KNita KNittin'

A Very "Noro" Birthday...

Happy Birthday to me!!  All day today was my birthday.  I didn't do much, I worked at Commuknity, and was very happy with that. No hoopla, no big whoopdedoo's, just a regular day.  Although, I was not expecting this. That's 3 skeins of Kureyon and 3 hanks of Blossom!!  Who's better 'n me??  I am a lucky, lucky girl.  Nathania and Erin from Commuknity are really some wonderful, great, fabulous, beautiful people, and though they got hugs, they really don't know how much this meant to me.  I felt like a kid!   I'm a lucky person to know these 2 gals! 

I also played a 2 out of 3 game of Ping Pong with Robin.  I love Ping Pong and we are very well matched for players.  I think I had the B-day groove going today, I took todays match!  She got me yesterday, so we're even.  Today was ALSO the mailing party for the Choral Project which was held at the yarn store.  Not too many people were there to help out and there was a lot of work to do, so I did some bouncing around from the back room to the front desk as I was able.  I wish you could see these season brochures.  Robin is a friggin' genius when it comes to this stuff. It's absolutely go-jus!! 

So, that's my B-day.  Short and sweet, and all that good stuff.  I'm off the diet as of yesterday, and have decided life's too short to worry about carbs, so now I'll work on getting my exercise on.  Besides, I couldn't stand not being able to have a little vino.  I'll only go so far with these things. It got me exercising, and that means more than any diet.  So, Peach Pie for dessert!!  Happy Birthday, Juanita, Happy Birthday to moi!!

JH

Kudos to Commuknity!!

For those of you in Santa Clara Valley, CA perhaps you've heard of this new LYS in San Jose.  Well, last night was their "Open House".  I was unable to be there for the entire event and arrived way towards the end of the event.  But thanks to Kevin snapping pictures, I was able to get a good idea of the people who made their way through the store.  It was a glorious picture of at least 60 or more people checkin' it out!  What a wonderful thing to happen for the store.  I'm sure there were a lot of people that hadn't been there since the first month or so of opening.  This second visit, no doubt, surprised them to no end.  When I walked in around 7pm last night, Erin was at the register just ringing people up.  Ch-Ching!!  Lovin' that!  Robin, was there and helped with serving the event.  There was also a vibe player setting up the scene with a little music in the background.  It was a wonderful night.  I only wish I could have been there earlier.  I had a chiro appointment right from work.  Oh well. 

In any case, here's to Commuknity!!  Congratulations on a successful "Open House"!! 

Live long and prosper!!

JH

I've been tagged!!

Well, it looks like Dani got me.   This is going to be hard. I don't know if I have any peculiar characteristics.  At least not to me!!  So, here we go...

Idiosyncrasy
n. pl. id· i·o·syn·cra·sies
-A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

Write down five of your own personal idiosyncracies.

1)  I rock myself to sleep every night.  It reminds me of the comfort of being rocked to sleep in my mother's lap. 

2)  I like my bread/toast buttered in every last nook and cranny...none of this half-assed buttering stuff...

3)  Waffles give me the runs (homemade waffles, that is)

4)  When I swim freestyle, I tend to get the arms going the right way, and kick like a frog. 

5)  I like beets.

Ok, that was pretty painful.  I don't know if I can show myself in public anymore, so to ease my pain, and shame, I therefore tag, Michelle, and Suz!!  Do it up!!

JH

Kinda freaky, kinda fun...

Got to work at my LYS this Sunday!!  Yea!!  I enjoy that job more than anything!!  All went well, a few folks came in for social knitting, but it was hot enough yesterday, that I don't think a lot of people were looking to get out of the comfort of their homes if they had AC. Though sales in quantity weren't too hot (pun intended), the few we had made relatively large purchases.  So, can't argue there.  I actually had the opportunity to show the selling points to someone who wanted to buy a Jordana Paige bag.  I carry mine with me everywhere, so they could actually see it in action.  Sold, much?  Also, I was able to knit with and talk to one of the Social Knitters. Erin had commented on the speed of our "Social Knitter" at the time, and we got into a small discussion about Continental style versus Throwing style, as I call it, and how difficult we thought Continental style was having tried it several times ourselves.  I understood how Continental style could be easier, but was reluctant to abandon the style that had taken me through thus far.

Nathania had posted the author of Knitting Sutra, Susan Gordon Lydon, had lost her battle with cancer a little over a week ago.  She will be having a Reading Group at Commuknity to discuss her book Knitting Heaven and Earth.  I was intrigued by her books as I've heard through Nathania and through other folks who came into the store, and others who knit, about her books, and thought they were wonderful.  So, I picked up a copy of Knitting Sutra at the end of my shift yesterday.   I started reading it last night on my way to slumberland.  It is a wonderfully written book, and believe I will enjoy it immensely.  I read it on the train to work this morning, and came across a passage describing Elizabeth Zimmerman trying out the first ever pattern in Vogue Knitting.  She describes how she "puzzled over the directions"  not having a picture of what she was making, though in continuing her work, "...a strong feeling that my fingers knew quite well what they were about"  had come over her.  After reading this last line, something clicked in me.  Like I was being plugged into an amplifier or something.   I KNEW how to knit Continental style.  I put the book down, (and mind you, my fingers were nowhere near as nimble as they could be), picked up my Booga Bag, and commenced to wrap the yarn around my fingers, and starting knitting in Continental Style.  Just like that.  Swear to God!!  I did this for about half a round, and figured, lemme try a purl or two, knowing I could just rip it out. Sho 'nuff.  The mystery was over.  I continued, slowly and delibreately for about another quarter round, and had to stop.  But how fun is that?? I'm totally stoked.  I will practice my newly acquired style with great earnest.  Though I may have to revert for speed's sake on Mom's shawl.  I have 40 more inches to knit in 2 1/2 weeks...YIKES!!

JH

mmmm...carbs....

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty hungry right now.  I'm doing day 3 of my Atkins-like diet, which is no carbs at all.  I know from experience, however, if I get through day 3, I'm all good. First time I did Atkins, it was very successful, and helped kickstart a great weight loss.  Thankfully, I don't have to do this for 2 weeks like the actual Atkins does.  Remember, I'm following an accupuncture driven diet, so I was supposed to do this for 2 days and then switch to the meal replacement shakes with supplements.  I actually had a choice between 2 and 4 days, and was advised with 2.  I just decided on 3.   I figured, I'd better get the full affects of the no-carb feeling down before I moved on.  It makes everything much easier.  However, the lack of carbs makes me feel like I'm starving.  I just had eggs made with butter and mega cheese, and am still hungry.  So I'm gonna go get me some bacon and decaf coffee to balance the breakfast out. Perhaps that will work. I'll have to air out the house since my roomate is vegetarian, but don't think she'll mind that much.  She's being quite the little support trooper!   I'm not crazy about how this feels, but know that it's the right thing to do.  I'm tired of being fat, yo...Oh wait, "big boned"...my (big black) ass.

JH

HP Crazy!!

I finished Harry Potter last night.   All I can say is "great book"!!  What an amazing feat to keep millions of readers (More adults than kids, ya think?) waiting for every single book you write, year after 2 years after 2 years.   Admittedly, I didn't get in on the craze until the 3rd book came out.  I thought "Ugh, another Pokemon type obsession amongst the kids".  How I would rue those words when I picked up the Sorcerer's Stone. I love to read, not avidly, but it's a great way to pass the time instead of watching TV and video games (I actually had to stop those before I became a "gamer loser").  I read through that book like it was CRACK!!  Couldn't get enough, and wanted more!  Gobbled Sorcerer's Stone up in 3 days, bought Chamber and read that one in 3 days, I pretty much finished every Harry book within 7 days, no matter what. I was done with the first 3 in less than 2 weeks.  This one was no different, except that I read it in 5 days.  Hey, I got a 9-5 you know, and I just found a new obsession with knitting too?  Please.   In any case, I think JK deserves to be richer than The Queen Mutha.  She sure as hell has a better imagination than her.  And JK actually WORKED for her fortune!  I'm not dissing TQM, but hey, a spade is a spade.  Anyway, last night, I couldn't fall asleep right away because all I could think of is "now I have to wait another 2 years before the next one where he learns everything he EVER needed to know in one book" (This is my own little delusion of what is to come folks.).  Things are in such a state that something is bound to happen.  OK, enough before I start giving up plot points.  I still can't wait. 

JH

What the....

Where my Unkymoods at???

 

Booga in progress...

I'm having a wonderful time with this bag.  I love the colors that Nathania helped me pick. I walked over to the Noro and immediately saw two dye lots that I wanted.  I sat there and looked and deliberated, she looked at me, looked at the yarn and said "this one".  So I said..... "OK".  Never argue with a knitting maven!!  I took these pictures this morning as I was rushing out the door, and Mot was looking for some love, which she got, but she must have wanted her pic taken too! I just gave up and snapped with her in the frame.  Last night I was knitting and Mot was hangin' while Robin and I were watching "So you think you can dance".  In our defense, we only watched it because our show that we wanted to watch, "The Inside" was replaced by "Cops".  So, we had to watch something.  It was pretty fun.  So, I'm knittin, and Mot is sniffing at my yarn, so I put the bag on her head.  I thought she'd recoil and look at me like I was a freak, but she was enjoying it quite nicely.  She had actually wanted the bag to be bigger so she could climb in it!! I didn't get a pic of that, but I did get this with no arguments from her. So here's the Booga in all its glory...so far. Lemme tell ya, I love the striping going on here and I'm in love with the dye lot!  NEVER argue with the knitting maven!!

JH

"Scotty" done been beamed up!!

Morning folks,

Some of you may know that I'm a nerd when it comes to certain things like Star Wars, 'Arry Potter, and all that, but I was also an original Star Trek nut too.  Come to find out, James Doohan, "Scotty" on the Federation Starship Enterprise, serial number NCC-1701 (how's that for nerdiness), died at the ripe old age of 85.  He was befallen with Pneumonia and Alzheimer's.  Aye! G'bye Scotty! 

JH

Tink-'n Tink-'n Mama's Shawl...

So I spent the majority of my train ride this morning tinking the shawl.  I had to leave a row unfinished, yesterday coming home on the train, which I try not to do nowadays, before storing it in the ol' J. Paige bag.  But I had about 1/8th of the row to go, and I picked it up and started knitting, then realized I had knit one too many rows...I thought I'd ignore it, do an extra row, everybody's happy, an extra row ain't gonna kill it, but something in my gut said "Tink it...Tink it...oooooTink it!".  So I did. Found out, I had started knitting in reverse!!  I've learned to listen to my gut.  I LOVE my gut...well...uh...well...not LOVE.  I actually can't stand my gut, but I listen to it when it talks...Which brings me to what else happened yesterday.

I had accupuncture.  This was my 2nd full treatment.  Don't know how many of you have had accupuncture before, but next to a massage and a chiropractor, accupuncture is right on up there.  I went for a chi alignment, tox suck (cupping), and decided to talk to him about weight loss.  I've been bitching about it, and wanting to do it myself, but I really need a kick in the pants.  So, he hit some points that were to stimulate my natural appetite suppressant and kick start my metabolism. It's amazing what accupuncture does.  While you're lying there, you can FEEL movement.  It's nothing tangible, but you know energy is being released, and it's at once exhilirating and wonderful.  I left there feeling like a wet noodle.  You have to get in a mighty relaxed state to do this, and I could barely get up, and get dressed after 2 hours.   I have some pills and a meal replacement shake to work with.  I always looked down on these type of devices, but at this point it's like, I need a swift kick in the ass to get started, so what can it hurt??   Besides which, I weighed in at 10 pounds heavier than my heaviest weight.  That pretty much did it.  Beggars and choosers and all that. So, I'm supposed to hear from them before I really get started.  I had my oatmeal, and have fruit, water and OJ on standby, with a little Green tea as well, so we'll see what happens when I get it all started.  "Joi Gin"

JH