In arrears

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Originally uploaded by steveknits

Part two! I don't know that I would ever wear this as a hat, but I know a friend of mine will appreciate this.

Sheep hat!

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Originally uploaded by steveknits

Phenomenal sheep hat I saw on Ravelry, and wait for shot two...

Bubble Tea and Shopping

I went shopping on Saturday with a friend and had my first bubble tea. I was really surprised that I like the tapioca ‘pearls’ in the bottom of the drink. Sort of gummy, chewy, and not much flavor themsevles, but they make the drink experience fun. Is this the same kind of tapioca that my mom used to make pudding when I was a kid? I never liked the stuff. Now I’ve come to appreciate tastes that aren’t just sicky sweet. I ordered a Jasmine milk tea with ‘pearls’ and was pleasantly surprised.
I also found some great shoes for work, pictured here. Kenneth Cole Reaction black leather flats. They remind me of ballet toe shoes. They are just a little tight at the ball of my foot (what shoes aren't) and so I think they'll break in nicely. I also found these grey mary janes in clearance with Mel's help. I seem to be growing up - look at the shoes I'm buying! I had actually entered the store to find some banana yellow flats, for fun fashion-y kicky summer looks. I LOVE the black flats, and just now I'm remembering why I thought I needed some brown shoes. Duh, I have a lot of brown clothes, and having brown shoes would make sense.

Maybe I can get back out to the store and buy the same shows in brown.

Musique

I think I have a new favorite painting. This is Musique by Gustav Klimt.

Patience.
Once again the pushy lady made it to the front of the bus line. When I see her coming down the block I groan, because I know that now I have to watch her pace and fume on the pavement until the bus arrives. Now she is putting on her makeup while riding the bus. Another one of my pet peeves.
It must be true that patience is a virtue.

52 Books in 52 Weeks

**Originally written 1/4/09, saved as draft, and forgotten**

Clicking around on Ravelry always gets me into trouble. I either add 2-5 knitting patterns to my project queue or I join a few forum groups. Right before Christmas I found a new group called 52 Books in 52 Weeks. Easy concept, right?

I have been using GoodReads to keep track of my books - what I'm reading, just finished, borrowed, lent out, and the oodles of books that I want to read in the future. I've just broken my to-read list into two - to read and to read someday. I probably need a third list - to read someday but probably never will as these books were all recommended by others and there is not enough time in the day to read them all.2009 Book List
I am starting my count as of December 15, 2008, since when I found out about this 52-books thing I was reading two books I really liked.

**Rest of entry written April 16, 2009**

Here is the list of books I have read cover to cover this year:

1. Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonello, Dec 30, 2008
2. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Jan 08, 2009
3. Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Feb 02, 2009
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling, Feb 02, 2009 - (reread)
5. Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Feb 20, 2009
6. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, Feb 23, 2009
7. Big Boned (Heather Wells, Book 3) by Meg Cabot, Feb 25, 2009
8. Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes, Mar 09, 2009 - (reread)
9. In the Merde for Love by Stephen Clarke, Mar 18, 2009
10. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, Mar 25, 2009 (audio)
11. Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman, Mar 30, 2009
12. He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt, Mar 30, 2009
13. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary, Mar 30, 2009
14. High Maintenance by Jennifer Belle, Apr 7, 2009

If you want to know what I'm reading now, check out
my 'currently-reading' shelf:

The Quest for Don Quixote

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

My review

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Each time I visit my parents I pick through their bookshelves to try and find the unabridged copy I know they have. When I was home for Thanksgiving in 2008, I found the book! I put it in the box I mailed to myself at home, and it never arrived. Today I decided that I am going to use my Borders coupon and buy and copy and start reading. Once and for all.


View all my reviews.

Knitting updates

I thought it was time for some knitting updates so here we go. I usually end up burying my thoughts on proejcts on various Ravelry pages, but this time I'm putting those comments in both places, since people seem to check here and not in the notes section.

***Disclaimer***
If pigs start flying and the people these things are intended for actually visit my blog, tough.

Berry Baby Hat
Started March 18, Finished April 6, 2009 for Tom and Emily's babe (maybe).
Not doing the weird knot thing at the top but just having a straight up stem. Finished except for binding off the stem and weaving in ends and blocking. Yay! This worked up pretty fast, so I might make some more. Though really - what colors are for boys? I had made this for a boy originally but a friend said that if it was for her that she wouldn’t have put her baby boy in a hot pink raspberry hat. Eh. Do I give it to them anyway? It's really cute, and they're not ones to only dress their boy in blue, but raspberry? It's progressive, right?

Baby Comfy Kimono Sweater
Started July 13, 2008 (before a baby was in sight) for Tom and Emily's babe.
I need to make one more front panel, then stitch it all together. The baby shower is on April 26, three weeks away. I need to mail the sweater and hat to a friend in order to get the gifts there in time since I will not be able to go to the shower.

Baby Blanket
Started Feb 3, 2009 for Ayondela's babe.
I've been working on this for two months now and it measures 23-24 inches. It needs to be 30-36 inches before I can start decreasing. If I fudge it a little. Am I ever going to finish this thing? I'm supposed to have it done by the baby shower May 9. Granted, I've also made a cowl and berry hat from start to finish, and worked on the baby sweater, but still - this project was supposed to be fast and easy. Why oh why didn't I use larger needles???

Oh, and there's one other project that I have in mind as a gift this year. I don't know if there's enough time to make it, if I have the skill to make it, or if I will lose my mind. I've already bought the yarn for this project and found an insanely complicated lace pattern. I don't think I'll even be able to touch it until May. Maybe I should reconsider...

Snoozing in the wings...
Babette blanket and Irish hiking scarf. These two fill in the gaps when I don't have other pressing projects, though I've had pressing projects since November. Oops!