Snake Surly

factoids

1. I haven't had any coffee yet. The half&half in the fridge has that not-so-fresh smell, and I'm out of milk.

2. I haven't washed my hair since Tuesday.

3. My retro rib sock has 4 pattern repeats done, and I'm still bored with it. Worse, it looks awfully big. The Louet Gems Pearl is nice and soft, though.

4. Backyard Leaves is suffering from SSS. I finished the one half, but I'm resisting starting the other. I don't know why - I liked knitting it.

5. My Disneyland blisters are healing nicely, thank you.

6. I still can't see all that well out of the new eyeball.

7. I'm out of bread, too, so I can't have any toast.

8. I really, really, really need to pay the water bill.

That is all.

Stomping Through the Nasties

Here are some pretty, pretty nasturtiums in the garden. Aren't they pretty?  Are they distracting you from the lack of actual content in this post? Yes? No?

Nuts. I'm really bored. Bored and unmotivated. I finished my other Supermerino sock, and now I'm working on the Retro Rib Socks from this winter's IK. I've finished the cuff and one and a half pattern repeats, and I'm really bored with it. Tiny bamboo sock needles bore me. But then, so does everything right now. I think maybe I should watch some more TV. I wish I had some ice cream.

We got dirt 'n weeds

There, doesn't that look better?

Actually, it just looks sort of sad. The cilantro flowers were really pretty. But at least I can get to the roses and not be stabbed to death by the killer attack thistles. I pulled some of them up and hacked more down. There are still some left, but they are going to have to wait until the yard waste people come and empty my bin.

Welcome to the Jungle

Geez, I go to Disneyland for three days and eco-terrorists come in and RUIN my perfectly manicured garden.

Dude, look at the mallow! The thistles! And the cilantro! It not only bolted, it's flowering! The canes on the roses have to be 15 feet long. There are nasturtiums and epazote and opiumay oppiespay popping up everywhere.

And when was the last time anybody I fed my lime plant?

This is ridiculous. I have to put the knitting down, get off my ass and go fix this mess. Anybody got any Napalm?

My Cheatin' Heart

I loooooooove my LYS. I love their selection, their location, and mostly I love their staff. Everyone who works there is fabulous.

So I felt like an adultress today when I walked (okay, bounced) into a brand-new yarn store in San Jose, Commuknity. It's gorgeous. It's airy and spacious, but has discrete little spaces where you can sit and knit. They're so new that they're not fully stocked yet, but everything they've got so far is top-notch. I actually squealed when I saw the basket full of Artyarns Supermerino. I walked around with two skeins clutched to my bosom, much to the amusement of the owner.

The staff was marvelous, and I met the lovely and charming Nathania, who showed me pictures of Alpacas and the Harlot on her digital camera.

And their prices are GREAT. Oy, I'm doomed. Is yarn-store bigamy okay? I hope so.

I also visited another new (to me) yarn store this weekend, but I don't think I'll be visiting it often. Article Pract in Berkeley Oakland was gorgeous in that upscale hippie Berkeley Oakland way and had great stuff, but I was a little put off by the man-knitter minding the store. He was not unfriendly, but I wouldn't exactly have called him a kindred spirit. And then when I bought my yarn (more about that in a sec), I asked him to wind it, and he told me that they don't wind yarn for their customers. They have a winder thingamajig and he said I was welcome to use it, but that he wouldn't do it for me. I thought that seemed a little weird.

However, the yarn I got there - oh. my. god. I've never seen it anywhere else and I'd go back there just to get some more. Move over Manos, there's something fluffier: MalAbrigo merino! It was so soft it was like petting a sheep. Every time I've put it down after fondling it, I've examined my hands expecting them to be oily with lanolin. I need to find something to do with it quick, because my swatch is becoming, um, large. I can't stop knitting with it. AND it's cheaper than Manos! It's $12 per skein, but you get 200 yards. Woohoo!

I am such a yarn floozy.

Disneyland is my LYS

After much debate, I eventually chose to use my precious, precious Kyoto yarn for my Down With Mr. X KAL project. I figured what could be happier than my most beautiful yarn at the Happiest Place on Earth? I decided to do a simple feather-and-fan stitch scarf, and it's just gorgeous. It was great fun to knit this stuff outdoors, where the sun made the silk glow so much I needed sunglasses to look at it.

Here's me knitting patiently in the world's most boring line - the line to get my photo taken for my Annual Pass. I tried to explain about the Down With Mr. X KAL to the nice lady in line with me who took this photo, but she mostly just looked at me like I was a crazy person. I'm used to that, though.

So I was waiting for the fireworks to start on Thursday night, and I was doing a little browsing in the shops (which was the first time they hadn't been crammed full of people). There's a cool line of retro-Disney stuff, and I picked up a mug and a shirt for Ethan, and then I saw something that actually made me squeal out loud. The lady next to me said, "Oh, I love those wine glass markers!" I looked at her like *she* was a crazy person. She said, "You know, you put them on your wine glass so you know who has which drink?" And I said, "Umm, I was going to use them as stitch markers. You know, for knitting?" And then she looked at me like I needed to be medicated.

CLEARLY these are stitch markers.

I'm back

But I'm too sleepy to blog about my trip. I already had a nap today, and now I'm going to have another one. And you can't stop me.

May 4th (Day 1) mini-report

Got on the freeway at 8:30, drove and drove and drove and drove. Saw Matterhorn. Checked into Ho-Jo's.

Drooled enviously at all the Beautiful People going into Disneyland, went resolutely into DCA.

Watched some Block Party Bash. It was really cute. Later, watched the whole thing and was really impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the CMs.

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Went on Grizzly River Run five times in a row. Got wet.

Ate a churro, rode rides. (note, "washed hair" was not in the day's activities.)

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Saw Electrical Parade and drank wine. Yum.

Enjoyed view.

Wished I was in the park watching the fireworks, not standing outside like a Z-list Nobody.

Downloaded photos. took bath, Vicodin, prayed to benevolent god for no blisters and/or show-cancelling rain tomorrow.

ball hog

Wow, that Ichiro is freaking amazing!

But isn't it JUST LIKE John Neuharth to try to grab the ball from him? And poor Lisa Eve, all she can see is John's ass.

Supermerino!

I finished the first sock using the Artyarns Supermerino. Boy, is it super. And it likes TiVo.