5 is a delightful odd number

Suse led me to Bec, and as I haven't meme'd in a bit, this looked fun....

5 things I wish were in my freezer:

*A batch of my mom's homemade spaghetti sauce
(with extra garlic, please!)
*A Pepperidge Farm layer cake
*A Molson Goldon, approaching icy-ness
*ice cream sandwiches
*more of the halibut that Seth caught this summer
(I'm greedy, we still have some...)

5 things that shouldn't be in my wardrobe:

*The short black lace-up granny boots
that I used to go dancing in back in the 80's
(my redhead calls them my "polio boots")
*many sweaters that never see the light of day in our
overly temperate winters
*holey undies that crack up my 9-year-old girlie
*travel clothes from when Chico's was new and cool
*a pair of simple, low-heeled slides which I think are
really too narrow for my canoe-sized feet

5 things I hate about my car:
(this is tough--I love my old granny truck)

*no airbags
*broken tailgate
*eats batteries--new one like clockwork every year
*nowhere at all to put cups
*the exorbitant fee I must pay to register her
every two years-- $32! (heh-heh)

5 things I should throw out of my pack:

*melted crayons
*gum and mints that I don't like
*multitudinous cash register receipts
*used sticky-notes (mostly doodled on by the girlie)
*old aspirins and allergy pills

5 things that I don't want to admit are in my bathroom:

*hair
*a shower that should be declared by the EPA
to be unsafe for human use
*a Nora Roberts book
*a classic package of Band-Aids which will NEVER
be opened because they're in the tin box that they used
to sell them in when I was a girl
*wet wipes

Is there anyone out there reading this? If so, please consider yourself tagged! To quote from the wonderful Eva Ibbotsen in The Secret Of Platform 13,

"Play up and play the game!"

(Too much information about work and life in general and more photos to come this weekend, if I make it through Friday...)

Well, my passport IS up-to-date...

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

Good advice, now and always

Can you make it out?
















Look closely....
















Thanks to my redhead for taking and sharing the photos.

Love and peace to all.

The Party's Over...

Here is the doomed sock. The cuff is a bit wonky, I know I goofed up the short-row wraps on the heel, and looking at it now, I can see the little ladders from the placement of my needles. Love the yarn, but the pattern didn't work.







Marion did the honors of removing the needles....



And this is sans heel and foot....



Look! A Rockette-in-training! Naught but the cuff remains...



And here is the delightful yarn, happy to be restored to it's un-socked form, ready and rarin' to meet it's next challenge with me, Novice Sock Gal, at the needles.



With this sweet little face, we bring to a close the first-ever
"Why Not? Frog-Along". Thanks to everyone who participated and left comments--I'll try to track down everybody's work and link to each blog so that you can all enjoy each others unraveling!

Frog-along hops towards a finale....

Welcome jpknits! We're so happy you could join in.

Today's post will have to be a two-parter, as Flick'r can't seem to upload all my frogg-ariffic shots just now.





Know that I, Too, have frogged.

And it feels GOOD!!!

Photos pertinent to said frogging (including the finest handmaiden a knitter could ask for) will be posted ASAP, which will likely be later tonight if I'm not completely toast after my softball game.

Keep up the good work, and report in here when you've met your goal (or Waterloo...) I'll put together an Honor Roll at the end of the festivities.

Peekaboo!

This beautiful logo belongs to The Frog Capital of The World! As they were considerate enough to be hosting their Frog Festival at exactly the time I wanted a Frog-Along, please take a minute to pop in here and see what today's events are.













And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog,
where much frogging is already in progress...




I see you all out there......

I see Susan, who has reaped a large amount of yarn and lost some truly unusual pants (or at least part of pair of truly unusual pants...)

I see Della(all the way over in Dorset!) who has freed some beautiful yarn from a puzzling sock pattern...(mine will follow suit on the morrow).

Go for it, froggers!

And we're off!!!

YAY! The frogging has commenced!

Eva jump-started us (hee-hee) by revving up and re-working some great orange yarn.

Noo has joined and promises some frogging from across the pond! Welcome, Noo! Spiffing to have you here! (I lurve me them Brits...*sigh*)



For those not presently blessed with items waiting for the eve of destruction (which is tonight, coincidentally), we still are more than happy to have you here, cheering us on. Ya'll can have a tremendously valuable and much-sought-after Why Not? Rain Check, redeemable at some undisclosed future time when a hideous eyesore of a project is causing much furrowing of brows and growly "hmmmms..." and fretting and biting of lower lips as you ponder whether or not to rid yourself of said offensive item. When that fateful day dawns (and dawn it will, sister, as you know only too well,) draw upon that hidden reserve of strength, peer upon that horrendous creation, and RIP, BABY, RIP!!!

I'll even send you a real Why Not? Rain Check, iffen you want one....just let me know and email me your snail-mail address!

Heck, I might even do up some Certificates of Verified Frog-ation if you participants would like...the weekend is upon us, and I could likely whip some out...let me know!

Now go take evidentiary photos, pre- and post-, and show 'em off!

P.S. Go visit Siri for her wonderful blog--today, she's featuring two of the cutest tadpoles ever---and they're holding---wait for it--- a FROG!!

Time Warp

Does anyone else remember this?

Ah, wasted youth...whether the arcade took tokens or quarters, I willingly fed them into machine after machine....Space Invaders...Asteroids...and there was one called just plain "Frogs", but here it is.....

The incredibly appropriate game for all of us come this Friday.....

FROGGER!



But down to business....

Ok, here are the newest recruits...Jennifer and

(are you sitting down?)

Kay!

Yes, THAT Kay!

We gotcher real-life, published,co-authoress, hilarious celebrity knitter aboard!

I am a happy woman. Kay is one of the uber-funniest co-authors of both a book and a blog beknownst to humankind. (Her Ann ain't no slouch in the funny department, neither.)(And they're both crazed knitters, so I'm a-lookin' forward to peer in a most-nosy way at what might be frogged from the vicinity of Chez Mason-Dixon.)

Ok, step up, step up...who's next?

Grenouille du jour

Here are the participants of the Frog-Along to date:

(Besides me, that is...)

Mandella, Mindy, Angela, Eva, Emily, Martina, Carrie, and Susan (BTW Susan, the beauty of the three-day fest-o-rippin' is that one has time for NUMEROUS projects to be.....rewound, shall we say? Heh-heh...)

Thanks to all you loverly ladies for coming over to play.

Catch o' the day

Halibut Two Ways

My dear hubby caught a couple of halibut while we were in Alaska last month, and we just got them back in fillet form. Did up half in a yummy teriyaki sauce (Soy Vey from Trader Joe's) and the others done with an Almondine (Almandine?) recipe from my mother-in-law. Both yummy.
And there's more in the freezer!!




My Fisherman's Rib scarf, made with Noro Kujaku in color 5.
(What an inspired name, five...
doesn't it just conjure up images of a dreamy lakeside glen, or nymphs dancing in a forest clearing...)
  

 
  
Actually, I'm calling it my Northern Lights scarf. Firstly because I bought the yarn in Ketchikan at a very nice yarn and bead shop, and secondly, I think the little wrapped bits that make the colored loopies bring to mind the Aurora Borealis, even though I've never seen  those  beauties  in  person.
  

 
We here (that being me, myself, and I) are thrilled to report that a handful of you fab-o knitters have enthusiastically RSVP'd for the Frog-Along! The Blogging committee (see the list of "We", above) will soon make an attempt to show a roster of those delightful participants. If you've not yet signed up, there's plenty of time! Bring the kids! Make it a family event. You know, join in!

C'mon and Frog!

  
 Sorry about the duplication of the last post--let's us blame Blogger.

Thanks to Mandella and Angela for spreading the word! Come one, come all! Bring tadpoles and newts and let's have a jolly frog-in time!

Will try soon to get photos posted of an FO NOT to be frogged and something yummy.

Frog on a blog!

In honor of the socks which I have started and stalled upon,

And in conjunction with the Rayne, Louisiana Frog Festival, (but without their knowledge or consent)

I hereby decree that in this year of 2006, the dates

September 8, 9 and 10 will constitute the

First Annual Why Not? Frog-Along!

Please consider this your invitation to participate!!

* * * * * * * * * * *

The requirements are simple and few, and may be interpreted as loosely as you like.

1. Find an item, knitted, sewn, or otherwise crafted that you either cannot stand, cannot stand to finish, or are somehow dissatisfied or unhappy with.

2. Prior to or on the dates listed above, photograph your doomed item and post to your blog.

3. On the dates posted, FROG IT! (See, three available days, no real pressure)

4. At some time following the frogging, preferably before your wild fervor dies down, photograph the end result and again post.

As I am so lame I can barely post to my own blog, I cannot offer a button, but if someone wants to try to whip one up in the short time provided, run with it!

Please, please, please, PLEASE invite as many froggers to the party as you can! The more the merrier! I love a froggy chorus!

If you participate, please leave me a comment here so that we can all come and pat you on the back for bravery towards previously-intimidating projects.

Go thou, and plan to FROG!

 

Frog on a blog!

 In honor of the socks which I have started and stalled upon,

And in conjunction with the Rayne, Louisiana Frog Festival, (but without their knowledge or consent)

I hereby decree that in this year of 2006, the dates

September 8, 9 and 10 will constitute the

First Annual Why Not? Frog-Along!

Please consider this your invitation to participate!!

* * * * * * * * * * *

The requirements are simple and few, and may be interpreted as loosely as you like.

1. Find an item, knitted, sewn, or otherwise crafted that you either cannot stand, cannot stand to finish, or are somehow dissatisfied or unhappy with.

2. Prior to or on the dates listed above, photograph your doomed item and post to your blog.

3. On the dates posted, FROG IT! (See, three available days, no real pressure)

4. At some time following the frogging, preferably before your wild fervor dies down, photograph the end result and again post.

As I am so lame I can barely post to my own blog, I cannot offer a button, but if someone wants to try to whip one up in the short time provided, run with it!

Please, please, please, PLEASE invite as many froggers to the party as you can! The more the merrier! I love a froggy chorus!

If you participate, please leave me a comment here so that we can all come and pat you on the back for bravery towards previously-intimidating projects.

Go thou, and plan to FROG!

  

Look what I found!

No knitting, but click on it anyhow. Great fun for a Friday night!

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Look! Knitting! Don't faint...

This is a Mason-Dixon dishcloth in action; wielded by yours truly. It does a boffo job gathering crumbs and bits of broccoli from the table, scrubs the stovetop nicely, and can then be flung into the washer. Knit them and send them hither and yon--I am. Also plan to try some of Alison's entrelac--she'll tell you from whence they came iffen you take the time to find them on her blog. (Go. Print. Knit.)




Here it is, resting on it's grubby laurels. I love you, MD dishcloth! I do not shrink from forcing you into dirty situations, be they dribbles of apple cider or coffee grounds splattered across a cutting board. You are a workhorse, and your name is COTTON.




We spent the day doing some tidying-up on the patio. My redhead came into the house after starting the sprinklers out back this evening and said, "There's a blue thing stuck to a piece of cardboard with pins out there." This is his way of asking me why there is something cluttering up the now-tidy patio.

I replied, "It's being punished."

He asked no more questions, but began to cook dinner. Good man.
This will hopefully morph into a very cute birthday gift in the next 48 hours.
Arizona in August is a fabulous place to block wool, people.




And here is something else all in blue to warm your heart. She tried a new school for a week this summer, and decided it was for her. Now she's going there full-time, has already been warmly embraced and made welcome, has already been to the first birthday party for a classmate and is planning a sleep-over with another. We are SOOO happy, I can hardly contain myself. Go Marion!

Look! Photographs! Don't faint....

Here, at long last, is the photo of my birthday present from Marion.





In the interest of full disclosure, I am able to post photos using Opera instead of Internet Explorer. Blogger did try to tell me that, and I (grudgingly) apologize for not listening.

(Harrrumph.)

These are the additional Arizona sky shots for Sandy:


  
 

 
It's Friday. I have birthday wine (thanks Mom and Dad!), knitting to get to, and more photos to post very soon. This weekend, there is nothing that I HAVE to do, but lots of stuff I WANT to do. YAY! That's my idea of fun.

I hope everyone else has a wunnerful Saturday and Sunday.

Blogger is a liar

It says it's uploading your photos, but is it really?

That would be no.

Fine, I'm going now.

Skies for Sandy

There are others, but Blogger is again editing my posts. AAARRGGHH!

Now we are 44

Yesterday was delightful. Marion presented me with this treasure: a dish of stones, smooth shell bits and agates she found while beachcombing in Oregon:

(Blogger has posted half the photos I wanted--will add this one in as soon as Blogger pulls it's head from it's arse.)


We helped S with a job, got lots of yummy stuff to nosh and beautiful flowers at AJ's (posh local grocery),


then M and I wandered the thinning aisles of Craftmart (yes, 50% off now, but A) Heather was right, they've marked up so as not to go broke marking down, and B) only have novelty yarns left, so no yarn purchased) and I did get a few other crafty bits and bobs--







felting needles, fabric, rubber stamps, and this neat little guy:

















We went out for dinner with my in-laws and then had them over for birthday apple pie (a first for me--none of the cakes looked right) with amazing Italian gelato. Go there on the weekends for the pistachio and the Vesuvio. Mmmmmm.

Today, I got home from work and found a BIG package waiting for me....




I didn't have enough patience to take a picture before I opened it, but here's what was inside: 2 skeins of Mission Falls superwash Merino (YUM!), A couple of great-looking patterns, beautiful beads (which may find their way into something jewelry-ish made with wire and some of the agates Marion gave me), some sunflower seeds (package already opened and half-empty as of this writing), and some truly sumptuous bamboo yarn from Southwest Trading in a very earthy/sexy brown/green/blue colourway. All this courtesy of the superb Swim Mom herself--Thanks Mindy! You really have me pegged, lady!

Feed the blog, tuppence a bag...

Today I let the photos do the talking.
Details on the Flickr site, iffen 'ya like, so just click on the photo if you need to know.