broken rules

so i have failed to complete even rule 1 of Sock Wars. Some have been unfortunate enough to hear me whine about it on a 1-on-1 basis, but I haven't posted about it since it began. Shame, shame.

We got a late start because poor Yarn Monkey got hit with a hurricane in Ireland! From what I understand, they just don't get hurricanes over that way so much so when they do, they just do not have adequate preparations and things are a mess, so extra special props go to Yarn Monkey for STILL getting Sock Wars going. She still had the pattern posted on the 22nd, as promised, and it didn't matter to me personally since I was working that day and the following and couldn't do crap anyway. It took her some time to get the dossiers out with victim information and who can blame her, there were like 800 of us, hello? Even without a hurricane and no internet, give the girl some time, you know? By this point, people were already getting snarky, sadly. By Saturday, yes, before 24 hours had passed since the pattern was released, people were announcing they had finished their socks and didn't know who to send them to and whine moan bitch sob. I do admire and appreciate their enthusiasm, but I mean come on. And without the dossiers, they didn't even know what size to make them, so then we had the posts, oh, woe, I made them in my size and then I found out my target is 4 sizes bigger! Off to frog, woe, woe. Hi, wait for the damn dossier. We all could have gone straight down to the heel and safely done 4 inches of foot, stuck it on some waste yarn and started the next sock while waiting for the dossier to come out to prevent this. Out of all the shoe sizes possible, male and females playing, I would not be guessing what size to make my socks. So things got snarkier because apparently people weren't playing nice, withholding addresses, shoe sizes, etc., to afford them more knitting time... This is just sad and shameful... I think lots have dropped out or never participated to begin with.

Now for my personal experience: I'm having a great time and I think Yarn Monkey is awesome for doing this, by herself, no less, and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about any of it and I think the snarkers need to unbunch their panties and move on. My assassin is a lovely woman in the UK, single mom of 3, sweeter than pie, and appreciated my love for scones, crumpets, and words like 'fancy' and 'bollocks,' and yo, Tori lives there. so yeah. I heard from her just a few days after it started and she was 1-1/2 way done with my pair, giving me some more knitting time, which I needed desperately. I had made it to the heel of sock 1 by this point, but knit and frogged the gusset like 4 times. Thank goodness, the post from the UK should take at least about a week so I'm REALLY hoping to finish before I get them for a multitude of reasons. 1) My assassin's assassin has posted her socks to her and their assassin has posted theirs and by now, I would imagine their assassin has posted theirs, so I haven't the foggiest who I would need to mail my unfinished socks to and don't particularly want to try. 2) This is my first full sock done in 1 piece... as I mentioned before, I've done toe up, done cuff down and made it to the gusset, done lots of cuffs, lots of legs, but never the whole thing. I can't expect anyone to try to mimic what I've done with this thing. My hopes are that the socks match at least a little. 3) I really just want to FINISH SOMETHING, most especially a pair of socks, freakin finally.

So yeah, that's about it. dear Marce suggested I take progress pictures, which I foolishly have not been doing, so I'm glad she mentioned it. I did and gave her a sneak peek at my SIP for helping me with the gusset and advising so, but the rest of you will just have to wait. ;) In case my victim is viewing my blog, I don't want to ruin the hideous surprise for her. Oh yeah, she's a doll too. I finally wrote her after like a week because I was seeing all these posts about people not talking to one another and the aforementioned information withholding so I wrote to tell her hi and that I was indeed working on her socks. She is one who hadn't received a dossier somehow, so hadn't even started her pair. :( Poor dear. I've certainly given her lots of extra time with my slow ass. By the way, as for progress, I am 1-1/2 inches away from starting the toe decreases on sock ONE. yeah. I joined Audible to get $100 of an Ipod (promotion with Amazon) since I killed my dear Nano, and downloaded a new audiobook last night, which kept me up until 3 a.m. with sock in hand, but I was so enrapt in the book, I kept forgetting to knit. I've read posts about this on the boards, so I bet many of you have read it already or at least heard of it, but it's The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Neat stuff.

Here's a poll for my dear readers, if I have any left since I've been MIA forever. Is listening to audiobooks cheating? I just love to read, I always have. When I was a kid around 8, I felt like I had completely tapped out the children's and young adult's section of our public library, so started swiping mom's books when she wasn't looking, Danielle Steele's Wanderlust being my first. It's kinda funny because I was a very very early reader, my kindergarten teacher asked me to read for the class all the time, and my mom and her friends would give me their trash novels and make me read the more risque parts about supple bosom and pulsating manhood out loud for them and they would just giggle... and I'd be all, what?! I'm reading it right!!! and they would smile knowingly and say, yes, yes you are, Sean, you're doing a beautiful job, and just laugh and laugh. (sigh) I was a living parlor trick. Why do we remember shit like that? Anyway, ever since then, I was an obnoxiously avid reader, although my first stint was an over-extended run of Danielle Steele, (I had catching up to do, late start and all, and as much as I hate to admit it, Palomino still is one of my favorite books,) but shortly after I started reading 'real' books. teehee. We had a contest in the 4rd grade for pages read over a summer break and I opted for Clan of the Cave Bear, which was like 700 pages. Yeah, I won. I digress. Since I started back knitting and crocheting, and really spending so much freakin time in front of the computer too, I just don't find time for it anymore... In my head, I long to read, but if I am forced to choose between knitting and reading, I'm going with the sticks. I had never listened to an audiobook until a few months ago, I got Memoirs of a Geisha, it was like 17 hours long, figured it would take me through 80 knit works. Um, no. I was so in love with it, I would stay up in bed until 5 a.m. listening and I finished it in like 4 days with no FO to show for it. I really felt like I had experienced the book MORE than if I was reading it. It was almost as if the missing burden of holding up a book and turning pages and staring at the little black print for hours on end desperate to find a comfortable position allowed me to experience the writing even more, let my imagination run more, ponder more... I was very pleasantly surprised because I was one that felt audiobooks were cheating. Not all the time, my ex had horrible sight and he loved to listen to them and I think it's great for those purposes, and also for long drives, but for people like me, fully capable of sitting down and reading a book, I feel like I'm cheating.

So yeah, cheating or no, how do you find? :) If the game was babble with some mention of Sock Wars, I would so win.

I've been sick for like 2 weeks and I'm still out of town, so not getting to blogs much, but I miss you and hope everyone is well! I'll catch up sooner or later! *kisses!*

Treasure Hunt Success!

Yesteryday's surprise 4 a.m. adventure to avoid working was an insanely fun Treasure Hunt from WhimsicalKnitting. It was really a wonderfully jolly distraction, albeit impromptu, and I was exhausted, but she said I did very well, hurrah! :) I think it is an awesome idea and my thanks go to Becka, and all of the contributors.


The deadline is tomorrow at noon, so hurry and click the link above! Aside from it being deeply with just enough challenge, Becka is offering a simply delicious prize to the lucky winner. Good luck to all! :)

L'Shanah Tovah!

Belated, as usual, but wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year!!!!

Let the battle begin!!!!

My weapons are loaded and my victim is in my sights. So it begins.... SOCK WARS! OF DOOOOOOOOM!!!!! (giggle)

I cast-on last night, the first moment I had... I cannot elaborate further as this is a covert operation, but keep your eyes peeled for updates.

For now, I have been commandeered for latrine duty.

Until next time,

Agent Orange

ech, sorry

so i'm totally behind on everyone's blog and i haven't posted forever.... so sorry. the reason is i am at mom's and stuff and was pretty crazy busy the days preceding the trip... i'm working from mom's, unfortunately, and must get back, but wanted to give everyone a shout... here are some pictures i took while driving 75 mph on 75 (neat!) at dawnish (the beginning of my journey)

this is my attempt at capturing a beautiful sunrise from the driver's window... while driving.



Here is the ensuing intermittent fog. It reminded me of scenery from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at the time.... not so much now.


My penchant for seeing if I'll go blind from photographing the sun directly is illustrated here:


Thanks to the aforementioned fog, I am okay, don't worry.

I just thought this was pretty:



and lastly, the proof that i really am that stupid:



If it wasn't the asscrack of dawn and the road wasn't almost completely empty, I, of course, would not have taken these photographs (all 59 of them. yeah...) Well, maybe not anyway. I felt like a dork over the whole thing so quickly hid the camera anytime another car was close to me... as if they didn't know what I was doing. (sigh)

so yeah, i'm at mom's.... i'll try to catch up with everybody really soon... as for my crafty endeavors, beth and i have made a new thing, making sure to fit in crafty time each day on our evening phone call. i am knitting or crocheting, either the blasted baby blanket or a mile-a-minute afghan for charity, depending on the mood. i'll take a picture of some mile-a-minute strips so you can see them, they're kinda cool. i am using a new crochet hook I got from Audrey and Eliot's store called ChiaoGoo... I had never heard of them, they are an Audrey find, and they are FREAKIN AWESOME.

I'm borrowing this picture from some site....



I am a whore for packaging anyway, but these are just something else. Each hook size has a name that I'm not sure you can make out in the pic, like Faith, Bless, Wisdom, Love, etc. and the Chinese characters for said names are engraved on the hook by laser. All of the markings on the needles and hooks are done that way so they will never ever wear off. neat, n'es pas? Aside from the packaging that I adore, they are just awesome hooks. I never thought I would like bamboo hooks ever again after using the skacel turbo hooks, but these chiaogoo have left me forever changed, smooth, fast, and warm, and they feel super sturdy, yet delicate. I am dying to try the needles, which they carry also, also at great prices. what size though?! always such a dilemma. i know DPs for certain, the prospect of those excites me no end. I'm missing some sizes still.

ok back to work for real! hugs to all. miss you, mean it.

Don't Miss Out On Sock Wars!!!!!

ok, folks, today (tomorrow for some of you, maybe even yesterday... it's Friday 09/08) is the close of signups for......

Haven't signed up yet? Why the hell not?! Get over there! The main site with updates and such is here at Yarn Monkey's

Hurry! Go! Skedaddle! Join me! Let's have fun! Prizes! You may even meet a few... celebrities!!! (lifelong adoration and a curtsy for anyone who can name that film. ready? go!)

Ok! Let's do this!

don't forget not to kill me ;)

Happy Birthday Sara Jayne!!!!

It's Sara Jayne's birthday everybody!!!!! Make sure to give her a click and show some birthday love!

Happy Birthday Happy Birthday!!!!!



(P.S. I really did make that one! HEEHEEE!)

i'm still knitting, i promise

not much spindling going on, but my computer got fried beyond recognition the other night and I got some knitting time in while doing all the reinstalling and updating. ;) I needed something small and droppable and fairly easy, so I decided to start My So Called Scarf since I had some manos left over from my clogs. I saw this on one of your blogs, I don't recall who... I like it, whoever it is, and thanks for posting about it. Hollah!!!! ;) I ripped the first attempt and THEN it was easy and now I'm in love with the stitch pattern, but now I need another hank (or 2) of manos if I want to finish it in this color, which I really do. MEH!

it sure looks like a mess in that picture. I'd like to think it's prettier in person.... maybe it is. maybe i suck. the texture of the manos does make it more interesting, I think.

Hope you all are well! I heard back from Blogger and they said the problem is I cannot comment on blogs that have not converted to Blogger Beta yet, except the ones that allow you to leave information as a guest. So if that means you and you haven't heard from me in a while, that's why. I can still read, though, and try my damndest to get my drivel up on your website, I promise. I think it works sometimes too.

Hope everyone is well! :)

Ed. P.S. I just looked at my post and you see that vertical line going down towards the left side of the scarf? I thought this was a shadow from me (yeah, because I'm that thin,) but really, it's just a place where chocolatey brown is splashing... Neat, huh? Ok, kb out.

Amazing Lace 06 - whoah

The Amazing Lace 06 has come to a close. There were a total of 6 challenges, of which I believe I completed 3? Maybe 4.... Whatever the number, I am wishing I did them all. Behold the Prizes!

Our co-hosts mentioned other prizes, but I never would've guessed they would be anything like this! I just think it's really awesome of them and all of the contributors and I wanted to share (and I want like ALL of them. I got distracted (for a change) and got lost at KYarns and Jimmy Beans Wool, a couple of the awesome contributors, and I realized it is imperative that I own a minimum of 2 hanks of Lorna's Shepherd Sock like pronto.)

This has been a pretty crappy summer for me for the most part, but the Amazing Lace was officially my first KAL thing and even though I sucked at it and it left me pondering if all male knitters (except me) had abs like this (abs belong to Dave who so happens to have also beautifully knit and felted what I believe to be the most adorable handknit EVER,) it was wonderful reading everyone's blogs and seeing all the pictures (and the subsequent laughing at loud at my monitor) and our co-hosts were wonderful and the whole experience was just a delight. (And I love my tape measure!)

Here's hoping for my next KAL I do some more K'ing. ;)

Wendy's Boycott

So I go to Wendy's, right, and since I don't frequent Wendy's or sit in front of the television for 24 hours a day (actually haven't watched TV in at least several weeks, if not more,) I am not familiar with every single new item Wendy's releases and, as such, don't know what's on them.

I went for a late night salad with some chili, but then saw this picture of a steak house something or other, asked what was on it, he said mushrooms, among other things. I hate mushrooms so I asked for it without mushrooms and he advised, rudely, that I should get the other steak house or whatever it's called sandwich because it is sans fungus. He left the microphone depressed and along with snickering in the background, I heard another male voice say, "yeah, this guy is real smart." Yeah, obviously, because I'm not the grown man working 3rd shift at Wendy's for a living who finds pleasure in wantonly ridiculing others. Apparently now intelligence is based upon knowing the toppings of every fast food item prior to reaching the drive through (yeah, that's how you spell through, btw) and not having to ask someone who... WORKS THERE to provide some form of customer service instead of just permitting him to behave like a neanderthal capable only of monosyllabic grunts.

The torture continued beyond that because I was foolish enough to maintain composure, not even just maintain it, but remain courteous and friendly... I will spare you the details, but I will say the further actions of the employees there, including someone in management who I saw with my very eyes, even donning a nifty headset, warranted a 1 a.m. call to Wendy's Corporate. While I am one that frequently calls in compliments, I am not one to call in complaints, so I assure you it was bad.... I was subjected to sheer ignorance, astounding immaturity in a group of grown-ups, and, essentially, the fundamentals of a hate crime. You hear these stories about how people get angry and "go postal" and kill people, right? While I had and have absolutely no desire to commit homicide, I was able to reflect and comprehend how people are pushed to that level. I am not by any means saying cold-blooded murder is justified because someone pissed in your cornflakes at the DMV or what not, but I could almost empathize with those people tonight.

Just as a side note, I realize not every person who works in fast food is stupid, rude, and/or a neanderthal. I myself spent 11 months of my younger days in fast food, but even as a teenager, I strived for professionalism and provided excellent customer service, even working at a drive through window, and received numerous compliments from happy customers, including local newscasters (the only 'celebrities' I've ever met besides MADM, btw,) and never a single complaint. Whatever you do, you should do it well, I believe. Now, not too terribly many years later, I am making around 5 or 6 times more than what I did then (I won't say how many years ago, but I will concede minimum wage has changed since then and I did not factor that in my arithmetic) without even getting out of my pajamas. This isn't a pissing contest. Making more money than them doesn't make me better or smarter in and of itself, but will those astute gentlemen I encountered tonight ever have that to say? I think not and I think it's a damn shame. I guess, though, like those 'men' and anyone else who works a job that is perceived as "menial" by society, they are nonetheless working for a living as an active member of their community and if they are happy and not hurting anyone and have no desire to educate themselves or get out of the fast food industry, that is their decision and more power to them. I don't consider any lawful employment to be "menial." I have respect for fast food employees, trash collectors, janitors, housekeepers, etc., just as I have respect CEOs and LYS owners and doctors... all of them contribute to our society, albeit in different ways, and provide services that I appreciate. What right do I have to judge them or label it "menial" when they are providing a service I am either unwilling or unable to do for myself? My ex had no desire really to get out of food service, a very intelligent and skilled person. I supported him in whatever he chose to do and I was not and am not ashamed that my partner worked in food service. What we do for a living doesn't define who we are and I just want to clarify that is not the issue here. I am not judging these men because they work at a fast food restaurant. It is quite apparent to me they would be equally ignorant, hateful, and despicable no matter where they worked.

See? I wrote this to bitch about a horrendous and hurtful experience at a fast food restaurant and I still have to be nice and objective. I should have shied my food at them, asked the manager to come to the window and splashed her face with my biggie iced tea. At the very least, I should have told them they were assholes and took my business elsewhere. Nope. Hearing the exasperated and obnoxious tone in the man's voice when he advised me of his suggestion only made me speak even more sweetly, and I don't mean artificially sweet, I mean an I am not going to step to his level, but maybe I can invite him to mine kinda sweet. Didn't work, obviously. Even as the nightmare that was my Wendy's visit progressed, I still remained kind and courteous because there was this part of me that refused to believe what I was experiencing was really happening and I was awaiting the spark of inherent goodness, of human kindness, hell, common courtesy even, that I just KNEW was yet to be revealed in any of those people. Didn't happen.

As the title implies, I'm boycotting Wendy's. Every Wendy's? I don't think so... maybe. Definitely that one, though, and it will be forever. What choice did I leave myself with now but to boycott that particular franchise and bitch at my friends and blog about it? None, as you can plainly see. I left corporate a detailed and enraged message, without profanity, though... will that make me feel better? I doubt it. If she promises to fire all of those employees present tonight, will that give me a sense of satisfaction? Definitely not. Will boycotting the store fix this? Unfortunately, no. What is one to get out of a situation like this? Where is the justice? I don't wish ill upon these people, I just wish things happened differently. One of my friends told me to sue. Will I and if I did, would it change anything? No to both. What I do wish is that they felt better about themselves so they didn't feel the need to degrade and shame others. I wish they realized their behavior was repugnant, malicious, and hurtful and I wish that realization would be inspiration enough for them to strive for something different. I wish they saw the beauty within me that I desperately tried to see in them.