blog? what blog.

I'm still here. And I have lots to write about. I'm behind in my blogging, and I'm even further behind on reading the posts of my favorite blogs, too. I'm not kidding. I opened up my bloglines and it has over 800 unread posts in it!!! I'd say at least half of them are of Socks That Rock Club bloggers posting about stalking their mailmen or drooling on their yarn, so that's easy thing to scan and/or delete. It's like 400 posts and we're all saying the same thing. But seriously, I haven't been keeping up with my online bloggybuddys, and I haven't even read the Yarn Harlot in so long that I am 18 post behind!!. That's a good sign that I'm buried.

Why so behind?
I have been cleaning my house.
Not your typical cleaning, though (actually TheShanty is still covered in it's usual thick layer of dust).
I've been purging. Big time purging. Like on the organizing shows on television, purging.
It's going super-duper good, but it is one massive effort, and it has totally taken me away from the computer. Actually, I'm beginning to wonder what role the computer has played in getting me to this state in the first place.

So. I'm going to try to catch up with my own blog posting, and then catch up with reading a blog or two a day until I get caught up. We'll see how it goes.

I suspect the next few posts will entertain only me. It's going to be me trying to catch up on 3-4 weeks of posts for a few days. I have all of these newer blogable things brewing that I'd like to share here...deep thoughts, and some project spectrum photos...but I'm suffering from some kind of bloggers block with the newer stuff because I feel like I have to write about some of the older stuff before I can go forward. I thought about just letting everything go and just picking up and going forward, but of course I feel compelled to fill in the blanks intead. The list of topics is long, and it will take a day or two or three to do it probably.
But do it, I will.
So, here I go…the first installment.
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Comments on Comments

I don't think that I have replied to one single comment in weeks. Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't. But I dont think so. Hard to say. Let's blame it on the fever.

Here's a global thank you for everyone that sent get will wishes when I was sick, for happy accidentaversary notes, and thanks to folks that gave me things to think about. I always love that.

A very special thanks to Mr or Mrs "Anonymous" and their comment about how blue is the color of health, not just disability. Thank you. It's been very good for me to reflect on that. I love it when people get me thinking.
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TheBon Tour '07

So TheBon came to visit to California. We've been chatting on line for awhile, and she is absolutely just as much fun in person as she is chatting online. Second online knitter buddy I’ve met, and I have to say: All hail the mighty power of the internets.

We spent one day doing a tour of the East Bay. I hope the hell TheBon blogs about it soon, because she took some really great pics, and of course, I took nothing...but she had the fancier camera. The tour we took that first day together was primarily about checking out the buildings of famous architects. The highlight of the day was going to see the building that was the highest on her list of things to do (a Bernard Maybeck building), and when we got there, ladyluck was with us. A docent was just unlocking the doors to set up for an afternoon tour. But she first let us inside and gave us our own private tour. It was so very cool.

TheBon and I got together again a couple of days later to go to Stitches West (more about that in a minute). We were also supposed to get together for third visit while she was in town, and that was when she was going to teach me to spin (which didn’t happen, because I got the crud), so that was a bummer. But it means that one of these days I'm going to toss my wheel in my car and drive to Oregon LOL.

TheBon brought me one awesome birthday gift when she came:

275 yds of HANDSPUN and HANDYED merino/tencel that she made. Sooo yummy! (thank you!!!) I think it will probably be a scarf, and I really want to use a simple stitch pattern that will showcase the yarn.
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Stitches

Well, I probably don't need to aks any of you fiber folks thing, but how much fun was Stitches??!! I had a blast, and I most definitely used my “get of (knit from my stash) jail free” card for the day….which is a good thing, because I needed some new yarny love to get myself excited about knitting again. I was in a bit of a slump, and the fumes of the new yarn has revived me.

I bought a couple of skeins of Socks That Rock in lightweight (Carbon Dating and Puck’s Mischeif), a niddy noddy, some of Cookie’s sock patterns, a couple skeins of Malabrigo, and a couple of Manos del Uraguay in the most luscious of saucy reds you can imagine (the picture does not do it justice).



My big splurge was to buy a shibori scarf kit from Blue Moon Fiberarts.



I’ve been working on that while I’ve been sick. Oooh. And I found a shawl pin for the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl that is being gifted in a couple of weeks.



How perfect is that?!!
What is very cool about this thing is that it is all one unit. You can't lost the stick part, and it makes it very easy to put on.



See? The pin is attached to the clasp. Neat, eh? The artist has a website here.

So all the booty scored at Stitches was great….but the best thing about Stitches for me was the people. For starters, I rode down with a carload of really fun gals, and once we got there, we met up a few more people there to shop along with, including Carliegh.

I got chat with Morgaine from Carolina Homespun for a bit (I just adore her).

I had a really nice chat with Hollis of Full Thread Ahead, whom I’d met at the Yarn Harlot book signing last year.

I got my Knitting Vintage Socks book signed by Nancy Bush, which was my total gaagaa starry-eyed moment.

Oh wait, I had another starry-eyed moment meeting Yarn-A-Go-Go!

And I got to meet no-blog-Rachel!!

I ran into a few ladies from my old knitting group at Skein Lane, and I got to run into Merrily Parker (designer of the infamous Mariposa shawl), whom I don’t see often anymore as she’s found a new SnB and has left us lonely.

I saw a woman carrying a Black Bunny Fibers tote bag and introduced myself, and (damn, I hope I get this right because it was later in the day and I was high on yarn fumes) got to meet Jocelyn.

And probably the best run-in I had all day was running into a buddy of mine I knew from back in my early 20’s: Rueben. He was very contendedly (or so it seemed) playing pack mule for his wife-turned-knitter. He had their new baby strapped to his chest in a carrier and his arms were loaded down with shopping bags LOL. It was very funny timing to run into them after all these years, because I had thinking about them regularly for months. They used to host these weekly dinners, and I've been wondering if one of these days if I could do the same thing. They would have a potluck dinner every Friday night. They would make a main dish. The door was open to a wide list of people who could just pop in unannounced on the way home from work. You were to bring your own plate, your own utensils, a cup, and dish to share. It was an awesome way to begin the weekend, and I have very fond memories of sitting around plates of good food in small clusters of friends, and just having something on the calendar that I could just go to, or not go to...but it was always there. I'm wondering if I can host something like that someday. Maybe once a month rather than weekly? Wanna come?

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The Bringer of Crud

I'll end by telling you a little bit about how MyFavoriteKid and I got so sick, how I got uber-pissed, and the power of my mojo to bring you evil...hahaha.

MyFK's best buddy and family moved about 5 hours north a couple of years ago, and they come visit every once in awhile. It was presidents week vacation, so I made a plan with the father of this buddy to have the buddy and the little brother come stay with us for two nights.

The exciting day comes. The kids arrive and disappear into MyFK's room to check out any and all new acquisitions since their last visit. TheDad and I sit and catch up on news for about 15 minutes. TheDad goes out to his car and fills my living room with sleeping bags and pillows and overnight bags. TheDad says goodbye to the kids, who quickly shut themselves back in MyFK's bedroom. TheDad is now on my front landing saying his goodbyes to me. TheDad turns and says, "Oh. Keep an eye on the older one. He has a bit of a fever. Bye!"

Asswipe.

*sigh*

So off TheDad goes. I take the OlderKid's temp and he doesn't have a fever, but he just had some tylenol or something. He has a wicked rumbly deep chest cough though and is spewing germs far and wide, and probably over every little game piece and video game controller that is being passed back and forth between all of them.

I call TheDad and basically tell him that he's an twit. He apologizes profusely, but he feels so stuck because this was the kids' vacation trip, right?? Umm yeah. Right. So I deal with it for a night as best I can, The OlderKid's temperature goes up and down, and we're washing our hands a kajillion times and whatnot. The next day the YoungerBrother starts complaining of a headache and now has a fever. I call TheDad and tell him the party's over, and I give the kids the boot.

Two days later, MyFK is sick as a dog. He misses an entire week of school. And a few days after he gets it, I get it...and I miss all sorts of important things, too. It was an asskicker.

I am capable of feeling ill will and am seeking to make TheDad be the recipient of my revenge. I spend several days wanting to call him and say nasty things about what he'd done to us, but I don't call. Finally, a few days after the fever breaks, I do call, to ask him for his email address. I'd taken some pics of the kids together and I wanted to send them along. TheDad answers his phone and it sounds like he's been punched in the face by TheWickedVirusMonster.

Dudes (hi Carol!), I kid you not....I shouted, "You got sick too!!" And then literally burst out into uncontrollable giggle.

I felt a little bit rude for not being able to keep my joy of another's misfortune under wraps. But only just a little.