cowl
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Alpaca Silk, 1 skein each colors #25007 and #25002
Needles: Denise Circulars, US#8
Pattern: My Favorite Cowl, Chic Knits
Modifications: I made it two-tone.


I'm on a mission right now to knit things to keep me warm this winter. I am determined to do anything I can to keep my energy bill below the $200 a month it was last year. That being my goal, I'm knitting up stuff to keep me cozy. Stumpwarmers (in progress, btw), fingerless gloves, hats and then things for the neck and shoulders that might work better than scarves and shawls. I love scarves, but I hate when I get tangled up in them or when they get wet when I'm doing housework or washing dishes. Which isn't often. But I want to be warm when I do it.

Anyhow, so the cowl concept is great. I'm thinking about making something like a Loopy Velez Cowl from Stitch N Bitch, too.

The cowl photos were taken before I blocked it, which I've just done because it was curling up way too much. It's drying now. And I have enough leftover yarn to make a hat too, which is about halfway done right now.

This yarn is so soft, it's makes me giddy...

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Comments on Comments:

Mouse writes: The first thing that cracked me up though is what Muggles must have thought of the sign that says "Harlot here today" and then all of you sitting there waiting for "the Harlot" to talk.
Ya' know, I hadn't even thought of that! Even funnier to ponder is what the City of Los Altos must have said to the store owner when she applied for permits to have a Harlot give a public speech. Hahaha.
On that note, the owner mentioned that the city required her to by a $1 million insurance policy to cover the event. Like ya' never know if someone is going to trip and fall on their pointy sticks or if someone is going to get knocked down wrestling for sock yarn LOL.

John emails: I forgot to ask in my earlier comment. Did you get to hold the sock?
No. Although I'm sure I could have if I asked (she seemed like a very accommodating lady...living proof that knitting definitely fosters patience). If you look in one of the photos, you can see The Sock's blue dpn's sticking out next to a beer, and I'm pretty sure that's her current shawl on the table in front of me. I was humbled in her presence and fondled nothing. I didn't even tell her that I had a blog or that I'm a huge fan, so there will be no honorable mention. When I realized it was 8:30pm and that there were 11 more waves of people behind me, and that they were estimating each wave to be 20-30 minutes...well, like I said...I felt like I'd already used up my time with the two books to be signed. I just kinda got in and out.
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Last but not least:

I caught a bit of the Do It Yourself Network's show Knitty Gritty this morning, and they had on designer MK Carroll (remember the lady of the knitted womb?). MK showed how to make a sushi toilet paper roll cover with a shushi-mat tank cover. Cuuuuute....

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Ok, so ONE MORE THING.

.....while looking up the womb link, I found out
The Fall '06 issue of KNITTY IS UP!

SOooooo now I gotta go LOL..........