the sound of one hand slapping...

the other...
for I cannot seem to stop myself from buying more yarn.

Yarn Guilt:
The stash is already bursting out of the yarn storage boxes. I have many many (hellamany) yarn works-in-progress: Eight or nine ongoing knitted projects at present, but who's counting? (I do keep track, and it's downright embarrassing.)
I should knit them all up, and buy more only when those projects are completed. Holiday gift-giving time is here and that's where the funds should go. I should not click to purchase. I should walk away from the computer and slip the credit card back into my wallet. I should give myself a reality check.

Yarn Rationale:
There is so much potential in skeins, balls and hanks of new yarn! Wheeeeeee! Just thinking of all the future projects I could enjoy someday excites me so. Adding to the stash kinda sorta takes my mind off the holiday pressure(s) that are already mounting...

Final decision:
Hmmmmm.
If I order up nownownow, I might be able to whip out some fine hand-knitted holiday gifts...
Happy Holidays - to - me - and you?
The sound of both hands on the keyboard...Clickety click.

[image from nobleknits.com]

A CB Christmas

Just in case you missed it on TV tonight...



It's been YEARS since I've watched 'A Charlie Brown Christmas', and I'd almost forgotten how brilliant it really is.

The start of the season - before we succumb to societal, shopping, or other self-inflicted holiday pressure.

It's early - so enjoy.

Knitting waaaaaay outside of da box

Like me, HD makes the occasional perusal of newspaper obits to find out who has died.

Rather than focus on how sad it is when a life ends, I prefer to keep in mind that these people actually LIVED.

Newspaper in hand, and opened to the obits, HD asked me this morn if I'd ever heard of Mary Walker Phillips. 'She died recently. She knitted neat stuff. Do you know who she is?'.
I said no.
The obituary was titled: 'In Mary Walker Phillip's hands, knitting was art'. Apparently she was something of a knitting artiste.
I read the obit through and decided to post the subject to my blog.
(I can remember something much better (and longer) if I write a bit about it.)

Several Google links later, I realize that in fact, I do know of Mary Walker Phillips.
Phillips wrote one of the definitive books on macramé, which was published in 1970. Back then, those of us who found ourselves tangled in yards of cord and twine as we struggled with fashioning half-hitches and the like - referred to Phillip's macramé craft book as our knotting bible.

Besides macramé plant hangers, there is so much more to Miss Phillips and her involvement in tactile textile craftiness. She took all manner of natural and man-made material to the needles and created artwork. Talk about knitting outside-of-the-box!

Phillips' pieces can be found at the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.

A long life immersed in creativity.
Time well spent, I should think.

Let's talk turkey

On being bookish

You learn so much from books.
You also learn from livin'.
Start 'em young, I say.

Mozart . Bread . Butter

I'm having a very fine day...really I am.
It's lovely.
Very Fall-ish.
A might grey.
Overcast.
Temps are a tad on the cool side, but not enough to warrant wearing a jacket.
Not a hint of wind.

A fine day...to run errands, meet up with friends, do chores, post to the blog, be crafty, play Mozart's Requiem extra loud in the car whilst driving...
Before day is done, I will have accomplished all of these things.
Nice.

Morning errand run. Before heading home, I decided to stop at the supermarket to 'pick up a few things'.

I walked by the fresh bread aisle.
Caught a whiff.
The latest and greatest artisan bread offerings were fresh out of the oven.
Mmmmmmmmmmm - that irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread.
I approached the display and could feel the heat coming off those brown bags. I could not resist. I bought a loaf. Mind you, no one is home this weekend to share in the eating of this big ol' loaf of freshly baked DUTCH CRUST bread. It'll be me myself and nobody else. This I knew and yet I succumbed.

I rushed home (Requiem blasting), brought the bread in and didn't bother to bring in the rest of the groceries just yet. I cut a huge slice, slathered it with softened sweet butter, sat back and savoured it.
It was good. I mean good. As in sinfully good.
The bread is delicious, the butter enhanced the flavor.
Then I sliced another piece of bread and enjoyed it too.
I'm on my third slice now. Feeling a teensy bit of guilt.
By slice four, I will have deemed myself downright disgusting and half the loaf will still be there to tempt me further.
I will vacillate between pleasure and guilt.
Ah - such is life.
Such is Mozart, come to think of it.

A fine day indeed ~
Mozart.
Bread.
Butter.
Pleasure with a sprinkling of guilt.
It don't get much better than this.

I am sooooooooo hooked!

The last couple of years, I've been literally devouring these PBS shows:
1940's House
Manor House
Frontier House
Colonial House
1900 House
Texas Ranch House

With this kind of television programming* (and Ken Burns documentaries!!), I could easily be riveted, A La Couch Spud, to the TV.
I should really be thankful, then - that most television programming is c-r-a-p...
leaves me with some time for knitting (an altogether different addiction).

Yet to see:
Regency House Party


* Typical 'reality TV' fare this is not not not.

'Please sir, I want some more'

shake a leg

(If you speak any Cantonese at all, this kinda sorta related video is even more hilarious)

I wanted to be somewhat original with this post.
Then discovered that a few bloggers out there have already had their way with the topic I have in mind.
So much for originality (it's ALL been said or done, hasn't it?). Yet why not another go round, eh?

The subject?
Shaky leg syndrome.
I find the shaky leg topic rather intriguing, and invite your observations...

No, not this shaky leg syndrome.
Or this one.
These are serious physical afflictions which may require medical attention.

The shaky leg syndrome I'm speaking of here seems to affect many young men.
It's a semi-involuntary (?) muscle spasm of the leg when a guy is sitting.
Feet are on the ground, with the weight of one foot or both feet resting on the ball of the foot/ toes. The foot/feet rise and fall from the ball of the foot.
The rest of the leg bobs up and down. Not slow, but fast. Spastic-like.
For no apparent reason (?).

Slightly (and much older) males don't seem to display this shaking leg thing with the same frequency as teenage guys and younger (put your own connotation on 'younger', I won't touch that definition with a twisted, crusty stick) men.
The shaky leg phenomenon is not often displayed by little boys or girls, or by women.

The shaky leg syndrome can be coupled with another behaviour that young guys often practice: why it is they feel the need to hock so many loogies (go ahead, play the game on the link - it's really gross)?
I've also a theory on the loogie thing, which I refrain from sharing here - my opinion possibly straining at the (self-imposed) PG-13 rating bounds of this here blog...

So - back to shaking that leg - what up wid it?

Wow - does this preview ever look goooooood

YES!
I can hardly wait to see the film.

Postscript: saw the film, one word movie review: Ptui.

Surprise! Not. Grrrrrrr.....

Layer of berries on top look gooooood.
Layer of berries on bottom - AI YA!
Why always at least a half dozen berries fuzzy-moldy?!?!

Surprise! Not. Grrrrr......