It's the Utahraptor!

And I'm not kidding about the name! Isn't that the coolest?
Did I mention I love Utah?

This pic was taken at the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum, in Price, UT. The museum was fun for the kid (he's 3 1/2, and so must love dinos) and for the adults. Since having the kid, I can no longer follow my previous museum-going practice of reading every scrap of text on every exhibit, but with three adults along for the trip, I did get to read most of them. My favorite factiod? The museum was started in the 60s by a bunch of local guys who were taking a night class from a professor they really liked at the local college. They wanted to keep at least some of the stuff dug up at the nearby Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in town, and so they did. It's a fairly impressive collection, especially for such a small community. Groovy, no? All I produced by taking night classes is a college degree. Well, two if you count the AA :-)

My second-favorite factoid: Dinosaur tracks are usually found on the ceilings of tunnels in coal mines. It's true--I've seen the pictures! 

La Cage Aux Needlepoint Canvas

Here's a shot of the needlepoint canvas "cage". You can sort of see that the sides are distorted where I folded it inwards and let the bag dry with the top edge under the fridge pack 'o Diet Cherry Coke. Am pretty sure the thing to do is disassemble the Cage, cover it with fabric, reassemble, then sew the whole thing into the bag. Somehow. 

Bag It!

Here's one of the several other things I've been working on: It's a small felted bag. Am I the only one whacky enough to do a seed stitch bottom on a felted bag? Besides Debbie Bliss, I mean.

The yarn? Two skeins of Knit Picks Wool O' The Andes in some kind of chocolate brown color. Usually I double strand stuff for felting, but this time I kept it single because I'm planning on lining the beauty. Since it's obviously time for my luck to change, I had exactly the right amount of yarn for the bag I wanted! Fortune favoring the foolish, eh?

It felted up to a very cool texture, kind of bumpy in the manner of a boiled wool jacket I used to have. Also, I made a sort of a wee cage thing out of needlepoint canvas to stretch the thing out on. I folded the sides in and stuck the top under one of those fridge packs of soda--it dried quite evenly. I'm going to use the same wee cage, covered in georgous fabric, to line the thing, and I've got some handles from JoAnne fabrics all set to be sewn on. Cross your fingers! 

More Meme.

Katherine's additions cracked me up, so I'm going with it...
Mine in bold:

A: Been in a vehicular chase with law enforcement
B: Driven a motorcycle
C: Made soap with lye
D: Backpacked for several days in the wilderness
E: Knit or sewn my own clothes
F: Kayaked
G: Pulled a fire alarm in a public building
H: Eaten a raw habenero chili pepper
I: Bailed someone out of jail
J: Mastered a musical instrument
K: Spray-painted or otherwise graffittied public property
L: Made my own shoes
M: Thrown a personal item of clothing onstage during a concert
N: Written poetry, bad or otherwise
O: Made doughnuts from scratch
P: Changed my mind about something I believed in passionately
Q: Walked out of my job, quitting on the spot
R: Jumped out of a moving car
S: Ridden in the trunk of a car
T: Drunk-dialed someone
U: Gone to a strip club or show
V: Eaten a whole pint of ice cream by myself
W: Jumped a train
X: Commited an act of civil disobedience
Y: Had a crush on my cousin
Z: Written a letter to a celebrity

I'm even lamer than I thought! What about you?

Anya's Knitting Basket

Here's a look at my sister Anya's knitting basket: Isn't she orgainzed? Anya's amazing. I "taught" her how to knit around a year and a half ago. She'd had the same lessons as me as a child, no further lessons, and still basically remembered how to knit and purl. Within ten minutes, she was off and running. She's a really busy woman (three kids and a full time career), so she doens't have as much time to knit as I do, but she enjoys it. And I really enjoy sharing my hobby with my sisters!

Next time: my sister Heidi's knitting bag, and the bag Heidi's knitting. 

Since You Asked...

In reply to comments, 'cause I'm the responsive type of blogger, and I LOVE YOU ALL:

• I used to speak fluent German--I was an AFS exchange student in high school. Over twenty years ago. Skills die off without practice, though; I wouldn't classify myself as fluent now. On a recent trip, I got by pretty well, especially with the kids.

• The Majoy Surgery was my C-section when Ian was born...Not too glamourous, but it is a huge incision. Well, he did weigh 8.5 lbs.

This meme made me look more interesting than I really am, didn't it? But, according to the list, I'm only 46% accomplished...That's an F, right ;-) Hope they grade on a curve!

The Meme Thing

Just so we can get to know each other a little better...

Mine are in bold.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cd's
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care
deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (every day)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

*$%#@(#!!!!!!!!!!!

And I'm out of $#*(@ yarn. According to my "rule of three" calculations, I'm going to run out of yarn around eight rows short. ACK!

I'm considering a) ripping the MotherTrucker out and throwing the yarn back down the basement stairs, b) continuing on, decreasing for the armholes as directed, but not increasing at the neck edge, and hoping that shortens the rows enough to squeak by and doesn't look completely stupid, or c) going on as directed as far as I can, shortening the back and right front to match, and re-knitting the bottom edge with a third yarn, maybe red? Then some red blanket--stitch edging and red ties to close it? Or maybe it won't really be too short for babies? And cropped sweaters are still in, right? And everything's cute if you slap it on a newborn, right?

fuckityfuckityfuckfuckfuck.

Let's all remember that I was only making this for fun, no intended recipient. And it's the process. OK, OK, I'm really not mad anymore. No, really. I mean it. Really. 

Is this the valuable one?

Here's the book I found in that random box in the basement. I wish I knew where I got it, but it was definately before we moved to Utah. The wee scrap of paper you see peeking out is the original sales reciept, dated October 17, 1990 at 11:52 am, from someplace called The Knitting Chamber, no city given. I wasn't buying any knitting books in 1990, so I'm thinking that eitherI bought it online from an Amazon reseller, or it's one of my late aunt Nancy's books. My uncle gave me all her books, needles, and supplies when we lost her to cancer last year. I still haven't really looked through all the stuff yet. It still makes me sad to open the boxes.

Anyway, it's a really cool book, and I'm thinking Ian needs a sweater with a cabled peace sign, or maybe a turtle. Wouldn't that be something? 

Impulse Knits

Aren't we all influenced by what friends are knitting? Or is it just me?

Here's my latest impulse knit: Mason Dixon's baby kimono. My sister Anya is visiting, and she was working one one. I was seduced by the cuteness.

I'm using some blue and white old Mission Falls Cotton from the basement; Anya bought a bag of Jo Sharp cotton at Stitches West in February. Anya's is garter; mine's stockingette, but striped b/c I had one skein of each color.

Am thinking of doing some blanket stitch edging and an I-cord tie... 

The Camera's Busted

So here's a written report of my Knitting Progress:

The Cambridge Jacket's lookin' good. The back's been done for a couple of weeks, and I've been working on the left and right fronts simultaneously. I did bind off the back, but I'm considering picking it out and ripping out a couple of rows, then reworking it for a three needle bindoff. Obviously I'd better think fast as I have to decide before the two fronts are done. On Margene's recommendation, I went ahead and bought Nancie Wiseman's finishing book. I think I'm in love, grrlfriends. All the directions are so clear! I feel very optimistic about the finishing now.

I've also been working on a small handbag, felted and brown with wooden handles and fabric lining. Last time I made a bag, I was way too insecure about my crap sewing skills to attempt to line the thing, but now I'm ready to have a go and see what happens.

Oh, and guess what I found in a box of photographs? Barbara Walker's third book of charted knitting patterns. It's like a gift from the Knitting Goddess, because I have absolutely no memory of purchasing this book! I must have bought it before moving last year, then shoved it in a box with room. I am stoked! I must have bought it at a used bookstore; mine's got a different cover than the Amazon link, a 1972 copyright, and no barcode.