For my own piece of mind...

Put needle into the stitch and knit, without removing it from the left needle. Stick it in the back and knit, then in the front and knit, then in the back and knit again. Take off stitch. Turn work. Yarn should be forward. Purl all four stitches. Turn work. Move first stitch, then second stitch to right needle. Then backwards stitch into them both. Then, knit the next two together on the left needle. Turn work. Purl the two together. Turn work. Purl stitch, then continue to knit in pattern.

Yeah, that didn't quite work. Go here instead: http://www.ehow.com/how_2284014_make-bobble-knitting.html

Sorry, thinking out loud here. I just wanted to get how I do bobbles down in writing somewhere for next time. I am so tired of watching You Tube eighty times to re-learn it. This truly is my most selfish post. :-)

~tm

My kntting stash

Early this morning Adam and I got up and had our usual Sunday morning tea together. Reading the newspaper I had a good laugh over the entertainment section, and then decided to start my day.

Except, I really didn't want to start my day at all. I just wanted to loaf around and do nothing. But time at home to do stuff is so limited in my life. I must do 'something' , so I decided to go through my needles and yarn stash.

Crap I own a lot of needles! Double crap with the amount of projects I have on the go that I am not getting to. The really pathetic part is that it LOOKS like I am hiding these half projects from myself. How weird is that I gotta ask??? Yes I suck, but back to the 'jects'.

I am calling lost projects 'jects' because that word reminds me of 're-jects', which is kinda what these projects had become.

I have Selbys 'Skully Shrug' that is, like, 70% done, yet I can't get back to it. Why? Cause I have the attention span of an acorn that's why. I need to buckle down and do the sucker, but nooooo it is just much easier to hide it from myself. Again with the hiding? What up wit dat? How can someone hide something from themselves? I could barely play hide-and-seek without cheating when I was little for chrissakes. Alright, I will make myself aware and I will not simply 'hide' anything again. I will finish it! Damn you skully shrug and your wee beady eyes!!

Ah, and then there is my 'Viking Hat' experiment. See, I did this really cute 'Viking Hat' sample that now sits upon the knightly head of Sir Norman the Bear. Upon placing said hat upon Sir Normans' head he thusly became 'Sir Norman, the Saxon'. Get it? Funny huh? No? Oh alright. Anywho, I have been reminded by more than a couple people that I need to make up some bigger ones for bigger heads. Like the giant German head of my lovah...

Enter the 'sock yarn'. Che-yeah....socks. The short row education, the turning of heels, the watching of Tina lose her marbles. Short rows are HARD man. I can't get it. I don't understand the directions, the pictures, the recipes, its all a dogs breakfast thank you. I will not be making socks anytime soon. I will watch my family go barefoot before I can figure heels out. Damn you short rows!!!! *fist waving in anger and raucous back-and-forthness*

Adams' French Press Cozy. Yeah, it's coming. So's Christmas.

In my stash I realized how much cotton yarn I had purchased for dishcloths. I best be getting back to knitting some of those suckers up eh? I have 'just' about forgotten how difficult I found the Loop Stitch to be. Much like how a woman almost forgets how extremely painful and life sucking child-birth is. I will probably start on those first because of the odd sadist gene I have.

But at the end of the day I am not tackling the Summer Tank Top. I refuse to start it yet. It's just not, I'm just not, the mojo just isn't there. *sigh* That fucker is my new white whale, and we all know how much I hate sharing the beach. ;-)

~tm

A post to cheer up a friend!

Sometimes when we are down, we need to have a friend remind us of a few basic truths. Truths about the world we live in. Truths about our lives. Truths that are sometimes life-altering. At the end of the day, sometimes these simple truths are just want we need to pick us up. These are for you Trés-Marie! Remember you are loved!

Triangular sandwiches taste better than square ones.
~ And the best egg sandwiches in the WORLD are the triangle ones at funeral homes. Yes I admit I am a freak, but go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. Ya can't!!!

Rummaging in an overgrown garden will always turn up a bouncy ball.
~ Or, you know, depending on the year of the memory, your panties.

The smaller the monkey the more it looks like it would kill you at the first given opportunity.
~ Fuck I hate monkeys.

People that hate cats will come back as dogs in their next life.
~ Amen

It takes balls to knit.
~ Uh che-YEAH. Knitting is NOT for the weak.

Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books.
~ I can count on one hand. And am blessed that it almost takes two. You have always made the switch, every single time.

A trip to Baskin Robbins can always cheer you up.
~ Thank you Debbi Gray for a story that, even 6 years after hearing it, makes me laugh my fool ass off!

Real friends will play the 'pick what you want on each page of the flyer' game with you no matter how shitty a mood they are in.
~ Well, except when they are feeling particularly 'FAWNCEE'. Then they just poo-poo the whole idea...in Nuremberg.

You know who your friends are by the way they stop eating, stop laughing, or even try to help you after you trip and fall over your pant leg.
~ oh dear, yeah, as a friend, I pretty much failed on that.

Lastly,

Never EVER EVER EVER leave a girl-friend hanging on a 'Sponge-Bob'.
~ Cause if you thought a sistah was sweet and demure before then, let her hang just once and she will rip your face off!



Get better soon Trés. Love you lots!
~tm

Playing Chess!

Chess is an interesting game. Also known as the ‘Game of Kings’, it is one of strategy, skill, and sleuth. It is not a game to be one-off’ed. A player must think three steps ahead in order to win. A competitor does best when she does not take anything, and especially her opponent, for granted. It takes forethought and planning. A constant evaluation of the pieces in order to best set up for the Checkmate is a must. War-like tactics are to be used, and play-by-play board re-assessment is mandatory in order to claim victory. Chess is a game of higher learning and above-average skill. So much so that this very fact has been known to make some people stop for a moment and ask…

‘This is a game that TINA likes?’

Yes I do! I dig Chess. I dig it cause it makes my brain hurt. I have to really THINK about what I am doing. No fucking around. Chess is important because it uses the parts of my brain that is often left to its own devices because I do not need to use it at work. I have to strategize and fake-out my opponent. A quick deek, a fast fake out, then hit’em hard baby-cakes. But the best part is that my goal in Chess is completely opposite to what it should be, thereby messing with my opponents strategy. I do not play to win, I play to not lose.

Actually this drives Adam a little crazy, with the crazy part being an unexpected added benefit to be sure. He plays to win. His play tactic is to hit hard, Castle his King quickly, and then beat the hell out of my side of the board with brute force. He protects as many men as possible whereas I am willing to block myself and force him to take some of my pieces without having it injure my pride.

While he is pondering the next three moves, I will occasionally admire the craftsmanship of my horsey. Sometimes I just sit back and think about ways to get a shinier, brighter, polish and sheen to the game board for the aesthetic value. Floor polish perhaps? How about beeswax? Oh the possibilities are endless.

This really drives Adam nutty, which again is an added bonus for me.

Right now I am currently trying to locate a nice Chess set with at least a 4 inch King, for under two hundred dollars. This is proving to be as hard as locating the grail. Right now we are using Adams grandfathers set. It is a really nice set but one I am not really comfortable with taking to an open-air park with permanent boards. The pieces have emotional and historical family value, if to no one else other than us. My hunt will continue. In the meantime I will be very happy playing Chess on the bedroom balcony, glass of wine in hand, watching the vein that pops out of Adams head when I do things contrary to what he thinks should happen.

Chess is so much fun!

~tm

Random weekend stuff

I had a very nice weekend! We had fam over Saturday night for 'Game Night'. We played 'Life' and 'Trivial Pursuit'. We ate a CRAP LOAD of munchie foods. I drank Marguritas. Then on Sunday, we spent the morning home. In the afternoon we went out for a little bit in order for Adam to buy a new batch of clothes for work (I pick the shirts and ties). His thinner bod is tired of the old fat clothes so a new wardrobe was in order. A good weekend indeed, hope yours was just as uneventful really.

Now, I thought I would come clean on a few knitting items and perhaps throw out a question to my knitting friends who read my puke for some advice. First off...the item I promised to show...the big green thing...

Yeah...that's it. It is pretty nice to cuddle up with, or so my sister told me Saturday night. I am pleased with the turnout. I did 3 rows of stockinette stitch and a YO 4th row to get the almost 'fisherman' look. My brother-in-law says it looks like 'Camo'. I guess that is okay too. Anyway, it's done, time to move on!!


I can't remember if I posted any golf socks. So if I didn't here is one being made. I am making a couple more for myself and will then prolly move on over to making some for my other golfing girlfriends. Oh yeah, I guess I tell tell you about them already, I vaguely remember being honest about the pom-pom maker. I am such a gadget tart. I like making them cause they are a quick one-off. The designs are optional and the sizes vary all over the place depending on how married you are to the size of needles and yarns suggested.


I am so digging the whole golfing thing. Adam and I are going to be golfing in a local SPCA tournament which will be my FIRST real, honest-to-goodness-trying-to-really-GOLF golfing event. We are playing at one of my most FAVOURITE courses so it is promising to be a great day. Hope to get my club socks done in time!


Lastly, I have a request: I am currently trying to make a cozy for Adams 'French Coffee Press'. I have to make a rectangle 11 inches wide by 5.5 inches high. Then I will be adding three buttons to hold it on tight. However, my rectangle looks like shit. My original cast-on looks like shit, my bind-off looks like shit, and granted I haven't blocked the piece yet, the whole thing is just a monumental disappointment. Any advice on this would be appreciated. Specifically to the shitty bind off...I mean, what the hell did I do? And, am I supposed to bind off in the stitch that I am stitching into? Meaning, do I bind off in K2 P2? I am lost I tells ya. In the meantime I think I am going to payoff my $25.00 late fee at the Library and get some 'back to basics' books to refresh and perhaps rejuvenate.


Oh, and just for the hellovit, here is a picture of Charlie Tuna. He is so sweet, and so dumb and, wait, I think we've been down this path before. I just want to kiss him. You will notice the Justin Timberlake scarf. Yeah that's right, 'Cha Tu' is bringing sexy back you know cause that is how we throw down in The Shire babies.


~tm