Fingernail Friday!

Happy Holidays, All!!!

Fingernail Friday

In honour of all the snow that's been arriving in various parts of the continent:

Better

I am feeling better, if still a bit drippy. Thus the knitting has continued! My Not Citrus shawl. It is the Citron pattern. Done in Fleece Artist kid-silk 2 ply. Not sure how big it is going to get. I figure on knitting till there ain't no more yarn...

Up close picture:


...and full view so far:


ciao for nao!

Gratuitous Kitty Pic

A nasty cold is circulating Chez Knot,so there is
nothing much to say here. Here, have a gratuitous kitty pic:


Or 2....

Fingernail friday!

Not My Customer-Thank Goodness

Found on Not Always Right/Funny & Stupid Customer Quotes:




(A patient walks up to the pick up window looking like he just came from the emergency room.)
Me: “Hello, sir, how can I help you?”
Customer: “I wanna drop this off…” *hands me an ER prescription*
Me: “Sir, this is the pick up window. You need to drop off the prescription at the drop off window.”
Customer: “Where’s that?”
Me: “The counter at the entrance to the room with the big sign that says “Drop Off Window’.”
Customer: “Where?”
Me: “You know, you already waited in line so I’ll just take the prescription here. Have you ever had any medication here before?”
Customer: “I don’t know, have I?”
Me: “I’ll take that as a no. Do you have any allergies to medication?”
Customer: “Well, when I mix heroin and battery acid, I get a rash.”
Me: “… I’ll make a note on that.”



That wasn't me in the vignette, but some days I wonder.....

Frilly!

At work we do a Christmas gift exchange. This year I thought I would knit something up. I didn't want to wait till I knew who I drew out of the hat, cause I don't always knit so fast, so I decided a nice scarf out of Frill Seeker yarn would be good. I totally blame Curlerchik for showing me this yarn, by the way.....




While this was a fast, fun knit, I must say I was NOT amused at the 5, count em 5 knots I found. Fortunately this yarn hides the ends nicely, but still, this yarn ain't cheap and 5 freaking knots!!!

ciao for now

Actual Knitting

I finished the cowl! Woo and Hoo!





I am quite pleased with how this turned out. To recap:

Yarn: Berrocco ultra Alpaca
Pattern: Ciara's Cowl
Needles: 3.5mm

The knit inspector in the top photo was satisfied with the quality of this knit too.

Ciao

Fingernail Friday

Apple Can Suck It

As regular readers here (if any) know, I wear hearing aids. This poses a problem when it comes to things like cell phones. Cell phones that are not shielded properly create a buzzing that is very unpleasant and makes talking, or rather hearing the other person very difficult. On an old fashioned landline analog phone, there is a setting on the hearing aid called a t-coil (telecoil) that interacts directly with the phone. Some cellphones have t-coil compatibility. These are rated with T4 being good and T1 not so good. In the US FCC mandates that cellphone manufacturers of a certian size must have a minimum percentage of their phones that are hearing aid compatible. (I have no inclination to look up the actual numbers, if ya feel like it, knock yourself out).



I, like many other people, like gadgets. Apple's iPhone is an ultimate gadget. However if I can't use a phone like,well, a phone, there's no point in spending mucho money on it. I went hunting for info. Found this website on which Apple goes on and on and on and ON about accessibility of their gadgets for disabled people. Yeah, the section on hearing disabled blathers on about things like the video option is great for sign language. Not a fucking peep about hearing aids. I know we are not the largst percentage of the population, but dammit, we are not miniscule either.



Apple is ignoring us. Assholes.



Fuck it. Blackberry anyone?

Happy. Not.

An hysterical open letter that totally sums up what I and many other women, I am sure, feel.



GO HERE

Christmas Cat Wrap

In honour of Christmas and all that that entails, I give you:


How to wrap a cat

Keeping Warm

As the weather turns cooler, kitties like to find all the warm spots in the house. elvis has dscovered, as did her brother before her, that the newly opened dishwasher is quite toasty.




silly kitty!

Cowl

I am currently working on a cowl. It is taking much longer than I had thought, as the tooth that needs to have a root canal (this tuesday!) is complaining bitterly. Which means the heavy duty painkillers. Which are NOT conducive to knittng, as I discovered after I had to rip out an entire evening's work. So, here is the cowl thus far:



It's not too feminine is it? It's a gift. For a male. I think it's got some texture without being 'lace-like', but now I am second guessing myself....

Trimming Kitty Claws

How to trim kitty claws



1. Search for supplies. Clippers, kitty treats. bandaids, gauze,wine (open the bottle first. trust me)

2. Search for cat.

3. Sit on floor with cat.

4. coax cat out from under coffee table

5. sit on floor with cat and pick up clippers.

6. wrap bloody scratches up with gauze, pry cat out from under sofa.

7. Sit on floor with cat held firmly.

8. pick up paw.

9. put bandaids on wrist.

10. pry cat out from under bed, grab paws and clip very quickly.

11. take kitty treats, throw box under desk, pour wine and drink.




Who us? No, we're GOOD kitties!

Money Grab

The utility company has installed something called a 'smart meter' on my house. It measures WHEN I use electricity and then charges me depending on the time of day. There are 3 rates: Stupid Expensive(9.9cents per kWh), Sooper Expensive(8.00 cents) and Expensive(5.3cents). The highest rate applies during peak hours. During the summer, peak hours are 11am to 5pm off-peak is 9pm to 7am and the rest is intermediate. During the winter off-peak remains the same, but peak changes to 7am-11am and 5pm-9pm.

Now, I can change some things like when I run the dishwasher or do the laundry. I have , in fact, done these things. Yet my bill is half again as high as it was pre-smart meter. It's going to get worse, as I cook with electricity and peak time will be changing November 1st. I cannot change my stove to a gas one, as I rent. I have no fireplace to cook over the flames, so I am basically screwed.

I fail to see what else I can change. At night we only keep the one lamp on in the living room. We have lowered the wattage bulb we use dramamtically. The only things that run during the day are the furnace ,which IS gas thank goodness, and the computer and tv. The hubby rarely cooks during the day. Lunch is usually something he can heat up in the microwave or a sandwich.

However, once peak time changes to 5pm-9pm, I will be forced to pay the higher rate in order to eat dinner. I can't eat sandwiches all the time.

Quite frankly I think this is a money grab by the utlity company. They could do other things to promote energy savings. For example, in Italy, houses do NOT have 200 amp service as a matter of course, I think 'normal service' is 50amps. So if you try to run too many appliances at once, the breaker trips. This forces people to spread out what they are doing and reduces the drain on the grid.

I am really hating this as it is forcing me to spend all weekend doing laundry. (weekends and statutory holidays are just Expensive) I can't throw a load in the washer until after 9pm during the week, which means I'd be up till after 11pm to get one lousy load washed, dried and folded. Can't do it when I have to get up early to get to my job. Which I need to pay the enormous electrical bill.

Halloween!

I present....The Brain Sucker!



I wore it to work on friday:



A successful second ever crochet project! Even better, it was done without a pattern or anything!

and now:

BRAINSSSSSS!!!!!!

(Happy Halloween!)

Fingernail Friday!

Crochet

I decided to try my hand at crochet. I thought it might be fun to make a Brain Sucker for Halloween. (sorry, pic is a sewed stuffie, but you get the general idea) So, I crocheted for a bit and the joins between rounds sucked. So I ripped back a couple of times to figure it out. The joins are still not fabulous, but they are much better. The book "Happy Hooker" has been very useful. Tunrs out I was making a couple of errors. The first one was I was making my turning chain too long by one stitch. The second mistake was not working the last stitch in the row. The joins are still not perfect, but they look much better, so I can live with it.

Modem Socks

When my modem unexpectedly 'bricked' I had just finished one knit (the Siamese point cat hat) and was researching my next one. Suddenly that wasn't possible. So, I cast on a pair of socks for the husband using the Red Cross WWII sock pattern he likes so much. I finished em!


The yarn is from Dizzy Blonde Studios and is called Olivia. The skein was very generous. I think I have enough left over after knitting man socks to knit a pair of at least anklets for me. Not sure if I will, just saying.....

ciao

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

It's a Spaghetti Monster!


Or maybe it's a stack of pancakes?


Apparently not. It's actually the stack of mitred squares I knit up ages ago.


I just ironed the lot of em. Now to seam and take care of ends. Note I said 'take care of' ends. I am going to be bad and tie nice square knots in them. If I have to weave in that many ends, the nice men with the straight jackets might have to come get me.

Nature

I went out for a hike in a local conservation area. Little Cataraqui Creek. It was lovely and silent. This area has swamplnd and is generally wetter than the last place I went. I had mud halfway up my legs by the end of the hike!

Pictures:

Fingernail Friday

Oh Hai!

Sorry about the sudden silence. My modem 'bricked' (turned into a brick instead of staying a modem) and it took the internet provider nearly 2 freaking weeks to get me a new one.

Onwards....

I have an FO!!!!
Voila, the Siamese Point Cat Hat. Also known as the Sockhead hat. I used Zauberball yarn for this, and the colours reminded me of a Siamese cat's colour points.


I am super pleased with this hat! As a bonus, it matches my hair....

Who'd a Thunk?

One of the nice things about living where I do, is the abundance of natural scenery. I have decided I need to get out into it more. So I found a conservation area nearby (Like less than 10km away!) and the hubby and I went for a nice ramble today. These are some pictures I took at Lemoine Point today.





It was a beautiful day to wander along.

Arr Mateys!

Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day. I swilled too much grog and found out:

You are The Cap'n!

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You're mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that's his problem, now isn't? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.




What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Fingernail Friday

Another FO!

I'm on a streak. A slow streak, but hey, I'll take it. I finished my shawlette, Three. It took me 3 failures before I found a pattern that would work with the Rumple silk boucle yarn. I can totally see why most people did the pattern for the shawl that came with the yarn. Which was a rectangular k1yo type pattern. I wanted something more substantial. So I eventually cast on 3 stitches and marked the center stitch. Then I did a yo before and after that stitch on the knit rows and purled back. I did a garter stitch 3 stitch border on the edges to keep it from rolling.





I am quite pleased with this. Now I just need to buy a pretty shawl pin. Etsy here I come!

Trill FO!

Finally got some decent photos of my Trill (Rill). Overall, I am very happy with this knit. I could have knit a size smaller (I made the 38), but it doesn't bother me, so I'm good.







This knit took a LOT of yarn. 15 balls of the Madill Eden, to be exact. It is a very dramatic cardigan and the bamboo feels soooooo soft and squishy.

Knitting!

I have knitting! I have an FO too, but I cannot seem to get good pics of it. That would be my Trill. I tried yesterday and all I got was the wind blowing my hair in my faace, and the Trill looked like it was trying to take flight. So that will have to wait for another day. In the meantime, I finally have a decent knit for my Rumple yarn.

I am calling it Three. Since it is the third try at a knit with this yarn AND since the pattern has a lot of 3's in it,


And a close-up:


I cast on 3 stitches, k1 yo k1 yo k1, k back, do this for 3 rows, then continue but knitting the first and last 3 stitches and purling back, doing yo's around the middle stitch only.

Therefore, Three. I am hoping for a small shawl or neckerchief type FO.