Sit, Knit and Be Happy

FInally, Absorba the Great!

2011-04-16T09:29:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to make one of these since the (first) MDK book was published. Love it, and it IS fun to knit. It has so much texture, but is still "soft". :) :) :)

His Highness

2010-03-29T12:08:00.002-04:00

His Highness, originally uploaded by KathyinDC.

The other cat, Dèca, will eat the sour cream from a bowl, a person feeding her with their finger, or off the counter or floor.

Mr. Spoiled Rotten just refuses to feed himself sour cream. And, since I am the one who did such a good job spoiling him, I go in and hand feed him the sour cream.

See? http://www.flickr.com/photos/27983313@N05/sets/72157623727697716/

How do you like that? (Interrupts my knitting!!!!!)

Fancy Lion Cut Truffie

2010-02-23T09:05:00.001-05:00

Fancy Lion Cut Truffie, originally uploaded by KathyinDC.

He is STOMPING around (angry cuz we've been out of town and he had to go to the vet for boarding--SO humiliating to a cat), following me everywhere I go, "Protecting me" from everyone!!! He stands guard outside the bathroom when I shower, he plants himself like a sentry outside the door when I sleep (or get dressed or blog), he sits on the counter watching me, purring LOUDly, when I do anything--he is a total freak for mommy, this guy. (I wouldn't want it any other way), lol.

Like his new Lion Cut?
Well, he Will NOT tolerate brushing and combing. I can get away with it a little, but not well enough to keep his coat healthy and free of matting. So, for this reason, the little tyrant has to be SEDATED and get a sedated shave at the cat hospital twice a year. Otherwise he ends up a matted and miserable mess. THE most expensive haircut known to man or beast , this one. He usually comes back looking "strange" because, as they will tell you at the vet, "This is not the groomer--we use medical clippers and you get what you get." This time, he came back just beautiful. And. He doesn't even know it.

I am gonna' take hundreds of photos! (poor Truffie). And the girls and I have not stopped Squealing every time he comes in the room. He is so cute.

Blizzard

2010-02-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Ok. Enough already. 6 to 12 more inches on top of the 34 inches we already have from the weekend, enough already. Here is how it looked before more snow. We are thankful to have electricity, (internet), coffee and hot tea!, heat and some food in the house. I know some folks don't have all that. It's a two sweater day.

Think Snow

2009-12-11T18:56:00.002-05:00

We did and it did. Shameful I know, not posting sooner. Been busy. Moved too many times in the past 4 years. Hope we can stay put now for awhile.

Hope it is nice where you are!

it's not "insurance" we're talking about

2009-06-02T11:24:00.004-04:00

Sorry, but this is just too much to pass by:

http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2009/06/and-lets-drop-the-word-insuran.html

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:13:00.006-04:00

My favorite flowers for Mothers' Day

Small Knit

2009-05-07T00:25:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd try something small to get my knitting mojo back and make a cowl (ravelry link) and whip up a nice, useable FO. It's portable and so easy to get done. And, I can use some yummy yarns or use up some yarns!

Here is a look at how it might end up.

ttfn

Well, THAT was Fun (not).

2009-05-05T11:19:00.007-04:00

So we Moved. Again. In December.
We must be in some sort of a vortex--move in the month of December once, and you end up repeating the mistake again, and again. And again. The first "recent" move was in December and was a major relocation from Hot-Lanta to Metro DC (McLean, VA). That was NO fun. You know this was no fun for me if you have already read through the rest of this blog. You can get all my complaining. Well, some of it. (There's lots more where that came from.) When you move in December, you have to juggle all the stress of moving, and all the holiday issues and then also all your things are in a STATE (chaos) while you are supposed to be gathering all your well-organized files and receipts for filing with the crooks, er IRS. Our intention was to move to a more "urban" and smaller (smaller--as in easier-to-maintain, as in MORE TIME TO KNIT!!!!) place. We put our house on the market before the whole financial world fell apart and just before the vultures started picking clean the bones of anyone selling a house. Fair Market Value: Fair market value of a home is the price that both a buyer would be willing to pay and a seller would be willing to accept WITHOUT UNDUE OUTSIDE PRESSURE. We no longer live in the same America I grew up in. And Fair Market Value does not exist anymore. Mortgage: did you know that the word means "Death Pledge"? The "American Dream" has turned into the American Nightmare.

This is one of the things that keeps me sane:

Just as we (myself and two daughters) were really getting some knitting momentum all h*@% broke loose. I haven't knit much (or paid attention to this blog) much since. We thought, "instead of 3 & 1/2 baths and miles kitchen space to keep clean, let's look for a smaller place; hows' 'bout One Bath and One half bath." (We're all compact and efficient with our stuff--what we want is more time.) Well. We ended up in a gorgeous townhouse, which is really the thing to do in metro DC. It is like PULLING TEETH to get work done on a house here. In a townhouse, if you play your cards right, you can get low- , almost no-maintenance situation. The outside is all landscaped and maintained and ours is so nice to come home to. But. Five and a half baths! Opps, we did it again. (I'm calling Maid Brigade.)

This also keeps me sane and happy:

Make it a great day. You are the only one who can.

Busy Fall and Christmas

2008-01-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

We've had quite a whirlwind Fall and Christmas! Daughter #2 is in training for Russian Vaganova Ballet. Quite serious she is, and classes and rehearsals nearly every day (off Thursdays, and Sunday!) Every December they perform a new version of The Nutcracker Ballet. SO, this makes for a busy Fall right off the bat. Then, there were kitties, and knitting of course! and visiting family, and truckloads of leaves (beautiful this year) and more.

I'll leave a little photo tour for now, and come back with more comments when time allows.

ARE YOU NICE?

2007-09-12T07:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I can only read this stuff in small snippets.

ReadThisArticle!!!

If you are not eating anything right now, and you have a strong heart, go read the article about sheep.

I thought that surely Knitters would know about this, and DO something. I've seen what can happen when Knitters set their minds to it and take action. Well, I was horrified to read about Merino Wool (mostly from Australia, New Zealand, and some other places--read labels, check sources) ABUSE. I'm more surprised to find that many Knitters I've written to don't even respond. What's UP with THAT? Either people don't know, or they don't care. I HAVE to believe that they care, and they just don't know. We'll see. This shows the real story: photos of innocent sheep . And, sorry I had to be the one to inform you, but it's "got" to stop! If you agree, here is info on how everyone can help: What We Can Do.

Just a little over a year ago, there were no knitters in our house. Now, there are two Knitters (DD and me), and one little knitter (youngest DD). When we found out the real story about Merino, it made us SICK.
Our stash is shamefully (wonderfully) LARGE, with three of us always finding more wool. You can imagine! BUT. We check what we are buying before we buy. (You should, too.)

If you are brave, and if you really care, read up and let me know what you think! Help spread the word.

KTS 3 BOUNTY

2007-08-02T09:37:00.000-04:00

Look at all these goodies from my swap pal, Isobel! Luscious yarns in my favorite colors:

And check out that dessert!!! Talk about tea and cakes! Well, she didn't SEND the cake, exactly. But the recipe book with that, and lots more, in it. And how about that cute pack with hand cream, a tape measure, marker, pen and all. Then the tea! I've never even seen such a fancy tea infuser, and now I have a fancy tea infuser. We can really make a "proper" cuppa' tea now.

Isobel even sent a gift for each of our three children. They were so excited. It was fun for them to help me open the box and see all the tea and yarn and goodies, but they really felt special having a gift of their own in there. That was SO thoughtful, and I appreciated that lots n' lots.

And there was CHOCOLATE, of course. Yummy kinds we don't have in the U.S. We do have Walkers, but these are not the same Walkers as in Ireland. I'll do my own version of a taste comparison later (Walkers from U.S. vs Walkers from Ireland). But, I can tell you right now, they're both very yummy.

Thank you, again, Isobel. Your swap package to me could not have been more wonderful. I'll be posting some FOs with my new yummy yarns (and needles--did you see them, Peace Fleece needles!!!!), but do NOT hold your breath. I haven't been knitting TOO long. I do get there, but speed-knitter, no.

Books by the DECADE

2007-06-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

So, we are going to document our reading this summer thanks to a challenge over here. I'm joining the challenge mostly to accompany and encourage our children. LORD knows I am busy enough and probably won't need to add something like this to my schedule. But. They found the challenge, and I am NOT going to discourage reading! Besides, I found some books I'd really like to read (or reread).

"Attorneyback" just got back from camp, and so he has a lot of deciding to do, to finalize his list. He will likely read twice as many books as he is listing, so it will not be a problem. He just has been away for two weeks, and is EXhausted right now.

Here is the list for "Attorneyback" , for (20) books, so far:

2000's. TBA
1990's. TBA
1980's. Bourne Identity
1970's. God In The Dock, C. S. Lewis
1960's. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.
1950's. Hornblower, C. S. Forester
1940's. There Is A Tide, Agatha Christie
1930's. Flying Colors, C.S. Forester
1920's. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, C. S. Forester
1910's. TBA
1900's. The Sea Wolf, Jack London
1890's. TBA
1880's. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
1870's. TBA
1860's. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
1850's. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
1840's. The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
1830's. Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
1820's. Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott
1810's. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen

Here is the list of (15) books for little "PinkBalletToes":

2000's. The Tale Of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
1990's. Running Out Of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix
1980's. Sweet Valley High/Lost At Sea, Francie Pascal
1970's. Nancy Drew/The Mysterious Mannequin, Carolyn Keene
1960's. Harriet The Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
1950's. Mary Poppins/In The Park, P.L. Travers
1940's. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery
1930's. Mary Poppins Comes Back, P.L. Travers
1920's. The Fairy Caravan, Beatrix Potter
1910's. Daddy-Long-Legs, Jean Webster
1900's. Secret Garden, Frances Eliza Hodgson
1890's. Blue Fairy Book, Andrew Lang
1880's. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
1870's. Little Men, Louisa May Alcott
1860's. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
(and might read more!)

Here is the beginnings of my list. (I am still exhausted from getting kids home and settled from camp, but I promise I will work on my list this weekend!)

List of (12) books for "KathyinDC" is as follows: (as you can see, I want to totally "live/read" in the past, heh)

1940's. The Diary Of A Young Girl, Anne Frank
1930's. Murder At The Vicarage, Agatha Christie
1920's. Mysterious Affair At Styles, Agatha Christie
1910's. The Tale Of Mrs. Tittlemouse, Beatrix Potter
1900's. Heretics, G. K. Chesterton
1890's. Personal Recollections Of Joan Of Arc, Mark Twain (he states this as HIS favorite of all his writings)
1880's. A Study In Scarlet, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1870's. TBA, undecided.
1860's. TBA, undecided.
1850's. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens (the book he wrote midpoint of all his books, and his most "autobiographical")
1840's. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
1830's. Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo

Ninja-Kitty.

2007-06-22T07:55:00.000-04:00

First, some seasonal Eye Candy for you:

Now, the ceilings. See what I mean? Those are 25 feet UP! It literally took 2 1/2 years to find anyone willing to climb up there and paint all of it. It looks nice. With the white (primer-white) gone, all the angles just look striking, not disturbing.
Check out crazy ninja-cat!!!! She even jumps from the top of the cabinets to that window sill 20 feet up and sits there looking outside! She's a wild 'thang'.

Nightmare ALMOST Over . . . . .

2007-06-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

We've got these 25-foot tall cathedral ceilings, which looked like they had never been painted ever (just white primer). It has taken us 2 1/2 years to find a painter willing to climb up there and teeter on the edge of ladders, risking life and limb, but we finally found one--thank you, Louis. So, our house has been looking like THIS lately:

It was a NIGHTMARE all through Father's Day, and the whole weekend when we had lots of things planned, and it is going to take a few days to put it all back together (and clean all the floors, rugs, etc. ). But it will look fabulous when we are done.

This is some swatching I'm doing to plan for a garter stitch jacket EZ-style. I see why EZ said she loves garter stitch. I'll have to get some other color for accent/trim. Maybe a red?

Check back soon and I'll try to post some "after" paint photos.

Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice

2007-06-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

So, here is the sugar:

Something about it being "rough cut" cubes, and of course, it is pure cane sugar, minimally processed, all that crunchy goodness. If you have a cup of tea you want to sweeten, it really is good! So, I promised to post it, and here it is!

Think I better show some knitting after all this tea sweetening, and traveling to Paris and all!

Here are some socks I am (SHhhhhhh) secretly knitting for my son. He loves all things "weapons" (hmm, have to watch him), but also loves ships, chess, Sudoku and similar puzzles, DEBATE, and reads like a fiend. That's a good thing. Anyway, he is going off to Debate Camp for TWO WEEKS later this month. SO. Didn't want him to forget about (or miss too much?) dear mom, so, I'm sending him off with some appropriate handknits.

I think he'll like this:
Lorna's Laces hand-dyed yarn in "camouflage"! A dream to knit.

Catching Up

2007-05-28T11:15:00.001-04:00

So. We are back from a week in Paris, which was like heaven. This cat (and another cat, and the two don't get along, and a big dog--also doesn't get along with either of the two cats), were a handful to catch up on.

I guess last few times I tried to post, Blogger was just having a bad day. Couldn't do it! I'll try to organize more photos and post some of France here soon. Here's a cup of tea for you from Paris:

Posting Problems

2007-03-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

Not sure why, but the camera and computer are not *talking* right now. This has happened before, so I got a card reader (as opposed to just connnecting camera directly to computer). That worked. It seems that when we fill the camera until it can hold no more shots before downloading, it gets "jammed" or something. But. Now the card reader doesn't work!!!!!! Have to figure out what the problem is. Computer and camera are both new enough that there is no excuse. I'm working on it! (Any suggestions anyone????)

FIRST SOCKS EVER!!!!!

2007-01-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

So, finally. I'm so excited. Remember the first time YOU knit a pair of socks?
They are not perfect, but close. It's a pattern from Knitty. They are 75% cotton, 25% wool. A very nice, cruelty-free wool.

I'm giving them to DH. Soft, handknit, socks!

Knitted on 4 dpns. I used metal needles, I think they were a US2 size.

Nice heel, pattern on the leg. I'd do this pattern again, but in a finer gauge next time. These are nice and snuggly. Might be "thick-ish" for wearing with shoes. Would be nice with tennis shoes or boots though!

Holiday Goodies

2007-01-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

We did stick to mostly raw food during the holidays. Here's a tour of yummy goodness.

THE biggest pears ever, and SOOOO yummy.

7 Layer Salad REDO (healthy)
That is not mayonnaise-it's "nut mayo".
Tastier and healthier.

Happy New Year!

Dark Brown Nut Bread

2006-12-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

Our only time of the year to splurge and eat anything cooked. Some years, it is this:

DARK BROWN NUT BREAD

2 cups brown sugar (or sucanat)
1/4 cup butter, coconut butter or shortening of your choice

2 eggs, beaten well

2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt (use sea salt or "real salt" , or Himalayan salt--just don't use "table" salt)
3 cups flour

2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the sucanat (or brown sugar) and shortening in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs and add to the creamed mixture.

Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk, and let sit while you do the next step. (It will "bubble up", and "start to work". Don't be 'skuurrrred' !!)

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, and "sift" together with a whisk.

Add sifted, dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture alternately to the creamed mixture. Add nuts and blend.

Pour into two loaf pans (butter or spray the pans first--I like to "butter them" with coconut butter/coconut oil).
Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. Usually takes the whole hour.

Let cool a few minutes in the pans, and then remove from pans and cool completely. Tastes really good, after being cooled, refrigerated, sliced and with some butter on it!

YUM, YUM.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE

2006-12-24T00:45:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! and here comes a great recipe which was always a "traditional" one at Christmas Time at our home. I think it was passed down from my Grandma (Mom? Dad? ????) It is TWICE as good as it looks. We used "Sucanat" instead of sugar (When you buy or order this it is sucanat, and sucanat with honey. You want to use the plain, darker, sucanat for this recipe) And, instead of eggs, you can substitute 1 T flax seed, ground in spice grinder and stir in 3 T. luke-warm water for each egg.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

Dark Brown Nut Bread. Recipe to follow. Can't even keep my eyes open any longer right now. Just make sure you have some buttermilk (about 2 cups), some sucanat (about 2 cups) or a box/bag of Dark Brown sugar, 2 eggs (or substitute), baking soda, and 2 cups of walnuts (coarsely chopped). Will post recipe next!

LOST & FOUND

2006-10-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

So, this cutie was running around our house, SCREAMING at us (from afar) for the past 4 weeks. We couldn't tell if she was nice or not--seemed terrified of humans. When we first saw her it was warm-ish outside still. Then it got COLD here. Well, we could take it no more. Last Wed. night, the second really cold night in a row, we fed her, and lured her in so we could "rescue" her.

We "named" her "Deca" (as in ordering a cup on decaf espresso in France). Deca goes well with Truffles (see below)!

She's doing MUCH better now, as you can see. You've never seen a kitty so grateful to be warm and fed. It seems to be all she'll ever ask of life now. She is tiny, in good health, and seems to be about 2 years old. She lets us rub her tummy and play with her toes and everything! Completely content, this one. She WOLFED down any food we gave her the first couple of times. Now she just eats normally. She's figured out we're going to feed her again, so wolfing isn't necessary.

Of course, THIS Truffle is NOT pleased.
He couldn't even be lured by a hand-knit, catnip-stuffed mousie! He's going to take his sweet time getting used to lost&found kitty!

Right now we are "just" giving this kitty "foster care". We named her, but only, of course, because the vet NEEDED a name for their files. We are going to take her to the kitty rescue adoption place. We're just waiting for her to "recover".
(sure)

MORE KTS2 SHOTS

2006-10-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

So, here is the package of goodies I sent off to my Knitters Tea Swap partner.
Hope she likes it. Knitters Tea Swap is
really fun if you like tea and knitting.

And, it doesn't hurt if you like and own a cat!
Isn't THIS one rotten!??

TOTALLY SPOILED ROTTEN

2006-10-03T11:44:00.000-04:00

My sweet secret swap partner, Kerry, included this beautiful (handmade looking) card with my very pink and wonderful package of yarn, tea and chocolate.

It really makes your day when you realize that someone took the time to figure out and put together all your favorites into one lovely package. Thank you , Kerry, for the gorgeous yarns. I LOVE pink. Always. Everyone knows I'm a pink addict. And I also really, really love neutrals--just like these. I can't wait to start something with them.

This is how "PINK" it looked when we opened it!

There are several teas that are new to me, but in flavors I am sure to love. Like cinnamon and one in mint! AND there's a wonderful looking Chai which I can't wait to try with milk and honey. Thank you, Kerry in NY, for making this so special for me. You really spoiled me rotten!

Who couldn't love all this chocolate? Kerry, I now know that you love milk chocolate the best, but you still went out and found me lots of dark, which is my fav. That was sweet. I'll have to hide this from the masses!

Pretty soon, everyone else will have a welcome package at their door, too! Happy swapping! Happy knitting and Tea!

You can see all the Knitters Tea Swapping fun right here.

Cooler Temps

2006-10-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

It has gotten decidedly "cooler" here in D.C. I say cool, because I know it can and will get COLD later. This could only be called "cool" for now. This one is going to have to go in for a hair cut (shave down) pretty soon, even if it IS getting cold out. He's a naughty boy and won't let us comb him ALL OVER, so to stop the matting, he has to get SHAVED. A real ordeal. He secretly hates being a long-haired cat, and likes it when his feet don't have so much fur between the toes that he can't even walk around without slipping.

Then there's this one, who doesn't get along with naughty-boy Truffle.

SHE is being a real pain. (The dog, not the sweet ballerina-girl.) It's been rainy out, and there's nothing worse than a Dobe who has to stay in because it's raining! Just like a two-year-old (probably forever, this one), can't think of anything to do for herself, and has to be played with all the time. SO, it really needs to stop raining for a while so Emma can go OUT and PLAY. She loves the cooler temps. Just not the rain.

It's slow, but trying to do some knitting. Can't post the latest thing I made here yet, because my Secret Pal in a tea and knitting swap might guess who I am, and look here. The latest cut thing I knit is for her, so I'll post that one soon. I'm going to start on something "Elizabeth Zimmerman" next. Getting ready for that snow that won't be long.

Drink lots of tea and do something you love!

Visitors

2006-09-05T09:26:00.000-04:00

Before we had two groups of visitors (family), we knitted some tea cozies and more "washrags".

But we also had visitors of the non-human kind!

Gross and disgusting! Still trying to identify this one.

Baby Bibs

2006-07-31T08:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some baby bibs we made (DD & I) for a sweet baby boy in the family.

And here is how much Truffle likes our knitting--he claims everything we make.

OUR SQUARE-FOOT GARDEN

2006-05-26T17:26:00.001-04:00

Last week we started a small SFG on our deck. Radishes are sprouting already from seed, and we transplanted some herbs and tomatoes from seedlings. All doing great! See the spoiled rotten frenchman "Truffle" (cat)? And the cute eggs (which we want to blow out and save the pretty colored shells), and other findings from the Farmer's Market?

Farmer's Market Day

2006-05-26T17:15:00.000-04:00

Here are strawberries from the Farmer's Market! And Kara Meat-meat with a stash of lettuce. yum.

2006-05-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

Nice basket weave pattern in progress.