Head Banging and other such adult things

Well it's anniversary week here at Snuzzleheim. Eleven years ago we were handfasted (several years before the legal marriage thing). An ancient Celtic (and Nothern European) tradition, handfasting is a marriage that lasts for a year and a day. After that time, the couple has the choice of continuing the relationship or walking away (I know, very watered down, but work with me here). Annually, Hubby and I recommit our handfasting and celebrate our anniversary by tacking on a day each year. We are up to eleven days. What do you do, you might ask. Very little housework and lots of play. For example:

Metallica - fantastic concert. Warm up acts not so great (I knit the foot and heel of a sock during them). However the main act was fan-freaking-tastic. Only managed 2 inches of the leg. I cried through a couple of songs. My eardrum is still sore, and I must be getting old because my neck was stiff the next day. By the way, I don't recommend headbanging while working with size 0 knitting needles, someone could lose an eye....

Here's the sock
STR in Fred Flintstone

Capital steps - Hilarious. Best way to spend election night.

Cleaned my office - stressful, but productive. My new computer should ship any day and school starts soon. I'll need to be able to find the top of my desk.

Rearranged the house. And I do mean house. Now I have a spot for my indoor garden. (Which is distinctly different than Hubby's garden.)

Worked on a new sock pattern. After 4 tries, I finally got something I like. Now to finish, photo, write and publish. Give me a couple of weeks. It will be up on Ravelry.

Can we fast forward through the holidays, cuz their stressing me out a bit. Perhaps I should make a list, and plan this whole thing we call holiday knitting....

I was swallowed by my office...

no really. It jumped right out and swallowed me whole. Tonight hubby helped me excavate. It was a wreck. Still is. At least I can walk across the room now.

Hubby says this room is a mess because the rest of my life is so structured/scheduled/orderly that I need a space to say " Nope, not gonna do it, not gonna clean it, I get to make a mess". I'll take that. I'll try to post again soon. Many WIP's including a - ssshhhh - book. Yep, sock book. Patterns and all.

OFFF report

I took the weekend off to go to OFFF. Well worth the trip!! My first thought, I didn't bring enough money. About 20 oz of wool, 4 skeins of sock yarn and a new spindle later, I decided to head back to Portland to meet Mimm to go to the Quilt Expo. Wow! Too much for one day. I'll post pics soon, I hope.

Hat Attack and other stuff

Hat Attack started this week. As I did in Sock Wars I, my weapon was mailed the very next day (let's all hear it for night shifters!!). Unfortunately, I've discovered I am allergic to Therapi. Let's all hope I'm killed off soon, before the yarn gets me.

I'm desperately searching for my Scarf Style book. I want to knit something out of it with the other 2 skeins of Knitters Without Borders. Other 2 skeins you ask? Yes, well, there's an interesting story behind my getting away from the Yarn Harlot's visit to Portland in April with 3 (yes, 3) skeins of this limited edition yarn. You see, I was sitting there, minding my own business, and bought my 1 skein, like a good girl. But the bad girl in me wanted more. She discovered that the lady sitting next to me was not going to buy any. Bad girl talked nice new knitter into purchasing one for her (I paid for the yarn, of course). Then, during the night, a lovely announcement was made, stating that there was still more yarn, and if we wanted to purchase another skein we could, so I did. Three, one became socks, but the other 2 I want to make into a body-less sleeve and neck scarf for riding my bike in the cooler weather.

Does anyone know where I put my book?

Hat Attack

started today. The pattern in straight forward enough, but i suspect my asasain is here in PDX. Could mean doom. must keep knitting. Now if i could just stop coughing...

Oops...

Hi, I'm back. Didja miss me? I've been knitting, but not taking pictures. OOPS.

Recipe time at String Theory. We were talking about jelly making the other night. One of the guys tells me about this jelly he makes from wine. Wine. Weird. He says buy the cheap stuff. Hey, I lived in Wine Country for over 10 years. If you won't drink it, don't cook with it. So I tried the jelly. Pretty good. Definitely not for anyone with alcohol issues. I'm not sure it's technically possible to cook out all of the alcohol.

Want to make some? Here's how:

Ingredients:
wine - one bottle - 750 ml - pour one glass of wine to steady your nerves, the other 550 ml goes in the pot
sugar - 3 1/2 cups - what's jelly without sugar?
certo - one packet - or one box of sure-jel , your choice
jars - 4 cups worth - I bought cute little one cup jars - gifts and all...

Place wine in pan. Bring to boil for 5 minutes. Pour out of pan and into measuring cup, you need 2 cups of reduced wine. Return wine to pan, add sugar. Bring back to full rolling boil. Cook at boil for one minute. Add pectin/certo/sure-jel. Return to boil, cook at boil for one minute. Pour into jars, wiping the edges free of jelly when you are done. Process as usual. I just tighten my lids, turn the jars upside down for 5 minutes and then turn right side up. Never had a problem with my jelly.

Serve with fancy crackers, toast, cheese, whatever.

Enjoy!!!

Poor Mom

My mom has a broken wrist. On the first day of her vacation, she obsessively cleaned the house, then the garage, where she promptly slipped in the water she was cleaning up and injured her paw. It's the dominant one. So, the quilting and learning a new piano piece are right out. As are driving, picking up the grandbaby (toddler), writing, mousing, cooking, cleaning, drying oneself off, and well just use your imagination. Actually, try not using your dominant hand for one hour of regular life. It's a real eye opener. I don't envy her. We find out sometime next week if she needs surgery. I may be taking another trip to Tucson. We'll see.....