The New Normal

Google has chosen, as many of you  already know, to not support Google+ anything on Blogger Blogs.  I have no idea why not, unless they intend to sell off Blogspot.com AGAIN, and just try to force everyone over to their Blog site.  The did this already with Picasa3, and so I'm trying to take that bit of past behavior and translate it to the newest move.

So, none of you who formerly came to this domain through Google+ can do so.  Also, you probably won't be seeing your blogspot blogs unless you go through the Old School subscription of Friend's connect, if they even support that anymore, or through Blogspot, or other feed engines like Feedly and Feedburner.

My note to you is that I'm getting PT for the shoulder, the thumb is back about 45%, and the eye gets the last of the plastic out of it on the Ides of March.  If I were Caesar, I would be worried.  I'm picking up my knitting tomorrow rather than just fondling the needles and caressing the yarns.

I will do the weekly memes, the no promises.  I'll try to read all of yours and post one myself.  Firstly, I will read yours with a certainty of purpose!  I've missed you..

Pineapple Tea Cosy links for the FREE KNITTED pattern...

I hunted this down and here it is..

There is both a PDF download and the pattern is written out on the page...

Tea and Craft Blogspot is a very nice blog...

https://teaandcraft.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-giant-pineapple-cosy-kal.html

Link to the PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_MO0cK8Qg7mYWJFTG83UWotU0U/edit


You might need Google drive to open the PD but I'm not sure.

People are selling photo copies of this pattern for $5 on the internet.   Other's have been complaining.  I don't blame them...

Have a happy week fellow knitters....

Some Knitting blah blah and a little yarn porn

Both of these Lana Grossa yarn gloves are done and I'm doing up the ends this afternoon on all the short fingered gloves.  An eye appointment looms.  I'm not thrilled because silver now looks white to me. 

Always remember:  The first Hundred years are the hardest. 😉

I never get second sock fever so I'm glad to say that immunity has stretched into the glove sets, too.  Happily!  The next ones will be of #3, which is a beautiful pinks, corals, and white variegation. 

This yarn, the rose, the knitting, the little insight...

This yarn did not please me.  It's just too harsh and having to knit these gloves on size 2 needles to make the gauge ended up creating a stiff and uncomfortable glove.  Even though pattern says that light DK is ok.  Maybe.. your mileage may be different. 

So, I'm not going to use this DK yarn and will also modify that pattern somewhat because it doesn't fit correctly.  I'll  be using Sport weight, which I will have to buy.  Oh Boo Hoo. 😕

Lol 🤣

See where that ribbing is hitting me? 

Over all, it's a very good pattern, but the hand above the ribbing is too short.  The thumb needs to be started a little more above the ribbing than just a couple of rows of stockinette place it.  It pulls the SF Glove slightly out of shape.  As is evident, from the preceding photo of it.  It was the first thing that the unfussy Mr. Z. pointed out.  My purl and knit rows don't differ at all, so it's not a loose and tight knit problem.

Also, I didn't like the way the gloves were so short and not at all like the first ones, which didn't rise up off the wrist the way this did.  So, I'll incorporate that pattern's thumb gusset into this one.

I did like VERY much the way the fingers were knit, i.e., picking up three stitches at the base of the previously knit finger, as well as casting on three at the other side, in a manner that completely eliminated any holes between fingers.  I may have this last a little backwards, but you get the idea.  It was completely clever in that regard.  I am happy that this is knitting to size but would never use DK on it again.  Fabric became too stiff. 

I'm working on the last Thursday 13 list items and it's going to get me where I want to be in the rest of the year.  I've been pretty flat out disappointed in the Deity for awhile.  It is worthless to argue and rant about it in a blog, but let's just say, I've had a crisis in Faith mostly because I was recovering myself, and then this 600 pound Ape man landed in the Oval Office.  I plan to out live the damage or at least be around long enough to help others do so.

There, I've said my bit.  The first hundred years are the hardest, I am told. 

You will all be happy to know that the Torts are all up and enjoying the weather and the sun..

This is little Dusty,
who is not allowed to roam around on his own.  

Now for something pretty.....

Sun Flare rose.
  This tiny florabunda has at least 50 rosebuds on it.

Speaking of Pretty.....I'd also like to say that I've come to like our new First Lady.  She's an Intelligent and kind person whom I can truly admire.

See you when I have something else to report on the knitting.  Take care and stay safe.

Newest project...

These are man's sized.  They are big on me. 

I'll always be thinking of you.  And it will be with great affection and love.. See you!  I just need a break from all social media for awhile.  The news agencies have figured out how to clog up my start pages with their stupid alarmist droning.  I'm sick to death of thinking about what I cannot control.  I can make these for cancer patients.  This is positive energy.. 

Tuesday Tails: Nat Geo, Wolfie update, and Knitting SFgloves.

If you don't have this bookmarked or aren't getting their feed, you are missing an incredible resource page.  This is one of the best I've ever seen as a classroom aide, for instance.  National Geographic is pretty terrific.

HERE is their page on Bird Migration in the Americas.....

Enjoy your time there, and be sure to listen to the bird song when it's offered.
This is an ACE page, this one.

There was going to be a link, here, to "One Strange Rock"


It's a new program on National Geographic's Channel, I presume, about mother earth and it's molten core.

We are close, geologically, to getting some pole flipping.  I wonder if the birds will be confused?

The Wolf:  Wolfie would like his fans to know that he is doing well, but that he's showing his age at times but still feels like he's just a puppy!

Here's a recent photo of my little snuggle bug.

Those big brown eyes say it ALL.. 

 He and some other doggies are having a grand old time on Instagram.  I wish he would talk more but things get lost in translation.  But those big brown eyes say it ALL.... they say, "Where's my treat!"

And, I've been busy knitting some short fingered gloves for Dominican Hospital.  The orange are for women, sized small, and the brown ones are a pattern from both Ravelry (and Pinterest) for a man's sized glove that I'm also going to be knitting

The brown gloves, to the right, are being knit with
 the green and white yarn

These with the indicated
green flecked white yarn in the snap  

X marks the yarn for these.  They are Small women's and
All knit, and with the ends woven in. 
They are DONE!

Hope you have a lovely week.  I may show up on Thursday with something.  However, any T13's lists are getting thin on the ground here...
Sorry gang!  I love you and still will read but may not participate this week.  We'll see!

Tea and (Questions) Sympathy.. Sunday stealing

This is from a questionnaire called "Tea and Q&A" that I found on SwapBot

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on the WTIT Blog with Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. You may have heard the expression, “honor among thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from, if possible. We also provide a link to the victim's questions in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from recently asked questions from a previously post. 

Cheers to all of us thieves!

Tea and Q&A

1. What is your middle name and what is a middle name you'd rather have instead? Why?

I have no middle name.  But when I married, I took my grandfather's surname as a middle name.  So I have the one I want to keep.  And it's because, outside of my husband, my grandfather was the best man I've ever had in my personal life.

2. How would you spend $1MM (you have to spend every penny!)
I'd buy two houses, or rather put down payments on two houses, in Santa Cruz for my family to live in.  And believe me, it would take every penny to do it.

3. Yellow light - speed up or slow down??
For me, it's slow down.  You never know, do you, what person going the other way may just want to jump the red light to green thingie, do you?

4. What was the last movie you saw and what did you like/dislike about it?
The last movie I saw was "Prometheus".  I like some futuristic Sci-Fi, and this was one I liked.
Leslie Theron played a lead.  She was great.  Just the right amount of valor to be annoying, and rather chicken livered at the same time.  I loved the mechanical man.  Dislike?  It borrowed from other Sci-Fi films and brazenly.  Whole sets it seems.

5. If a movie was made about you, who would portray you in that movie?
Since my life is a B movie, it would have to be some faded "has been".  Let's see..... 
Can't think of just who that might be...  certainly not Meryl  Streep.  But she's the one I'd like to have the job.

6. What is the strangest thing you've eaten and what did it taste like?
I once picked a tiny fruit thing off a cactus in the San Diego Cactus garden, bit into it expecting a sweet taste,  and it was HOTTER than the HOBS OF HELL.  Ouch!

7. What color is your bathroom?
Both of them are green but different shades.  It's a crime that a color my hubby cannot see is my favorite one to look at inside (and out of) a house. Six rooms and the outside are all shades of green.  

8. If you could vacation anywhere in the world RIGHT NOW, where would it be and why?
I'd go to the north pole with a group that operates an ecotourism to that area. Why?  Because it is disappearing, it's dying, and I'd like to see it before everything is gone.

9. What is your least favorite thing to cook?
I like baking the best.  I love to make bread ALL kinds of it.  I made all our bread until the twins were born, and then for special occasions after that,  for my family.  I used to make all our tortillas, though never corn ones.    

10. What is the dish you make that your family rolls their eyes at?
My kids liked everything I made, or so they told me.  But then, we had similar tastes and probably that accounts for it.

11. What are three things on your (kick) bucket list?
Number1 is to make a LOT (a literal TON) of short fingered gloves and booties for cancer patients.  Their hands and feet get so cold!  My daughter said, "forget the hats, there are plenty of hats, make those gloves you made me, and some booties."  She asked me to do this, and I set my heart and soul on accomplishing this with my stash.  I have nothing else on any bucket list anywhere.  I've become a total homebody.

12. How many skeins of yarn do you think you are currently hoarding?
About three of four hundred skeins.  I didn't count them up but there's a lot, and maybe likely there's even more.  I've given away a lot but now I'll knit them all up if I live long enough and don't go gaga.

13. Today is my birthday.  What virtual gift are you going to give me?
Since I can be a fairy godmother, I would give you happy dreams, and forever.

14. What is your favorite candy?
I love, LOVE chocolate covered nut candies.

15. What is your favorite time of the day and why?
I love sunrise.  I wish that I could see it on days that I've slept all night though.  And because?  Because it's beautiful, quiet and fresh...

16. If you could call in sick for a day, what would you do with the time?
I don't go to work, but if it's a day to do anything I want, I'd like to go bird watching.

17. How much did your last crafting run cost you?
I just bought two sets of 5 inch US5 Knitter's Pride Naturalz double pointed needles from WEBs for 17 bucks.  No local store had them.  What gives with that????

18. Can you play a musical instrument and if so, which one?
I used to play guitar, and now I try to play the Uke when I'm reminded that it's out there.....just waiting patiently for me to remember.... no, I don't sing along with it, just play it. My voice is now totally crappy.  

FROM THIS NUTTY PAGE

19. What is your least favorite craft that you still do? Why?
I never met a craft I didn't like.  Why?  Why would anyone waste time doing a craft they didn't like?  OH!  Here...  THE LINK  I found a site for people who hate crafting.. Moms no less.  She's a total NUT!


20. If you could have any job for just one day, what would it be and what would you do?
I'd like to take care of baby animals, especially the lemurs, at the zoo.  

If you'd like to see other answers or join in go HERE

Bits of knitting blah blah. And, wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day ...

Knitting short fingered gloves, and I found this marvelous video about joining yarn and solving problematic holes, too.  This technique is the closest to the one I learned many years ago when first making mittens for my older daughters.  It can be used to close the top and bottom gaps in the fingers, too.  Now, to get some 5 inch #5 double points!




What I'm knitting now.. It's a washable wool/acrylic blend and I'm making short fingered gloves for patients in the cancer ward at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.  I have a ton of yarn, and that's what I'll be doing.  Knitting it up....

Happy Valentine's Day y'all..

Wednesday Knitting - President Kennedy, and Happy Thanksgiving, to all....

I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  I am off for a bit to make more of these short fingered gloves, this time for the hospital... I might do the three weekend memes; you never know.

On a sad note:
Today is the anniversary of the day President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.  I meant to do an entire post, but I'll just say a few words about that day. 
It was a real Horror for the American people.  I still think there is much more to the story, maybe not what has been presented as such, but something that has not yet been fully disclosed.

"Something is rotten in the State of Denmark."
Kennedy was about to bring all the troops back from Vietnam, and he would have done it.  He was such a scholar that he could easily see that this was a civil war, and that we should have stayed out of it.  Time has proven him right.

Sock photo for Kwizgiver....

KwizGiver, you commented that you'd like to use up some left over balls of yarn...

This is a snap of some crazy socks made from the odd balls and remnants of skeins.  They are about four years old, I'm guessing.  Kwizgiver, you may already know of this use for Odd Balls of yarn, but it does make for some pretty and/or wack doodle socks.  I wear my odd sox with pride.

I'm sorting yarn and taking names.  I'm more nonplussed than I can say.

Oh well, back to lollygagging......

Friday Frogging: The Manly Beastly sweater

Yes, it's finally coming together.  But I've gotten that restlessness again.  Easter Sunday was pleasant with the in laws but it was also very enlightening.  From now on, I will take my knitting and put on my Zen "Cloak of Inscrutability".  I'm not fit to be in Human Company.  It's very tiresome.

The Manly-Beastly Aran Sweater.  Gorgeous, eh?

I've decided to frog back to the baseline and start again with these instructions. This should be in quotes but I couldn't find the original resource page again.  The next poster, a Guru of chart knitting, pronounced it correct.

Make this BIGGER

This is one of the comments on a web page about knitting from charts.  I think one thing is left out, namely this fact below:

The instructions should include that the chart be read from RIGHT to LEFT on the ODD numbered rows, and LEFT to RIGHT on EVEN numbered  rows.  Or else it's some other kind of Hocus Pocus.  

Wish me luck, please, because I'm going to need it!  I've used charts many a time but mostly never a sweater pattern where one must knit in the round for sanity, and then leap over into the flat into insanity.  ⇜😕⇝

I now need:
A. a nap
B. a new brain cell to rub against the one I've got left, or....
C. some chocolate.   *thinks about it*

Friday will be all about the knitting.  I'm saying this now to save you a trip or two into the dreaded "Knit Nut Zone".

The Thursday 1?

For all you history buffs

History of Knitting Pages

I couldn't do a whole Thursday 13 of favorite knitting pages at this time.
But, this seemed like a good start...

Let's do Tuesday Hats.... I really like this one. Interweave now owns it, drat!

I did find this blog though, while searching:

Olivia's Blog with a red cloche hat.

I love that little crocheted hat.  Sweet!


Darn it!  The one below will have to be purchased, I reckon.  This, because I'm lucky to have two brain cells that can find each other to chat at the moment.  I love this thing....

And this sweet little hat - sorry can't provide a picture of it, but it's lacy and just MADE for odd balls of Noro Yarn, many of which I do have.

It's at Mary Keenan's blog, Hugs for Your Head. and that is supposed to link but that sneaky Whelk of a Google has changed things. Let me see if I can defeat this Borg attack.

Winter Garden Hat---- well I tried. They have scotched up Blogspot yet again.

I have no words for how I feel about this asinine development. Well, there is that word. Asinine BUT I tried again, and it worked! I'm writing my Congresswomen!

Tuesday Tails....UpDated with different Hope for Paws. plus... a Knitting update?

The YouTube subscriber, that video from Hope for Paws, must have run into some sort of trouble and it's not available anymore.  So, a very territorial.. stay away from my body... type doggie gets rescued.

I'm not ready to declare my knitting gene dead or mutated yet.  However, I now know that simply putting  your knitting project in a nifty basket/ extra lovely Dear to your  heart Designer bag from the Gucci knock off store, or even a brown paper sack will not make you actually take it up and fondly knit.

I suggest taking it into your hands and holding it to keep those hands warm.  This also serves to let you know in your heart that this is halfway to it's purpose and just might work.  I'll do that tomorrow.

That web page had Google on the ropes for awhile, I think.  I'm still picking code out of my teeth but nailed it all.

Friday knitting, and a little human rights blah blah. The sleeve as of two days ago...

I'm hoping with blocking,
this sweater will turn out looking like a Champ

The cable got a little wonkie, but I just don't care.  And from this point there should be no more mistakes on the sleeves anyway.

I have a cold that is settling in my chest so I'm knitting more and taking it easy.  Knitting and thinking go hand in hand, so to speak.

I've gone from fretting very much about what's going on in the world (and thinking that an alert and active citizenry can right centuries of wrong doing by governments) to knowing, without any doubt, that things will change only when those with the power and the wealth want it to.  The rest of us are playthings, not even worthy enough for any explanation of why they are doing what they do.

As Disraeli said, "Don't apologize, Don't explain."  Well, nearly a century later, basically that's what we have, still.  They don't apologize, nor do they explain.  And that old fellow, Machiavelli, said centuries ago said something akin to, "The reason there will be no change is because the people who stand to lose from change have all the power."

What I don't like is that human rights, and the Ecology we all need to have healthy just to survive, have been rolled into that "political" ping pong ball.

 I will always be an Uppity Woman.

Just another Thursday...

I'll be sooooo glad when the weekend is over.

Maybe I'll knit, or maybe not.  But, I did get my arse out the door to visit my sister.  We always have a tech session, over lunch, about the beauties of the iPad and androids devices.  Sometimes we talk plants, which we are both heavily into, as well.

I'm taking a weekend off for sanity, and hopefully some knitting. I have been copying a TON of photos and photo shopping them, so that's that for the eyes for awhile.  

Pinterest

Now to upload all the photos to some cloud thinga somewhere.  No, Google, you are my second choice because you don't seem to give a rat's ass how carefully I put them into folders, or all of my mods.  ;p

Anyway, I anticipate that this will take the most time but the programs are smarter than I am, so I must respect them for that.  

  So far, this is what I would have shown you on Friday, which is a day I won't be on line.   

Unnatural light.. Shroom form

The aqua blue marker is a tiny
memorial from a friend's knit stash
This photo is in Natural light

And this little button, from the Wildlife Federation, is something I found while cleaning out a drawer.  Yes, it is getting done but glacially.  

The button might just be featured in the side bar as a linkable button at some later date.  I've been trying to clean up that side bar, and make things load faster.  

See you in a few!  Sorry to miss out on the meme fun but I need to attend to things around here in the worst way.

Knitting progress so far this week.

Friday seems like a good day for summing up the week, so I'll start with knitting.
I'm sorry for the disappearance of sweet friday5.  I liked that meme a lot.

Damn those Hackers!

And now for what all the knitters are waiting for, The KnittingNEWS:

I've had to wait a little to add more than four rows to the sleeve, but finally, yesterday, got the sleeve onto a 16" circular hat needle.  It's a bit harder on my hands but as the stitch count goes up in ensuing increases, it will get easier.  Or not....

After seeing this at onelaststitch.com I've decided not to be a sissy about it.

Fran's Ten Minute Rule is working fine for me.  Fran is one of our Knitter's Review Angels up in Heaven.  *Smiles up and waves to the Knitting Angels*

Back to the Aran...  though I fully intend to make one like this one day,

I'm only up to the first three cable crosses, using a larger than needed cable needle for the twelve stitch cross over, and a smaller one for the normal sixes- not because it's the right thing to do, but because I can't find the smaller ones.  I'll just wing it until I can get some more.  I'd show you "progress, but three rows on a sleeve that already looks like a tiny standing rib roast gone putrid, is not at all exciting.  It does look a little cuter because now it has a fringe.

As anyone with Fibromylgia knows, you can fool yourself part of the time, but not all the time so eventually you find all your "stuff". This happy event will, hopefully, happen before you've had to buy yet another whatchacallit.  But, after all, isn't that what 50% off coupons are for?

I've also cast on the Diamond Hat this afternoon, after a major search for the one multicolor yarn I wanted to start it with.  I've been moving the yarns around so much that the old bean can't keep up! But I've set that project aside until the sleeve pattern is embedded into my brain.  It seems like the right thing to do.

So, I totally do NOT have too much yarn!

And my Dears, Go ahead, eat those cookies.  I'm not keeping count.

From this blog called Books on the Nightstand

Hope you've enjoyed the ramble through the dismal wreckage of my mind.  It's going to be this way for the rest of my life, I reckon.  Anyway, Happy knitting and yes, eat those cookies.

Tuesday tales: saving street dogs, Wolfie, Tort report

Tuesday Tails:  First, a video of a saved street dog.  They save him and he fully recovers and plays.
This is where a lot of the Real Human Beings are, in animal welfare, rescuing and caring, 7/24.  We really can change things if enough of us "just do something".



Wolfie report: Wolfie met a little pooffy, ten year old  female Shizu on the trail the other day,  She was adorable, and she was the aggressor.  Wolfie may be becoming a true gentleman.  Anyway it was a shock to me, and to him.  She was adorable and maybe it's "gone to her head"  Just kidding.  I have a feeling they are both "only   dogs"

We went Geocaching yesterday, on a long gravel strewn trail which was a tad less than 3 tenths of a mile - Mr.Z thinks less- but my body tells me that all my step counting is right.  Next time I'm "booting up", taking a walking stick, and going bushwacking with my pedometer on and a pack on my back.
But this tiny, pretty shaped stone showed up along the way.  So, the day became a day of heart's ease.

Looking down, sometimes there's a nice surprise.

The knitting:
Those new  progress bars that I found are a great little bit of code.  I'm so happy with them.  If  "repeats" are created in their own Gadgets/widgets and customized they work great.  It's very easy to follow the directions at Lena's Frugal and Thankful's blog.  They will require some tweaking as the percentage goes up.  And......The bars don't seem to like anything less than 15 displayed but if you count the yarn and pattern search as 5% and the casting on as 10, you're there!  ;-)

I've done this before, with different bars, so no sweat, there.  It was foolish to blow away the widget for the Ravelry bars, but that's life.  Anyway, this is all easy stuff.  I only know enough Basic to get into trouble but this worked out well.  Fear not, you too can make them.  Wine afterwards though, to celebrate, eh?

Now to get some photo worthy progress made on the sleeve.  So far, I've done nothing but try to get stitch markers at the beginning of all of the seven patterns in the sequence.  Oh, one increase is now in.  I cannot WAIT to get this thing on a circular needle.  So far I've knit to the end of the ribbing and two rows of  garter, and it looks like a little green standing rib roast.  Windows ten blew away most of my pictures.
So, here's a hat I would like to make which is the one shown way back when.  In fact I'm going to make two.

No one wanted the machine knitting yarn so I'll experiment with it in making a few things.  Experimenting and using the neurons is good for a person.  I've found that a person can make some pretty amazing things with this thin yarn.

The Tort Report:  I'm about ready to give them all away.  For the half day that the last of my pink day lilies, the tiny ones, were not protected by a wire cage, the little herd  ate them clear to the ground.

The last of the tiny day lilies last week

Like petite, grazing cattle, they trim the under-story of the two roses, and eat everything, including cactus paddles, thorns and all from any cacti that cross their paths.  But, will they eat Lamb's Quarter or any other weed except mallow?  No, they will not!

Lucky, our first baby who is now bigger than his daddy

I do love them when they are babies.   Only a baby rabbit is cuter.

SOURCE

But a tortoise will eat a bromeliad right down to the base if  they aren't stopped.  Maybe I could be wicked and let them eat tomato plants. We have some, and the cage that protected the day lilies, now protects the tortoises from the deadly effects of a tomato plant's genes.

To help with the mood of the last two days, we watched, "The Shipping News"... again.  We're such Hell raisers in this house.

I wish you all a thoroughly complete Love Bombing!  Happy Tuesday!

Many Misc things.... friday5 seems to be trumped, knitting bar thinga, tiny bit o knitting blah blah

Someone finally forced friday5 down again.  I have my thoughts about who has done it, and why, but it's gone for now.  Such a nice place.  It was a weekly meme for 10 years.

New Bars in the side bar will come from HERE, a blog called Frugal and Thankful.  There are a lot of ads there though, so be aware.....

Anyway, the Ravelry bars were way too hard for me to wrangle though again, so I just said. Blegh! and went looking for some older ones that I once had.  Those I couldn't find, and looked into the one at Frugal and Thankful, instead.  This is much easier, and with some tweaking (you always have to change colors, widths,etc)  a person can make things work for themselves.  But, with these it was very easy.  They work with one of the sidebar gadgets from blogspot.  Lovely.  I'm pretty sure you can re-tweak the code to cover several knitting projects, also.  I'll try it and will let you know.

Nope, you have to put another gadget (widget) for each project.  Sorry folks!

I'm still sending pictures to the girls but had to take a day off yesterday due to a little dizziness because of inner ear problems.  But, dear ones, plan to be back photo wrangling later today.

knitting report.  With help from Karen, (Thank you!) I've now knit two rows of the pattern on the sleeve.  It looks like a funny little hat at the moment but when it's about four inches or so longer, whenever that is, I'll show it off.  Until then, read this if you can.  I'm still struggling and yes, I do intend to burn after reading.

The Buddlieas are all blooming and the one we thought was blue last year is now pink.  A well, it must be the gypsum or maybe the Epsom salt.  It's such a hassle to figure these things out.  But, I did want a pink, anyway, So Yay!  I'll try to get pics of the blooms.  It's not possible to transfer pictures to the computer any longer.  So, No new pics, sorry.  I'm depressed.

fixed

Now all we need is a Blue

African violet report: This violet is next. There are at least three plants in there.  Fingers are crossed that the techniques I learned for long necked recovery of African violets takes really well.  I'm jazzed!

The blue and white has survived the transplant, so far, but is much diminished.

Tuesday tearing hair out, Tales of woe over Ravelry Bars Day and Manly/Beastly Aran

A while ago, with super slow progress on the only open project I have going, I yanked the Ravelry bar off the side bar, just 86'd it.

Then, I decided to put it back in.  Well, apparently the Head code was gone as well as the Java script in the widget.  And, since Blogger's changed everything yet again(!) The head code probably doesn't even get recognized let alone executed.  Java scripts are soooo banned!

sighs*

I'm just going to forget the whole thing.  It's not the time in my life when I can be bothered with trifles.

So, suffice it to say that I'm knitting a sleeve and will update it periodically.  I've not seen a lot of patterns but this puppy takes the cake for being practically unreadable.  Unless you are an expert knitter, I'd stay away from this.  It has 6 different sizes jammed into the the thing, including two for women and at least 4 for men, and the resulting chaos in the pattern lines is "out of this world" crazy but do you.want too try it?
 http://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=1882&cid=17

Note:  They put a wedding ring on this hunk in the newer pictures.  Someone snagged him, Ladies.. Sorry!

Anyway,  this is the Manly/Beastly