on the move!

Dear readers, I'm on the move once again! I've got my domain up and running, and over time you'll see the new site getting more and more personalized! I'm gradually working on adding and updating things like ring code, better themes, etc. I hope I don't lose too many of you in the move!

Here's the new blog: http://www.hungryknitter.com

Please update your links, feeds, etc!

i should definitely be a graphic designer

Wow, check out the amazing banner I made for my new website!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

That's me in the cardboard t-rex. Age 4. You can see my little eyes peering out between the teeth!!!

procrastination reaches new heights in my apartment

I just registered my own domain name. And got hosting. Why would I do that??? Stay tuned for updates. I'm keeping the URL a secret for now because there's nothing there yet...

Thursday knitblogging: terrier edition

Okay, terrier/knitting post TAKE TWO! Take one involved blogger opening a new post that I couldn't type in. Thanks, blogger! Why do I bother anyway? If I had that elusive thing known to some as FREE TIME, I would make myself a better blog. But alas, I don't even have time for this blogging. I need a blog that does most everything for me.

Anyway, I would love to post a Rusted Root update, but to tell you all the truth, I haven't knit that much on it lately. I just got past the armpits (you start at the top and knit down) so I was able to try it on last night and it fits GREAT. If I wasn't totally procrastinating right now I'd try it on again and take a picture, but I'm the only one home and we all know those digital camera in front of the bathroom mirror shots are decidedly un-cute. And also, the length of the sweater is about mid-boob right now, and it looks really weird. Trust me. It'll be worth the wait. I whipped it out for Lost last night and did some work on it, but now that it's just straight knitting down the body it's not so exciting.

The good news is I've been cruising right through my second Jaywalker sock! I attempted to take pictures of those, but it was HARD because Cato really wanted to be all up on me at all times, and then I got trapped under him on the couch while trying to photograph my feet (not easy, let me tell you) and the batteries in my camera died.

And OH! I got a new camera! So expect more pictures, very very soon. I got the camera on my fantastic trip to Minnesota (Hi Jenny! Hi Baby Curry!) at fantastic Target. I love Target. And Minnesota is like the Promised Land of Targets. They're amazing. You can get things you can't get at other Targets, I swear to God. In this case, I got a display model clearance digital camera, which came out to about half of its original price. Sure, it came in a manila envelope instead of a box, but this thing ROCKS. Perhaps soon I will be able to take pictures that don't suck! But I'm guessing as long as I remain semi-blind (thanks, repeated eye infections and shitty glasses) and the dog remains not-semi-clingy that crappy photo situation will continue. At least they'll be better in focus now, though!

(Oh - a note about previous photos. Whenever I had photos that didn't suck before, that's because I was using Becki's camera. Her camera is fantastic.)

And without further ado, my (uh, or Ali's, rather) Jaywalker socks:

I wish there weren't little "peaks" where I've started the zig zag pattern on the toe. Perhaps They'll come out in the wash?

Avec terrier, and a slightly more accurate representation of the colors:

And, for everyone's amusement, here's a picture of what I typically find in the living room each morning:
"HI. I'M CATO. HI. I'M ALL RILED UP. HI. WANNA PLAY? WANNA CUDDLE? I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!!!!!!!!!!"

Yes, he IS possessed. And yes, that IS one of my bras hanging in the background. Oh well.

sometimes a new perspective can really clear things up

So a long time ago I went on a weekend "retreat" with some friends to one person's childhood home in Indiana. I say "retreat" because his family lives on the edge of a forest preserve and the house has giant windows and lots of wood beams so it's hard to tell where the house ends and the forest begins. The place is amazing. Anyway, we were playing one of those games where one person pretends they're someone else who's in the room and everyone asks that person questions to figure out who they're pretending to be. Questions such as, "if you were a food, what food would you be?" "if you were a color, what color would you be?" That kind of thing. And not surprisingly, this devolved quickly. We were all interrogating Ross, whose house we were at, and someone asked him "if you were one of the seven deadly sins, which sin would you be?" Well, it took us a while to remember all the sins, and then Ross finally says, "I'm not really sure if I'd be lust or gluttony." And of course everyone knows he's talking about me. And for the past couple years this will come up occasionally, and I never really know. Which one am I? Lust or gluttony???

And now I have finally received the answer. The other day Steve told me he was fasting. Of course, my reaction was to yell something along the lines of "OH MY GOD THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE WORST THING ON EARTH YOU MUST HATE LIFE SO MUCH RIGHT NOW." He said he'd had some juice, and he was only going for a day, and it wouldn't be that bad. He said had a friend in college who would go for three days, and which point my yelling trailed off into inhuman shrieks of horror. Steve asked, sounding genuinely curious about which of my vices is most powerful, "which is worse for you - abstinence or fasting?" I didn't even have to think before shouting back, "OH FASTING, DEFINITELY." I mean, having sex and then not having any sex sucks, don't get me wrong. And I may get a little cranky and start acting inappropriately. But taking away food .... I can't even function on a basic level. First I get cranky and irrational, and then I just fall apart, and then whole thing culminates in a spectacular fit of screaming and crying and sweating, on a rare occasion vomiting (yes I realize this makes no sense, but trust me, it's happened), that can only be solved by giving me something to eat and putting me immediately to bed. In college Ali was really into juice fasting, and as I recall she had a juicer and could make all kinds of delicious things, and I thought, "hey, I'm a toxin-ridden college student, I should give this a try to kind of clear things up." So I tried it with her one time. We were in scenic Appleton, Wisconsin, and as I recall we were driving in her car to go someone out by that beautiful mecca of midwestern civilization, the Fox River Mall. Or is it called the Fox Valley Mall? (I think I may have sustained mild brain damage in college. Probably some detox really was in order.) Anyway, I only made it to about 11AM before breaking down and yelling "OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CAN WE JUST GO GET SOME BURGERS OR SOMETHING." I got my burger, and I think she finished out the day of fasting.

So now we all know. I'm gluttony first, THEN lust.

Rusted Root progress!

Yes, I am knitting a sweater that's called Rusted Root. I didn't name it, and no, I don't like that band. Here's what I have so far, 33 rounds in:


And a close-up of the lace panel:

I am a tower of fuzzy wool.

Here is the pattern - on Zephyr Style. I'm using Inca Wool, which is 100% wool, and I can't tell you much about it because the label is in Russian... All I know is that it was in my yarn stash, and it's green, and green seemed appropriate for a sweater with a panel of leafy lace down the front.

bwa ha ha!

Studying is hilarious when you get to read medieval beastiaries! Today I'm working on this one. I just keep giggling and thinking, "wtf?" (Yes, I think "wtf," not "what the fuck." My mind is hip like that.)

For anyone who isn't aware, my initials are L.E.O. Also my sign is that of a Leo. Oooo. My parents claim this was an accident. You'd think that by the age of 27 I'd be sick of this, but it's still just a source of constant amusement. Also, whenever you read ANYTHING about Leos it fits me to an alarming degree. Anyway, I was amused when I read this in the bestiary (the one I linked to above): "Also it is to be noted that ‘leo’, ‘leonis’ (a Lion) is derived from ‘Leo’, ‘les’, ‘lere’ (to wipe out or destroy), in simple form, which form is not now in use." (page 58 in that electronic edition from the link...) Wipe out or destroy??? COOL. I'm going to go crashing around my apartment knocking things over and making roaring sounds now!