still at it/ sleeping pets/Sopranos end

This afternoon I watched the final disc of the Sopranos. All the excitement, sex and and violent stuff going on did not keep any of the pets awake . But- for me it was the end. I have watched the complete series using Netflix starting this summer. I did not peak ahead to find out about the ending- if you call it that? It just left me hanging and not knowing what was going to happen to Tony. Right before the end Meadow is frantically looking for a parking spot that she has to keep backing in and out of. It made viewers suspect she would walk in late to the dinner while a shooting was taking place. Instead -as the suspicious looking guy you think may be the shooter goes into the bathroom - it just ends..
You don't know if he is shot or if the guy was not a shooter at all. That's it! You do realize by this time Tony is an evil and manipulative sicko . The writers for this show were truly amazing and talented. This ending did leave an opening for further episodes in the futrue.

Molly in the bed

Stinky on the couch
Buddy in front of the fire.

look closer that the sleeves...

I am still knitting the Karabella pattern sweater.. One and a half sleeves to go and then some work on the neck line. This pattern just called out at me when browsing the Interweave magazine.But, the more I study the pattern and the ad- I realize the blond modeling the sweater would look good in anything. The sleeves look like they may be to baggy for me while the model has her arms poised in a way that I did not notice .. Now I am having my doubts (serious one). I am searching for the next sweater pattern already. The pattern needs to be simple and easy to knit with limited sewing needed.

Ravelry stuff came/ Fetching

These came yesterday . They were ordered this summer before my new tight budget.

Buttons and t- shirt from Ravelry. I ordered an x -large for the T-shirt which now looks like a very good idea. The shirt looks small and it is not preshrunk cotton. I may give it to my sister for Christmas or save it for my knitting cruise.

I am still working on the sweater. Now -I am at left front panel and then on to sleeves. It may be a week or so to get this done.Can't get distracted with any other projects !!! But, Fetching is calling me .http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTfetching.html .

CactusNeedles has done a beautiful pair http://cactusneedlles.blogspot.com/2007/09/some-instant-gratification.html These instant kntting gratification projects are for me..

photos of Kalamazoo/Stinky

Stinky, who was abandoned on our road this summer was originally going to be a garage kitty. Then I convinced Boy he would be a basement kitty. Eventually- Stinky moved upstairs but still went outside during the day. But last week the Boy saw him on the main road down from our house plus a neighbor told him that she almost ran him over. Stinky is now officially an upstairs and indoor kitty. The Boy loves Stinky as much as I do!
Now the problem is that he has been used to running, playing and hunting outside. That helped use up that kitten energy. As a result of being inside my furniture and legs are getting a few marks when he gets in one of his full of it moods. The pugs are cautious walking around corners as he may be ready to pounce on them. He has several toys to keep him entertained . This one is a scratch pad that has catnip you sprinkle over. Stinky fell in love with the catnip. He did not use it to scratch but rather to sleep on and to rub his body.

now knitting stuff....

Here it is with no button. The color is off.
Dark photo but the color is more like this..

with button color should be darker...




These photos are not very good. It looks better in real life..But- not sure if I like the fit yet.
The shoulders seem funny where it is almost hanging off the edge of them. Then the front has excess material that hangs . If only I had a chest it would bring it up.


so I will have D try it on to see if she likes it.


%#@!&* So much $ and time (:


The Karabella Superwash Merino Loose Jacket sweater has the back and one front done. I pray this one is not too small

11/03/07

I finished the http://www.berroco.com/264.268/268/268_kalamazoo_pv.html. This is my very first finished adult sweater/ garment. To be honest- it is not totally finished. Putting it together was stressing me out especially with those caps that have to be sewn in sleeves. So I traded 2 balls of roving in exchange for my friend putting it together.

Now I am not sure how this will look or fit. It looks awful on a one petite friend but wonderful on a heavier member. This is the opposite of what I expected. So if it does not fit - one more Christmas present for D- in law.



The knitting sub group of the spinning guild met today. These are the same people in my Thursday night group. We have decided to go on a knitting cruise next October with the Embraceable Ewe Shop in Hamburg , New York. Erin, the owner, is the person who runs the summer knitting camp in Bradford Pa. It is this onehttp://www.ncl.com/nclweb/booking/cruisedetails.html?packageId=1262729 which leaves from New York. The main problem is that it gets back the Sat of Rhinebeck but we all decided we can deal with just going Sunday next year. Erin does not plan to teach classes but rather just gather and find the yarn shops at each of the stops we make. Over 90 knitters have signed up for this trip. I had to come home and kiss up to the Boy before telling him about another trip I am going on without him. All the other knitters were saying , I have to ask first. I never ask and he is pretty good about it. But- It justifies his going to Alaska for 3 weeks of salmon fishing or golf in the middle of the winter.
Now I really have to get on a stricter budget. 50$ was the deposit needed for this trip so I can handle it for now. NO more shopping and use that stash........

Got mail

This was ordered this book from Amazon in August so I was happy to finally see it yesterday. I browsed through the pages and think I am going to love this book. It appears to be explained very clearly and you start with making baby socks. Lots of diagrams and pictures to help a visual learning like me. After my wip 's are done I hope to try it out. . These markers go with Cat Bordhi's method. I ordered them from an Etsy site that Wendyknits wrote about. It is from http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28680&section_id=5014552 Addi is supposed to be making them to go along with this book.

This is a trip Boy and I are taking to replace the cancelled Africa trip. This is a week before the Knitting cruise. Retirement is so much fun!

Idenity theft

Help%$#@ it happened again! Today when I checked my debit/checking balance at Bank of America it was 289$ overdrawn. I looked closer and found 8 charges posted from yesterday and today that are not mine.This makes me so angry and invaded again..My Capital One was used illegally just last May. That just got all straightened out. But- this is even worse because it has my direct deposits and all my banking in it. Many of my bills are automatically paid using this account. Some of the charges are:

Union Telcard AllNC

IDTUtah

Prepaid Telecom OKL

Yahoo Voice 8666-562-7228 CA

Bharti AirTel ( Usa) LT NY

Are they phone card purchases?

SO... now my checking account is empty and my debit card is cancelled. I need to get to a Bank of America office first thing Monday to make sense of all of this. Bank of America said I can get a temporary card but no cash is coming in until 10/31.

WHY did this happen?

I use this debit card like cash for almost everything from MacDonald's, gas and Internet shopping. Maybe I should use cash more instead of the debit card?

Chilly Fall Has arrived

Brrrrr - it was below 40 degrees last night Everyone is cuddling up to get warm here. The Boy is bringing in wood today for the wood stove. The heat stays off as long as possible.

The Pugs know what to do to conserve heat..

Handspun Baby Hat/ Pug shots/Kalamazoo progress

Molly, Peek-A-Boo and Magoo
Stinky and Molly

Buddy needs a dentist

Kalamazoo progress


Hand spun Baby Hat
(Not the best picture as the purple and pink rows look off ..It is still wet )




I bought this Cool-Aid dyed hand spun and pattern at Rhinebeck. One is done and is adorable. Two hats will go to my 54 year( really) old friend who has 1 year old twins. How big are 1 year old heads? It was such a long time ago that mine were babies.I love doing these quick projects that give me instant gratification.





Have to get back to this because when we meet for Thursday Knitting group I don't want to be behind.

Perfect Rhinebeck Weekend

Rhinebeck Activities

Admired many yarn producers

Got some books signed by The Yarn Harlot

Have the Mason Dixon already but took their photo
and

Just love Clara Parkes new book ( Knitter's Review)The Knitter's Book of Yarn

The Sheep and I

plenty of pumpkins

Trip there admired all ranges of reds...


and

glorious golds

What a perfect weekend! The wool shopping, two days of browsing and limited hours of sleep have totally wiped me out but it was well worth it.

The trip north in the Mini was quick and beautiful. My sister and I talked nonstop the whole way only to pause briefly in between the chatter to rave about the glorious fall foliage.

It is amazing that so many people come to this Sheep and Wool Festival. Traffic was backed up coming and going both days but much worse on Saturday. Attending both days was less stressful because we could wander at a slower pace. Last year I rushed around afraid I would miss something.

I did not buy a wheel but my sister did ! After trying several she had to decide between the Hitch hiker and the Dt Lendrum. The Hitch Hiker salesman was extremely helpful and patient. But, because she needs a main wheel -not just for traveling -she went with the Lendrum. Bending over and having some back issues was the main reason. Also,when viewing the Sheep to Shawl spinners the majority of them had Lendrums. Last night when we arrived home - the first thing we did was unpack her wheel and set it up. We spun a bit while the Red Sox beat the Indians. At first my sister tried spinning with the free roving they gave her along with the wheel. I don't know what it is was but it was too soft and smooth for beginning spinners. Switching to some gray Icelandic roving from my stash quickly solved the problems.



The only negative part of the trip is that I missed out on the Ravlery party. I saw some knitters with Ravlery buttons and T- shirts that must have come from the party. But, no way I would missed going to visit out my daughter Sat night to help her with her new house. Some painting and several trips to Home Depot were accomplished . Buying your first house is such a big deal .

Off to Rhinebeck

IT IS 11:14 pM .I am still waiting up for my sister to arrive. I am all packed and ready to go to Rhinebeck bright and early. Hope she gets here soon so I can get to bed. The heavy rain must have slowed them down. Good news - Yahoo says the weather at Rhinebeck should be just perfect- in the 70's and sunny!

Rhinebeck

woopeeeee...... It is getting closer to Rhinebeck.. I live about 2 hours away from this. I would be there as soon as it opened but I have to wait for my sister to come that morning from Lancaster. She is bringing her husband who will be staying here with the Boy so some golfing will take place.

Packing will be started tomorrow. Our hotel will be in Albany area so I can over to my daughter's first house. She is closing on it on Friday afternoon so it will be a very new house. I promised to help her clean the kitchen on Sat night. oh yeah.....I must remember to bring WINE. But not too much as Sunday at Rhinebeck will need more energy.

My goal at Rhinebeck is to find some roving that is good for spinning sock yarn. This is needed for the Sock Spinning Retreat. I would like to try some wheels out but will not buy one as the Lendrum is idle enough as it is. No more sock yarn will be bought as my sock yarn bin is overflowing. Sock yarn is so easy to buy because it is the only project I know the amount of yarn needed.100 grams of yarn

Yahoo does Text messaging!!Yippeee

Yesterday my Yahoo email changed and improved.

I now have the option to text message from my email to cell phones. This is such wonderful news for me mainly due to my hearing loss. My son has such a deep voice that is difficult for me to understand on the phone.
I tried it out last night and sent text messages to both my kids and to my brother. I am so excited to say it worked! But, I have not checked my cell phone because we don't get reception here. I will be in NY tomorrow see what it looks like.

Yahoo also changed in that days are having dots under them so you can put them on your calender. I don't use the calendar but maybe should consider using it. Yahoo says searching has changed but have not noticed it yet. I gotta keep up on all this as it is changing so very quickly... It is just amazing to me all the new advances in technology.
sort of makes me feel old. Younger kids don't understand much has changed in the last 30 years.
For example-When I started teaching a calculator was a big deal. So when I figure out something like this text messaging from my computer to cells ; it is such a big deal for me.

so no knitting content. Really I am knitting . Just got back from the LYS from 1-3 to get help on my Kalamazoo sweater.The arm hole on this was difficult to figure out so got help to get passed it.

Knitting at Hearing Loss Convention

Harrisburg was great this weekend. The weather was perfect and the convention informative. I did plenty of knitting while waiting for sessions to begin or during them . I did worry if the speaker would think I was rude so stopped most of the time.Besides -I had to read the live captions so knitting was not as easy then.



I belong to The Hearing Loss of America Association which sponsored this. I love going to these for several reasons. Mostly because of the networking that goes on between other people who can't hear and encounter the same problems that come with hearing loss.



For example: I attended a session on Hearing dogs. Then I talked with a lady who had one and gave me pointers on the process. I am seriously considering getting one in a few years after my pug population has declined. Right now Molly is by my side at all times so it would not work with having her. Some groups do not let you have other dogs at home. Hearing Dogs let you know if the phone rings or if someone is at the door . If someone says your name they give you a signal and will wake you if the alarm goes off. Most hearing dogs are smaller dogs for that reason and because of their acute hearing skills. The dogs have to be with you 70% to 80% of the time and have to go though a strict training program. I will continue to research this.

This is Laddie.

He is not a hearing dog but an assistive dog to help this lady with her MS. He retrieves the phone for her and helps her get up.

Live captions. A lady types as she hears the speaker . It is miracle to me they can listen and type at the same time

Most lectures, movies or presentations offer a big challenge for me. I usually miss half of what is being said but at these conventions they have wonderful sound systems that are looped, live closed captions and a sign interpreter. It is so wonderful to be able to follow along with the presenters. Learning more about Cochlear implants and a technology hall were my favorites. An excellent speaker from NYU spoke about gene therapy and hair cell rejuvenation which is exciting stuff for the future. I am not quite a candidate for an implant becauseI hear more than 50% with my hearing aids . In the future they will be able to help me before I get to he point of needing an implant.







Verizon had a booth there. http://aboutus.vzw.com/accessibility/products.html I tired some new cell phones out and could hear better on a few of them . I may switch over some time soon but am holding out for a few months more. I want to be able to send text messages on a new phone and maybe have the GpS option. But, being able to hear on it is the most important factor.

Leaving for Harrisburg

We are driving to Harrisburg today. Rather the Boy is driving and I will be knitting for the 3.5 hour trip. I am attending this convention http://www.deafworld.com/events/?id=76 . The Boy will be golfing while I go to meetings and whatever to keep up-to-date on hearing loss news. Usually at these things all the new technology is displayed and can try them out. This is how I learned about my closed- captioned phone .
I am searching for a better cell phone and maybe I will get to try some out or find out what is new. Right now I use a Nextell phone and usually put it on speaker. It is so loud though that the sounds becomes distorted and often I can't figure out what people are saying- but what else is new? This phone is a few years old and does not do text messages -which should be helpful. But ,before I make a change and buy those new phones I want to have my research done. You never get to try the phones out at the cell phone stores unless the sales person has the phone for his or her personal use . Plus- I definitely need to get rid of Nextel. Every time I go on a trip all the people get service -except me. Honestly-At my house - no cell phone gets reception which is a real pain. The people in charge around here don't want to have cell phone towers destroying the beauty of the river but I say get one of those that are disguised as a tree and go for it!

more knitting projects/ Harmony Knit Pick

My arm has been hurting again so I took a break from the Baby Shadow Sweater. I started the Karabella Loose Fitting Jacket . I have about 5 inches of it done so far. It is an easy 2 row pattern . I hope the 17 skeins are enough. I used one skein already. The Karabella Super Wash Merino is extremely soft and easy to knit.

Then my knitting group is starting this http://www.berroco.com/264.268/268/268_kalamazoo_pv.html on Thursday. I am making mine in Peat, a green color. More $$$$$$

I ordered the Harmony Needle Set from Knit Picks this morning . I have been drooling over these the past month and before I knew it -they were ordered. My logic- I needed more cables because of the cat chews and I needed more in my cart for the free shipping ....The individual needles were not in stock so I had to get thishttp://www.knitpicks.com/Options+Harmony+Wood+Interchangeable+Needle+Set_ND90306.html