Booga Too!

I'm making a second bag, this one's for Brandon, who wants a project bag, and though he didn't want one in the fuscia and grey, I did happen to have this blue/black kinda tweedy yarn that Larissa gave me when I visited her .. which is also when she taught me to knit. I came home with an extra suitcase full of yarn when we left Michigan that May. Jason was just glad I didn't have to buy much yarn then .. though I've bought -much- more yarn since I picked the knitting back up again last fall, before I even bothered picking up the yarn she sent me home with.

But here's the progress thus far. I'm making this one a lick bigger than mine, and I'm going to be a bit more careful in the washing process so we don't felt the shit out of this one.

I'm just at 4 rounds through the body of the bag .. the bottom I made at 40 stiches and 40 rows, so it's just a wee bit bigger. The upshot of this is, I like this bag so much I'm definitely going to go check out the rest of the bag patterns at Black Sheep Bags and pick up one or two.




I have spent the morning after our Weight Watchers meeting and dropping Jason off at work downloading the podcasts of Cast On and knitting on the Booga for Brandon. I'm enjoying listening to Cast On, immensely. I'm up to episode 2 right now .. I especially liked the 'bonus' podcast entitled Snow Day .. it made me tear up a little actually, because it just sounded so beautiful. Yes, I'm a sap .. build a bridge and get over it, already.

I lost another 2.8 pounds this last week, by the way, for a total weight loss this month of 10.4 pounds. I'm halfway to my first goal of 20% of my starting weight. I'm perfectly on track to have lost that by my birthday, if not well before. I want to lose a total of about 70 pounds though, so that'll be a while. I'm still happy though if I keep at this losing right around 2 pounds a week!

Friday Five & Saturday Sky

Many areas of the United States are having a heat wave. Global warming, anyone? Look on the bright side of melting glaciers and enviro-destruction by taking a crack at the Friday Five:

1. What's the high temperature today where you are?
Actual high for Friday, July 28: 96F

2. Favorite way(s) to beat the heat.
Going to the beach and sitting with my feet just in the water. Going to the pool and not getting out (with waterproof sunscreen of course!). Going to the mall and walking and knitting. Sitting inside with my remote control and some diet soda and fresh fruit.

3. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." Evaluate this statement.
Actually, I find it to be kinda true. Down here it gets extremely humid, and walking outside when it's humid is like walking into a sauna, it kinda takes your breath away, and it's harder to breath.

4. Discuss one or more of the following: sauna, hot tub, sweat lodge, warm-stone massage.
I had a hot-stone facial once, and I have to say, it was about the most incredible feeling ever. It was incredibly relaxing .. I can only imagine that a hot-stone massage would be even more incredible and relaxing. I still remember the girl that did it .. Cricket. And she reminded me of one a little .. she was oddly shaped .. large hips and thighs, but small everywhere else.

5. Hottest you've ever been in your life.
Uhh .. very likely the time I went to school with a temerpature of 102F, though I claimed I 'wasn't sick' ... I had strep throat and it was lucky I went to the school nurse when I did.

Non-temperature related bonus: In your opinion... who's hot?
Besides my husband, who is the hottest thing ever .. Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Janelle from BB All-Stars. (I'm sure there's more, but I can't think right now.


I've eaten now, and I can finally post my Saturday Sky Pics.

More Booga

I got poked at by Kelly, who reminded me that though I posted pictures of the finished Booga, I didn't get good enough pictures because of Isis interference.

So I managed to get some more pictures, since the feline beast of cuteness is perched elsewhere at the moment ... I'm not completely sure where, but I'm certain it's someplace warm.

The colors are a little less bright than this .. I blame the horrible lighting in my house. Someday, I'll replace this awful fixture with a good overhead light.


A couple shots of the strap, which doesn't show it perfectly, but more or less, this is how it looks. The grey kinda got lost in the fuscia .. probably because the grey yarn is much thinner .. almost laceweight I think. I'd have to double that with a strand of the fuscia to get them equal I think .. I'm gonna play around with it and see what works best before I make the second one with this yarn.

Today is a blog catchup day for me, as I've been busy getting things handled for my new job, like consenting to drug and background checks, and going in to the lab to fill a little cup. I think I'm the only person I know that can burn herself at a drug-test. The lab tech warned me gently 'Careful, the water gets really hot.' So I'm thinking "How hot can she mean? I'm used to hot water .. I felt stuff!" So I turn the water on, soap up my hands, and when I went to rinse them off ... Yeouch! I scalded my right ring finger . Their water indeed gets very hot .. like, boiling temp right out the faucet!

Other than that though, things are going well. Now I just have to wait, probably until Tuesday/Wednesday, for the results of the background check and drug test so I can get my training started. By this time next week I expect I'll be busy busy reading the training materials and reaquainting myself with a Telzon gun.

We're still following Weight Watchers religiously .. except for me forgetting to eat all my fruits and vegetables half this week, and being so tired I didn't eat all my points one day. The one-month mark comes up tomorrow, so I've got my extremities crossed for a good weigh-in. Things are fitting much better, so that's a good sign.

On the knitting front, I'm still working on finishing a quick boa-scarf for my other niece, and a Booga for Brandon. His is in this yummy blue/black tweed-ish merino I have, something Larissa gifted to me when she taught me to knit. Once that's done I hope to make another Booga in the Pink/Grey for Larissa. She has gotten back into knitting, though that girl has ventured into garments, whereas I stick with accessories for now. That's just being smart though, I think. I mean, I'm losing weight .. I don't want to make myself anything that won't fit me a year from now!

Like probably most of you all, I'm enduring ungodly heat hereabouts. This is the hottest summer I can remember .. and I've been in the South for 9 summers now. I've been hearing bits and bobs of things trying to explain the heat. Some have said the last big 'quake was preceded by a massive heat wave. Lots of people call it 'Global Warming' .. though without seeming to really know what they're talking about. I'm of the opinion that it's a natural cycle, and that the world isn't going to come to an end just because it's gotten hotter. We may have helped it along, sure, but we didn't cause this cycle. That's just pure arrogance.

Isis and the Booga.

First things first, everyone should go read Gretchen's post
about her friend Erin. Erin lives not far from me, and is raising money through the Charlotte Heart Walk in remembrance of her two little angels whom she lost to congenital heart defects. Gretchen is having a contest for anyone that donates even a little. Being in the Charlotte area, I'm thinking I might do one better, and sign up to walk. It's only three miles, and it's for a phenomenal cause, and I should be in shape enough to walk it by then. If you're close to Charlotte, please consider joining the walk, or at least donating!

This is my completed Booga, with the beginnings of a second Booga in some blue/black tweed on the circular in the foreground.



Isis, being the queen of cuteness trying to figure out what this strange thing is on her perch.

See? Her perch. Hers. Upon which she is quite happy and comfortable. I need to make her a kitty bed soon though. Just because I must.

Good News - Not Knitting

As you probably know, I have been jobless since February of 2005. At the time, I was very happy about it, but lately .. in the last six months of so, I've been getting anxious. I know that until Jason gets through another year or so in the car business, money might be iffy at times .. because it's the car business, and it's often shitty like that. So I've been trying to find something part time, that'll pay for my car and maybe give me a little spending money ..

.. but nothing has been going well. Even the grocery store I applied at didn't want me, and it had been getting very disheartening. It's hard being told you're not even good enough to work at a grocery store for Lady's sake. So when Jason sent a posting to me last week .. wait .. 4 days ago actually ... I wasn't very hopeful, but I sent in my resume anyway. Yesterday, I got a phone call from one of the company's recruiters, saying that I had the qualifications and he wanted to have the District Manager call me. So I waited for her to call .. and when she finally did I was very happy. We arranged an interview for today, and the usual anticipation and nerves began.

I was late .. only a couple minutes but still late .. for the interview, but luckily it was understandable, as I was driving in an unfamiliar area, and she didn't seem troubled by it. The interview went well, I thought. I was personable, charming, and not too needy. And to be honest, the job is something I actually enjoy, merchandising, so I appeared interested .. because I am. So we filled out the paperwork (I-9's and W-2's and such) she'd need to get done and she gave me the form for the drug test I'll have to take, and told me she'd be mulling things over on the way home, and that I'd know by tonight.

So then, I drove home and began the arduous wait for 'the phone call'. I tried not fretting about it, but I hate getting my heart set on a job only to not get it. It's hard for me. 5pm came around and I started getting anxious. But I knew she had a bit of a drive, and I tried to not think about it. I finished my Booga bag I knitted, and started working on Brandon's Booga. Jason's dad called to find out how the interview went at 6:15 pm, and then three minutes later, the district manager called .. offering me the job!!!!

Yes, that's correct, I got the job. It's permanent part time, 12-15 hours a week, working Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, no more than 4 hours a day in the local Best Buy store, handling their DVD department. My title is Merchandising Specialist. basically, I make sure the DVD department and any other displays in the store are arranged according to plan, and that stock is kept on the floor as it should be, and keep track of the ordering and such. I have to have a weekly conference call to discuss the weeks focus and challenges, and a weekly review of the plan on the company website and a quiz on said site. And I get paid for my mileage if I end up covering another store other than my own. I already know that coming up in September I'll have two projects coming up that will be more than the usual hours, which will be nice for money too.

It will be nice to have something to do. Nice to have something going on in my life other than .. well .. lounging around the house. It's no more than 4 hours on any given day, which means I can easily keep the house still .. and with Jason's change in schedule, it'll be nice because I am flexible in the time I need to go in.

So tonight I filled out the online paperwork I needed to get done, and now I wait for them to get me my employee number, and then I can go take my pee test, and then I wait some more, but only for them to send me my shirt, and my little inventory gadget, and my nametag and such. Then I get some online training, and then 2 days of in-store training, and then I'm on my own!

First of all, I just love this video.

My Booga bag is going to be so cute I think. It's not Noro, but it'll be just as good. As soon as I finish the strap, it's going into the washer today. At least, that's the plan.

Completed Booga Body ... shown next to my needle case for scale.

Closeup to show the beautiful stitches, not to mention the colors .. oh, I love the colors!

This is the strap in-progress. I don't have dpns to use, so I'm having to use the same circ I used to make the body. Ugh! Making i-cord on circular needles is not fun! Neither is changing colors .. but once it's done, it'll be done!!

Edit:
Jason asked me why I wasn't just double-stranding the yarn for the icord, and he's so right. Duh! So I frogged the few inches I had done in two separate blocks, and started again, double stranded. I think it looks much better now.

It's thundering outside. Deep, constant rumbling thunder, accompanied by the flicker-flash of lightning. And not just in-the-distance heat lightning, but a good, ground-soaking, weather-cooling storm. I've been delightedly listening to the rain pounding on the ground outside for the better part of 2 hours now, and I couldn't be happier. And it's still coming. I'm considering going to bed, just so I can go to bed listening to the thunder.

What a weirdo I am.

Brandon and I walked at the mall today. An interesting experience I have to say. We took our knitting too, and on our breaks we knitted in public. We stopped in a couple stores ... Bath & Bodyworks and Yankee Candle, and Hot Topic, where I picked up my equivalent of a little black dress ... a t-shirt with a screen printed image of Jack Sparrow on it and the words 'Captain's Wench' over that. It's perfect, and I will fit into it sometime soon.

Knitting Content:
My Booga Bag is finished but for the i-cord strap, and the felting. I will post pictures tomorrow, after I've slept. I want to go sleep to the rumbling thunder now.

Saturday Sky

Didn't have a very fun Sky morning, sadly. We got a hell of a storm lastnight ... one thunderclap was so loud it shook the house, and I buried myself under the covers with Isis. But the storm seems to be cooling off the high temps for next week, so I'm not going to complain. Not to mention, the plants really can use the water. One of my clematis might be dead, it's been so damned hot. I'm hoping it'll bounce back, but not holding my breath.

For some reason, this picture isn't showing how bright it actually is outside. It's not so dark, really.

See?!

I took this shot because a plane was going overhead. See? Top center of the shot .. it's a plane!

Some Stash

This is 6 skeins of some Tahki New Tweed I picked up cheap in Asheville my last time through there. (Before SOSKAL started.)

Isn't it just lovely and pretty and .. no, I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. A scarf of some sort, yes, but I don't know what kind at all.


This is the yarn for the second hooded baby towel I need to make. Of course, before I can do that I need to rework the pattern, because the last one was, though cute, terribly wonky.

I just adore the colors in this one.

This is my lone skein of actual sock yarn. I do lurve the colors though, and eventually, I'll get around to knitting them.

Dinner, pink scarf and Booga!

I've been slacking again. I'm actually way behind in reading blogs too, which is something I'm trying to slowly slog through this afternoon. This morning and lastnight my 'net was having issues .. well, actually, many issues. More like subscriptions. But is seems to have stabilized now, so I'm able to post and such.

I went out on Tuesday with my friend Neely .. the one who won't learn to knit. She's -such- a snob! But I went out with her anyway, and took Brandon along .. the one who I taught to knit, and who loves it and is as much a knit-dork as I am. We went to get pedicures at the nail salon she likes in Charlotte. It was nice too. The little Asian girls were darlings, and didn't seem to talk about us too much. And the pedicure was so relaxing. I knitted on the pink skinny scarf all the way through. And they even do a paraffin dip for your feet .. all for $25! Wahoo, pampering!





After the pedi, we went to lunch at Panera bread, and then to Target for something for Neely .. and I ended up getting Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure. Yay! Yes, I am also a computer game dork. I already had the Endangered Species expansion, so I had to get this one! And after some annoyance with the installation, I finally got it installed and running, and I've already played it some. I'm still trying to get through all the campaign games ... they're tough!!

After the trip to Target though we went to Hoby Lobby to pick up some yarn for Brandon to make dishcloths for some friends of his and for Neely to pick out yarn for her own. She wants some that match her bathroom. And good friends that we are, we offered to make some for her. But they only had the right color in chenille (sp?) so I snapped off a small amount from the skein and I'm going to find some in a cotton or something more durable to make her some. And I'll likely be paying it out of my own pocket. And I'm used to that.

Now, I should explain something about Neely. Neely is selfish. Extremely and often uncomfortably so. I love her. She's a wonderful friend. But I don't spend a lot of time with her because of this. Neely isn't the type to do something out of the goodness of her heart. She has a motive, always. We tolerate this in her right now, because she's had some life changes .. though they are her own doing. She left her husband of 3 years for a fling relationship with a guy she met online through Adult Friend Finder, then started a relationship with the man she's renting part of a house from. She doesn't make the best decicions. But I love her, and think she tries as best as she knows how to be a good friend.

So it doesn't surprise me when I have to buy yarn for this for her. Even though I'd really rather not buy it, because she's snooty enough that I can't just pick up some everyday cotton. She wants it to be soft. But, that's the price of friendship .. at least in this case.


Anyway, we left from there to drop her off at her and Keith's house, and made plans to meet her at a restaurant local to us for dinner with she and Brandon and Jason and myself. Keith wouldn't come because Keith is a chef and is too snobby about food to eat anywhere like *gasp* Applebees. Even though we're all on Weight Watchers (Jason, Brandon and I) and that's one of few places we can go to eat and not have to worry if we have enough points. And when he cooks, he doesn't think about such things, and honestly, his food is often too 'cuisine' for me to enjoy. He overdoes everything .. he can't just make a simple meal when we go over for dinners, and it frustrates me because every time, I get sick with stomach problems. You'd think he'd get the hint.

So we get to Jason's work, and he's busy. And we're early to boot. So we sit in the car and knit. No big deal! I worked more on the scarf while we waited .. and we thought 'Hey, we should call Neely and let her know we might be late." So we call. She hasn't even left yet .. she's watching TV. *ahems* Did I mention she's a little self-centered? It didn't dawn on her we might be waiting for her.

Anyway, dinner was had, and it was nice, and we chatted and we did our duty as friends, and we went home and were content. Oh, and at dinner I finished the scarf. It's as long as I am tall .. think that'll be enough for a little 5-year-old? I love it to pieces, the feel of it is perfect. If only it weren't pink.






Lastnight I spent watching tv with Jason and Brandon, and I started my Booga bag finally. I'm not using Noro (I know, gasp away. But I'm on a yarn diet this summer, and have all this wool I can use instead.) And though the whole picking up stitches along the edge thing was wierd, I finally got through it, and I have now gotten through a good ten rounds of the sides. And if I do say so myself, the fuscia looks really good with the grey-brown handspun I'm pairing it with.

Wal*Mart, and other Frights

So, I know, I've not been posting much about knitting. I'll get back to it, I promise. I have actually been knitting, in fact. Just lots of otherness has been invading my time and space.

But I was reading this morning (thank the blog-gods for Bloglines!) and discovered several people have issues with going to their local Wal*Mart. Kate does, and so does Annie. And I find this odd. Well, not entirely odd. I hate the Wal*Mart in the town I'm in now. The prices are higher, and the people are bitchier than the one I actually go to. But the one I actually go to is just as close, even though it's all the way in York, SC. I live on that edge of town, see. And they're nice there. And their prices are better, and I can actually find stuff. And it's a Super Wal*Mart, which means I can get everything .. well, almost everything, I need there.

But I can't really get yarn. Sure, I could pick up some Bernat baby acrylic .. which I do on occasion when I have a baby to knit for. And I could choose from one of their six colors of Peaches and Cream. Or get some Lion Homespun (which is what I learned to knit on by the way. How crazy am I??). Or the scratchy as stubble Wal*Mart brand acrylic. But why would I, when I can get the same stuff, less expensive mind you, at Hobby Lobby?

And the huge array of colors in the Lily far outweighs the convenince of picking up a ball or two every time I make a trip to Wal*mart. Kate said she can only get pastel colors in the Lily, so I guess I don't blame her for making the horrible trip to Wal*Mart to get something fun to knit with. Psst. Kate. There are Hobby Lobbys in Minnesota .. dunno how close to you though.

Anyway.

Another thing that has prevented me from posting about knitting has been my poor husband. He has had a rash .. in some pretty uncomfortable places. It started a few days ago, and yesterday it migrated to around his eyes and all along one arm. Eeek! So it was off to the doc-in-a-box with us yesterday. I sat and knitted on some pretty eyelash I've been hoping to get used up while we waited. And waited. And waited. Apparently, there were a couple of "traumas" earlier in the day, and things were a bit backed up. (I found out what happened with one of them at least, but more on that later.) I knitted even while he was back there. See!





Isn't it cute and girly!? I figure I'll give this one to my little niece Savannah. She'll love it. I might make the other eyelash into another boa scarf for my other little niece Faith.

Anyway, the "trauma" was apparently a girl, probably in her early 20's, who was a sexual assault victim. I only know this because I couldn't help but overhear when she came out to the waiting room with the trauma counselor, and the woman was speaking to the girl's mother about stuff, and how she needed family support, and the legal system had to do its job now, and how good the girl had done. I hate that she has to go through that, truly.

Hubby's rash, by the way, is most likely contact dermatitis. Brought on by the recent change in laundry detergent. I usually use All Free & Clear, because my skin's insanely sensitive. I had been using Mrs Meyers for a long time. Their lemon verbena scent is just yummylicious. A friend of mine told me she liked the Method brand of stuff she gets at Target, so I got some. I was needing dish detergent and such anyway. And that hasn't seemed to bother him that we can tell. I just wash pots and pans and such in the sink anyway, everything else is dishwasher safe. But I also picked up the laundry detergent. It smelled good, and it is supposed to be gentle. Hah! Poor hubby's rash is clear a sign that it is -not- gentle at all. He's gone in to handle email at work, where he's the internet sales manager for a Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealership, but is then coming home. The doc-in-a-box gave him a prescription for prednisone, which should clear the rash up quickly. And I'm having to re-wash -everything- in the house in All Free and Clear. Including blankets. Sheets. Towels. (Thank goodness we just bought new towels and we've had some to use!)
Everything. Ugh!

Another thing that has kept me busy .. well, kept me busy on Saturday, was the local library's quarterly book sale. They do it once a season, and we actually trekked off to this one. Hardcover and trade paperback books are $1 an inch. Paperbacks are 4 for $1. And mostly you find the usual suspects .. the popular writers, romance and horror and such. But you can occasionally find some gems. And we did!

This one I got just because it's Celebrity Scarves, and I got it for so cheap. Most of the scarves in it are garter or stockinette, but it's neat to see the celebrities that knit!

These two Reader's Digest books are great to have. The 'do-it-yourself' manual my parents had, and I've wanted a copy for so long but never got around to it, cos I didn't want to pay the $20 for it. And the needlework guide actually has great information in it. A fabulous reference book indeed, for so cheap!

For myself, because I've been wanting to reread them, I picked up these three Rama novels. I've read Garden of Rama before, so I figured I'd like them all. Sadly, they didn't have the first in the series, but I'm sure I can find it on Half.com.

This is the pick of the litter. I love this book to death already. It's got such wonderful information in it. I really picked it up kind-of as a gag, but after reading through some of the pearls of wisdom it holds, I'm so keeping it in my library!

Saturday Sky

I forgot to post this, but here's just a few of the pics I took yesterday of our sky.

This picture is soon after I got back from Bringing hubby to work. Must have been before 10am or so, I figure.


The next picture is as the stormclouds rolled in sometime around 5 in the afternoon. I looked out my window and saw suddenly heavy gusts of wind, and knew a storm was coming in. I went outside to take a couple shots, and didn't get many before the rain started.


The following three were taken on my drive to pick hubby up from work, around 7pm. (Yes, I took them as I was driving. Yes, I know I probably shouldn't drive and take pictures at the same time. Yes, I was safe. Yes, I wear my seatbelt.) But aren't they pretty!






I also took some video (not from my car of course) of the storm as seen outside my window. I forgot my camera had a video capture feature. Short clips .. which will be great next time I get a chance to try taking lightning pics. Let's see if this actually works, shall we?

Not Knitting - Food!

Not so much a recipe as just what I did today to make some pretty yummy chili.

~ 1lb ground beef (85% lean), cooked
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
splash of white wine vinegar
splash of Worcestershire sauce
1c beef broth/boullion
1tsp crushed red pepper
1tsp cumin
1tsp chili powder

Put everything in the crock pot and simmer for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

*Notes: Could have used less beef and more beans. Could also possibly have used some peppers and onions, though it was pretty damned good by itself. Using leaner ground beef or ground turkey/chicken would also cut points.

Made: ~ 7cups .. could be adjusted to make a little more with changed to beans, liquid, etc.
Points: ~ 4 points a serving at 7 cups. (1c servings)

All in all I'm pretty proud of myself. I just made the whole thing up after scanning a few dozen recipes. It had a good kick to it .. that I of course had to tame with sour cream, but that's because I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy food. My stomach just can't handle it.

Look at my adorable Isis .. isn't she sweet!

Proud of myself .. and 'You're the knitting girl, right?'

During a few errands, my copilot .. and the person I taught to knit ... wanted to stop at the yarn shop closest to us. We don't whop there usually, as her prices aren't phenomenal .. but he needed something to finish a scarf he made for his cousin.

So we stopped in.

And despite finding several rack on 40%-off sale, I did not by a single hank, skein or ball of yarn. Not even when I saw the mohair I already have one ball of was in the sale bins. And I really could use a few more balls. But no, I was strong. I resisted temptation. And I bought only the ball he needed .. which of course is really -him- buying the yarn. I just pay for it for now and he pays me back.

---

This was all -after- we went to lunch with hubby at Ruby Tuesday's. We chose to sit in the bar area, as it was empty, and we hate sitting near people. Humanity, in general, annoys us. And, like always, B and I had out knitting with us .. well, he did. I thought I did, but had left the current cloth in the car because I was knitting it waiting for J to get out of work, and didn't get it put back in my take-along bag.

So the waitress comes up to us, asks what we'd like to drink, then pauses and looks at me and says 'You're the knitting girl, right?' I am now know as The Knitting Girl. And I think I kinda like that.

I had a new dishcloth finished, a pattern I made up based on the bamboo stitch, but B's mother absconded with the cloth because she liked it so much. I'll make another one soon and show it off .. I really liked the colors in the yarn I made it from.

I do have this one though, made in the bamboo stitch. It's not as pretty, but it shows off the stitch. The one I made that I no longer have posession of (that'll teach me not to take pictures immediately) is a variation of this stitch.