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Friday iPod Challenge

1. Day After Tomorrow - Tom Waits
2. If You Want Me to Stay - Sly & the Family Stone
3. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Bob Dylan
4. Help Me Make It Through The Night - Kris Kristofferson
5. Bacon Fat - Taj Mahal
6. Ne Me Quitte Pas - Jacques Brel
7. I Had A Real Good Mother & Father - Gillian Welch
8. Jockey Full of Bourbon - Tom Waits
9. Gone But Not Forgotten - The Del McCoury Band
10. Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan

And when not on Shuffle, I'm listening to West, Lucinda Williams' newest perfection.

Tomorrow, two adorable FOs from my Knitting for Mom & Baby class.

Friday iPod Challenge

1. I Don't Have to Live This Way - Alison Krauss & Union Station
2. Qui Est In Qui Est Out - Serge Gainsbourg
3. Everything is Cool - John Prine
4. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
5. Loose Talk - John Prine & Connie S...
6. Strawberry Fields Forever - Richie Havens
7. Six Days on the Road - Taj Mahal
8. La To The Left - Lyle Lovett
9. More Than I Can Do - Steve Earle
10. Number 16 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore

I don't know why my iPod shuffle likes Serge Gainsbourg so much. He has been on every challenge since I started.
Recently watched The Big Lebowski for the first time and was delighted to see that Jimmie Dale Gilmore had a small part. What a funny movie! I always enjoy the Coen brothers.

Mostly Knitting

Marge finished her vest. It is her original design. Didn't she do a great job?


The Toasty Toes socks for Annie are finished. Now I just have to get to the post office.


As soon as I finished Annie's socks, I cast on with this Lorna's Laces sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe. I learned about The Loopy Ewe from Wendy's blog. The yarn looks splendid in the skein & is knitting up into very attractive stripes.
The Malabrigo blob is coming along. I am on the second sleeve so should finish the sweater by next weekend.


Dogwood & Moose have been going to daycare once a week at Pets at Play up on Church Hill. Marialyn emailed me some pictures she took. Dogwood looks as if he has been taken over by a Martian.


And Moose definitely does not have blue eyes. But they love going.

Not quite knitting but sheep related (I think)

Prepare to laugh. Black Sheep.

Friday iPod Challenge & a promise

Truly wierd combination of music.
1. Comic Strip - Serge Gainsbourg
2. Sonata in A Major for Violin & Piano - Yo Yo Ma
3. Travelin' Teardrop Blues - The Del McCoury Band
4. Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
5. Como Yo Te Ame - Luis Miguel
6. Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, etc - Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra & Yo Yo Ma
7. Masters of War - Bob Dylan
8. Me & Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson
9. Peace in the Valley - Red Foley
10. Wind Beneath My Wings - Willie Nelson

The promise? Next post will have knitting content.

Patches The Horse

Patches the Horse died this past September at the age of 24 1/2. He had belonged to the same family his entire life. They now have his son, Chip, who is following in his footsteps hoofprints.

Books & Movies

I had no idea how much I would love my nano. I listen to music on it every day at work until it is time for Fresh Air with Terry Gross. At home I mainly listen to books. I finished The White Lioness by Henning Mankell, a Swedish writer. It was a police procedural that was about a plot to kill Nelson Mandela during the time of transition to majority rule is South Africa. Excellent.
Now I am listening to Nature Girl by one of my favorite authors, Carl Hiaasen. Very funny, as usual, and very dark, as usual. My favorite books by him are Stormy Weather set during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, and Lucky You about some lottery winners, sort of.

My Brain's Gender

Your Brain is 33% Female, 67% Male

You have a total boy brain Logical and detailed, you tend to look at the facts And while your emotions do sway you sometimes... You never like to get feelings too involved

What Gender Is Your Brain?

What a crock! The description is pretty accurate but obviously my brain is female.

Another Blob, Another Sock

My next sweater photographs like another dark blob. Deborah, I promise the next one will be more colorful - maybe a bright green. I am using Malabrigo in the Cypress colorway - black and a very dark green (think Black Watch plaid). I was going to make another KP&S top down cardigan but found this pattern and thought it would be nice to try.


It is the Seed Collar cardigan from Lisa Knits. Another classic. (Hope they don't mind that I lifted their picture.)


My latest socks are using Interlacements Toasty Toes in a colorway picked by my sister. These socks are for Annie. I used the free pattern again. They are photographed on sock blockers from The Loopy Ewe, an idea I copied from Wendy Knits. The sheep have a pretty high cuteness factor and I would have prefered to omit them but that's the way the blockers came. I also got some sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe that The Yarn Lounge doesn't carry - Cherry Tree Hill & Lorna's Laces. Good thing sock yarn doesn't count as stash.

Friday iPod Challenge

1. Stand by Your Man - Tammy Wynette
2. Don't Be Cruel - Jason Wilber
3. Por Eso Me Quedo - Lhasa De Sela
4. Blue Canadian Rockies - The Byrds
5. Right Place Wrong Time - Dr. John
6. La Celestina - Lhasa De Sela
7. Top of the Hill - Tom Waits
8. Haunted House - Jumpin' Gene Simmons
9. Are You Down - Lucinda Williams
10. Requiem Pour Un Con - Serge Gainsbourg

Shuffle your iPod and let me know what you get. I was inspired by last week's lists.

First FOs of 2007

The charcoal blob was finished on New Year's Day. It is just what I planned - a classic cardigan. But is not exactly flattering it needs a bright scarf or dramatic brooch. Oh well, I still enjoy wearing it. It is the Knitting Pure & Simple top down cardigan, knit with Lamb's Pride Worsted in dark charcoal. As usual, I had to go down two needle sizes to get gauge.


These socks flew. Nothing like using 3s to get some fast socks. They were knit using Interlacements' Toasty Toes yarn and the free pattern that came with the yarn. I prefer wearing finer knit socks but sometimes speed can be very gratifying.

My iPod nano is just the best. I finished A Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters yesterday. It is one of the Amelia Peabody Egyptian mysteries. Amusing as usual.

In my quest to avoid bad television I have been watching more movies - Good Night & Good Luck has been my favorite so far. Also watched Persuasion with Amanda Root. Iron Jawed Angels because it was filmed in Richmond (the wonderful hats were by local milliners Ignatius Creegan & Rod Givens). And Kiss Kiss Bang Bang because it starred Robert Downey Jr. Tonight I plan to watch Boys Don't Cry if I can stand feeling sad. Edited to add: I didn't watch Boys Don't Cry. I sent it back to Netflix instead.

Friday iPod Challenge

My friend, Christie, (not a knitter) has a Friday iPod Challenge and I am stealing the idea from her. It's okay, she stole it from someone else. Set your iPod to Shuffle and then report the first ten songs played. No cheating to look cool! You are welcome to post your list in the Comments.

Here is my first list:
1. Machins Chose - Serge Gainsbourg
2. After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight) - Rickie Lee Jones
3. All I Want - Joni Mitchell (Miles of Aisles version)
4. It's Happening to You - John Prine
5. Minor Swing - 8 1/2 Souvenirs
6. Four Strong Winds - Chad Mitchell Trio
7. Honey Dripper - Dr. John
8. A Town this Size - John Prine & Dolores K....
9. One Monkey - Gillian Welch
10. Life in Prison - The Byrds

First Socks of 2007

Cast on and began my first socks of 2007. Interlacements Toasty Toes yarn on #3 needles. They whiz along after knitting socks on #1s. It is a very dark colorway with mostly greens, blues and purples. I am using the free pattern that comes with buying the yarn. Next time I think I will go back to my Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and used #2s.

The charcoal blob is officially no longer a blob. Except for blocking and buttons, it is complete. Love the Lamb's Pride Worsted. Pictures to come at the weekend.

New Year's List of Plans (never resolutions):
1. More socks.
2. More sweaters.
3. Use some stash.