tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48623388657542386802011-10-24T08:02:27.279-07:00A wee place to find a good yarn.Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.comBlogger1991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-21414632604100629632011-10-24T07:58:00.001-07:002011-10-24T08:02:27.337-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry for two weeks of radio silence; I have been moving over to a new blog! From here on out, I will be blogging at Anti-Quotidian. I hope to "see" you there!

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-70762108443073887022011-10-10T08:48:00.000-07:002011-10-10T08:48:44.698-07:00

As soon as fall peeks around the corner, the first thing I want to knit is a hat. A little hat, to ward off the gentle morning chill and keep my ears from getting cold (oh, how I hate it when my ears are cold). In the Phoenix area, this reflex is perhaps maladaptive: last week's flirtation with 70s has been shoved aside this week for what I hope is the area's last fling with triple digits. But

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-64548812512255385462011-10-05T14:39:00.003-07:002011-10-05T14:39:30.569-07:00

Yesterday, a stiff south wind blew a storm through the valley. We got a nice, heavy soaking, and this morning the air was cool and clean. Fall is finally here, and it is glorious. _uacct = "UA-4598949-1"; urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-8836861253226224182011-10-03T08:19:00.003-07:002011-10-03T08:21:02.711-07:00

Knitting is happening. I swear it. I know; anyone who has been following along has been expecting a status report on my quest to Knit American, or at least, some evidence that I have been knitting, not just eating. &nbsp &nbspSo here is exhibit A: sleeves, knitted in New York City. They will eventually belong to an Owls sweater. The success of my Lyttelton has stoked my ambition to knit

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-69916574828220222052011-09-22T06:45:00.001-07:002011-09-22T06:46:19.228-07:00

I should have given you all fair warning that blog silence might be coming; I was positive I'd have time to blog on the road. Clearly not, so let's catch up a bit! Mousie and I traveled east, spending time in NYC and Ocean City, NJ. We saw knitbombing in Chelsea, took a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, drank lots and lots of coffee, saw Broadway shows on Broadway (!)

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-12208954699331375342011-09-09T07:58:00.003-07:002011-09-09T08:04:09.308-07:00

As summer's bounty starts to fade, the amount of iffy fruit in the fridge is rising. I seized on a smoothie as the perfect way to use up some of this waning produce without having to think to hard about how it looked in the package, and was really warming to the idea of a peach-raspberry-strawberry combo when I discovered we were out of yogurt.So I had to do some creative substitution. Oh, darn

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-51276749613252244282011-09-02T07:58:00.003-07:002011-09-02T08:04:33.475-07:00

This morning I woke up to rain. Oh frabjuous day! I needed this break from the heat, the sun, the muggy air, and more sun. Don't palm trees look nice against a backdrop of clouds? The morning had a very back-to-school feel: me, tromping through the rain with a fresh haircut, wearing stiff jeans and yet-to-be scuffed sneakers. Fingers crossed this the beginning of the end of a frumious

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-1219967036625103432011-08-31T08:03:00.004-07:002011-08-31T08:06:16.396-07:00

They say happiness can't be bought, but for the cost of peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips, I am pretty darn happy. _uacct = "UA-4598949-1"; urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-58295840584601261932011-08-29T08:04:00.003-07:002011-08-29T08:25:41.339-07:00

I am officially obsessed with my Vega beret. The project began with a bit of trepidation: first the mathy acrobatics involved in getting gauge. I always need to go up a needle size for everything (use a 6?), but ribbing is usually knitted on needles 1 size smaller than the body of the project (use a 5!), but the ribbing on Vega is rawther snug to begin with (5 not working!), so I ended up

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-55720806255398405262011-08-23T08:00:00.006-07:002011-08-23T08:20:59.087-07:00

After a break so short that I didn't even get to wash my backpack, we are back to school. Over the weekend, however, Querido and I spent the weekend in a place I never thought I'd go: Las Vegas. Mousie came along, too! (muchisimas gracias, Querido, for helping Mousie pose just about everywhere we went) The city was and was not at all like I expected. Expected: lots of people with little

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-5460530470562943212011-08-12T06:32:00.007-07:002011-08-12T09:03:32.338-07:00

I simply love getting things in the mail. (We've discussed this before). The anticipation, the package, the return address to someplace far away with a name that evokes far-off hills, and sheep, and people in sweaters wrapping bouncy skeins of wool in cream-colored places and sending it to the far corners of the country (in this case, Portland, ME) And then there's the opening. Yep, that's

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-77930054358715227022011-08-08T07:58:00.006-07:002011-08-08T08:09:18.649-07:00

The only issue I have with finishing a big project like Lyttelton Brown is that it leaves me without anything to knit. If this weekend had not been the death throes of the semester (aka finals), I might have gone stash diving, emptying out half the bags in the stash tote and flipping through my magazines until something clicked. Alack, that will have to wait. Looking for backup plans, I

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-61796573484898069092011-08-02T06:29:00.007-07:002011-08-02T14:54:14.038-07:00

This weekend, Querido y I retreated up north to escape the muggy heat of the Valley. I brought along the nearly-but-not-quite-finished Lyttelton Brown as my only light sweater.This was another opportunity to test my favorite sweater-finishing strategy: bring it along as the only sweater on a trip where I'm sure to need a sweater. Sure enough, the weather was deliciously cool and rainy, just the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-85603830295567873192011-07-19T08:00:00.004-07:002011-07-19T08:23:02.803-07:00

Look what's back on the needles: the Lyttelton that I started what feels like ages ago!My apologies to Kate Davies: I disregarded the instructions to backstitch the side seams together, opting instead to crochet them together. My logic was that the crochet seam would be just as firm as the backstitch, with the bonus of me having my sanity after its completion. And it worked!I am now happily on

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-40507771673038499112011-07-18T08:18:00.007-07:002011-07-18T09:33:42.185-07:00

Of late, there has been something about Mondays that necessitates wearing red shoes.Yes, with a green purse. Criticize not: it's a Namaste bag.These are not red shoes worn in a desperate attempt to make the week survivable, but red shoes worn in triumph, for I have conquered the festering mess that was my corner of the universe. Behold:Clean dog on clean rug next to comforter waiting to be put

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-69187046619061099402011-07-13T07:57:00.002-07:002011-07-13T08:06:22.182-07:00

1. My second Haruni, called Silver Leaves for the obvious reasons, is completed, blocked, and gifted.2. In spite of my ridiculous mistake, resulting in a border of single leaves where pairs should have been, it was a quick knit.3. Knitting the body was faster the second time around. The looped i-cord border was not.4. My room is still overflowing with yarn.5. I am knitting another shawl._uacct =

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-42341445429570232372011-06-27T08:04:00.003-07:002011-06-27T08:17:02.531-07:00

I have Fluevogs. Not quite sure how they have not yet made an appearance on the blog. I have wanted a pair for ages, and finally got the opportunity to visit a store at the end of last month. Time elapsed between browsing around chockablock shop and buying a happy-birthday-to-me gift: half an hour.These shoes are absolutely fabulous: comfortable, fun, and sturdy. They have not transformed me

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-58332668791137980162011-06-20T07:57:00.002-07:002011-06-20T08:10:50.000-07:00

Friday evening, I realized my knitting had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Where I should have been knitting pairs of lace leaves, I was knitting single leaves.*gnashes teeth*So--rather than dwell on a foolish mistake that is entirely my own fault, not the fault of a poorly written pattern, or uncooperative yarn, or any other uncontrollable factor, let's look at a pretty building!The

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-26336943898939673682011-06-15T10:04:00.005-07:002011-06-15T10:20:30.886-07:00

Confronted with loads of laceweight yarn, I have taken the only rational recourse and started knitting shawls.This is a new Haruni, in one of the *wince* three skeins of Silky Alpaca I picked up at So Much Yarn. The pattern is much more intuitive the second time around, and I am already halfway done!Seeing beautiful examples of Estonian-style shawls with nupps and Shetland lace made me seriously

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-27416014024282300722011-06-13T08:47:00.008-07:002011-06-13T12:31:39.769-07:00

With all this yarn, what am I knitting?The socks I began in Seattle are traveling around in my purse. In the past week or so, I've been lucky enough to see three movies and be the passenger on several long car trips, so these socks have gotten a lot of attention. Sock the first is finished, and sock the second is in the home stretch!(I need to practice my car photography skills)The yarn is

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-69039997236686078782011-06-07T07:55:00.007-07:002011-06-10T13:28:34.546-07:00

After coming home from Seattle with so much yarn from so much yarn, I had to get creative. The Dream in Color Smooshy has been stuffed in a bag is helping one of my purses keep its shape while being stored. Two of the skeins of Silky Alpaca Lace are in the process of fueling my shawl kick. In spite of that, there's no way the remaining skeins are going to fit in the Yarn Tote.And what do I

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-35141930814424692602011-06-03T06:37:00.007-07:002011-06-03T08:27:54.830-07:00

Good news: I am out of my knitty funk! The body of the neverending summer bolero is off the needles, and there are two new projects in the works and skimming along.Here's how it happened: Mousie and I, with Querido & Co., took a train tip. Oh, how I love trains. If the private shower wasn't in the same cubicle as the shower and the windows actually opened, they would be pure heaven. I brought

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-44670165264155308712011-05-13T16:49:00.003-07:002011-05-13T17:06:01.744-07:00

This has been a madly busy week. I have been running in circles, trying to catch up on a million things on this, my one week of summer break. But be it knitting, professional development, or writing, everything is in the same infuriating state of partial completion it was at the beginning of the week. Take my current knitting project: that photo was taken on Monday. I have been knitting on

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-28651037054992043362011-05-06T16:52:00.002-07:002011-05-06T17:04:02.689-07:00

On my commute, I am lucky that the bus comes off the highway well before the area around where I actually work. As it wends its way through the narrow streets one-way streets of downtown, I get to see some of the the best of the city before we swing west and traverse some of its worst.Tucked among the modern mid-century concrete, steel, and glass monoliths are some lovely old buildings (old for

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-25651496217589006482011-04-05T12:04:00.002-07:002011-04-05T12:11:32.382-07:00

That is how long it took me to complete my third Icarus.I am not sure how I managed to work Haruni--a pattern I'd never completed before--in a month, without a single setback, while this shawl--a pattern I know well--was one setback after the next. I will not ponder that one too deeply; I'm just glad it's done and I can move onto something new! Want to check out the specs? They're Raveled here

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-88030760911343331772011-04-01T08:43:00.005-07:002011-04-01T08:54:31.343-07:00

Jars of baby food, lined up behind the bench at the bus stop. I would've guessed that they were some sort of April Fool's prank, except they first appeared on Wednesday.First in a tidy row...Then Thursday, less so...And this morning, jumbled every-which-way...I have to wonder: why baby food? Why at my relatively little-used bus stop? Why all lined up? And will they be there Monday?_uacct = "

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-25224869583202808692011-03-30T08:05:00.004-07:002011-03-30T08:37:53.696-07:00

The past few weeks have been a time of transition. The desert is slowly unfolding from the dark coziness of winter. Days are righter earlier (although still not at my bus stop, the morning chill has less of a bite, and the flowers are still in full force (pictured above, my beloved Desert Bells). Blazing, unremitting sun and soul-crushing heat will come soon, but for now everything is so

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-4905419816315165792011-03-24T08:13:00.004-07:002011-03-24T09:16:58.675-07:00

Little news on the knitting front here; after finally untangling the Gorgonian Knot and skipping through Chart 3 of the Icarus' border, my skein decided to disintegrate & form another tangle. I hate the idea of breaking the yarn again to get this one out, so I'm trying to limp it along. It's slow going, to be sure.In other news:The aloes in our backyard are blooming, and this year we have not

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-66032667588364155542011-03-11T07:57:00.004-07:002011-03-11T08:05:10.842-07:00

1. The Plague is upon us (again). Above are orange buds, and among the natives I have counted cassia, brittlebush, creosote, fairy duster, and desert marigold in bloom, not to mention the California poppies & assorted other wildflowers. Sniffle, sniffle. Lovely.2. For the first time ever, I got a sunburn *in* the Valley. Monday was a delicious 76 degrees, but quite sunny. Seeing the Cubbies

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-63950810937274917332011-03-08T19:39:00.005-07:002011-03-08T19:47:29.184-07:00

Finished object!!!Quick specs: Pattern: Haruni, by Emily Ross.Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist FinoNeedles: Size 4 Takumi Clover circularFull details on RavelryThis project combined most of the things I love about lace: a basic, organic motif for the body, a bit of fancy for the edge, and *blocking*. I am enamored with blocking. You begin with something that looks like a crumpled flower petal…… soak

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-31645178926482248112011-02-28T09:17:00.001-07:002011-02-28T09:45:36.317-07:00

1. Eating Applesauce Cake2. Sitting on the couch with the dog3. Watching the wind blow in new weather_uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-67866832592494708122011-02-23T15:14:00.004-07:002011-02-23T15:19:42.300-07:00

I'm into the second chart & final of Haruni & I can't put it down. Being home sick is allowing me to indulge in my lace mania, but even if I was out & about I'd be tempted to sneak it out of my back & work one more repeat, then another, and another. There is something thrilling about switching from the soothing monotony (or boring repetition, depending on how fast you memorized the pattern) of

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-15136897619668278612011-02-18T08:38:00.002-07:002011-02-18T09:00:22.666-07:00

Walking back to the bus along Tyler Mall after volunteering yesterday, I discovered this timeline in sidewalk chalk, beginning with the Big Bang and chronicling the formation of the earth, the beginning of life, and the evolution of mammals. The whole thing stretched along the better part of Life Sciences, no mean feat as the building fills an entire block. It's random, geeky, playful things of

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-21508578824021501372011-02-07T09:29:00.002-07:002011-02-07T09:56:56.750-07:00

Monday again, and big surprise, I'm on the couch with the dog, my knitting, and a cup of coffee. And a tower of CD-Rs; this week's readings for my digital information class are all about short-term preservation risks and are sufficiently dire that I've been inspired to back up all my files. What's on your Monday to-do list?_uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-81586202536097554042011-02-04T09:59:00.005-07:002011-02-04T10:22:35.446-07:00

Tulip the Hedgehog came off the needles Wednesday afternoon--just in time, as I learned when I dropped her off with Pinky at the Children's Library. Her little recipient came into the world safe and sound that same day. Huzzah!Hedgie is the baby's (no tail to swallow, but lots and lots of nubby spikes to gnaw on), while Pinky will go to the Big Sister (who I think--hope--is past the toy-eating

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-52257612355350193842011-01-31T08:52:00.005-07:002011-01-31T10:27:38.158-07:00

This is a knitter's morning. The sky is dark and gloomy, sending down intermittent but steady showers of rain, and the air is cold. Not cold by the standards of anyone in the part of the country getting slammed with winter storms, but cold by the standards of those of us in a metropolitan area whose temperatures hovered in the low seventies all last week.Oooh!I am snuggled on the couch with the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-57206073233394678592011-01-25T07:25:00.003-07:002011-01-25T07:36:13.743-07:00

All winter, my bus stop (that's it above) is in complete shadow. Although today's high will be 70º, the forecast also tells me it will be in the low 40s when I go out to wait for my bus. Add the shade and a morning breeze, and I'm in for a brisk wait.But--come summer, that selfsame bus stop will be bathed in full sun from morning until night.I can assure you, the irony will not be lost on me as

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-85590737812047311572011-01-15T12:56:00.007-07:002011-01-15T14:00:16.985-07:00

(Jolty view from the bus window)After the snuggly, bakery-filled stasis of the holiday season, the year is getting rolling again. I have started the year with some volunteering at ASU. Traveling to ASU can only mean riding the bus, and that can only mean knitting on the bus.Woohoo!I'm coming out of a bonnet jag.The pattern, as you may have guessed, is HelloYarn's Top-Down Bonnet with Anime

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-43298785574860317422011-01-07T19:52:00.003-07:002011-01-07T20:08:05.010-07:00

I was bent on having a tablecloth for my graduation party. Finding some cute (inexpensive!) Ikea fabric was no problem, and thank Gawd it was just wide enough for the selvedges to serve as seams (our table is really long).But then there's arranging everything on the ironing board correctly so the weight of the fabric doesn't pull the tablecloth-in-progress out from under one as one attempts to

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-33159089481889311612011-01-04T09:06:00.002-07:002011-01-04T09:45:17.166-07:00

No series of unfortunate events diverted graduation, Christmas went by without a hitch, and New Year's has already zipped by--all of which is very hard for me to believe.The Powers that Be were feeling extra benevolent this season, though, because we even got several days of Serious Cold. Not just anything-below-70-feels-freezing cold, actual cold, with overnight frosts. Need I say I was in

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-12071306355387412612010-12-13T10:15:00.002-07:002010-12-13T10:19:43.674-07:00

Low-desert style. There seems to have been a small miscommunication about the appropriate holiday temperatures, but I have great hopes that will be rectified by the end of the week._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-56991926728130764392010-11-27T10:50:00.004-07:002010-11-27T11:09:19.283-07:00

Happy Things:1. This photo of my skein of Twisted Sisters yarn bought on absolute sale and modeled in my lucky tooth mug (won at a guess-how-many-teeth-on-the-table contest in my Dental Anthropology course) was chosen as one of the Ravelry images for the Avarice. As an amateur photographer who has a hit to miss ratio of about 1:24, getting Ravelry's seal of approval is pretty fabulous.2. The

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-8426409708550619602010-11-02T14:10:00.002-07:002010-11-02T14:13:42.016-07:00

_uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-6276587943848873472010-10-28T09:32:00.004-07:002010-10-28T09:43:18.226-07:00

Certainly took long enough. We're in for a few freakishly high highs before Halloween, but the mornings are cool, and on days when the clouds are obliging, one can get up at a reasonable hour and bike to the park for lunch and a new-shawl photo shoot.Pattern: Shetland Triangle, by Evelyn Clark.Yarn: Mountain Colors Twizzle in Ruby River_uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-73989463083163756552010-09-21T08:52:00.010-07:002010-09-21T10:57:43.986-07:00

I have this very sweet, courteous coworker. We only work together on Sundays, and every Sunday, he asks if I did anything exciting that week. Considering I'm in classes 40+ out of 52 weeks every year, my response usually requires a pretty liberal interpretation of "exciting." And yet he still asks--that is dedicated belief in the existence of exciting.This past week, what passed for exciting

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-71537101992322163932010-09-16T11:28:00.007-07:002010-09-16T12:19:25.293-07:00

Well, summer is still hanging on for dear life here, but fall has reclaimed the early mornings. The end must be near...I have not given in to the wooly shawl yet. Instead, inspired by the a) amigurumi of a crocheting classmate on Ravelry and b) a long-abiding desire to use up the last of the Rowan Calmer that gave me such trouble in Christmas 2007, I pulled out my copy of Amigurumi Knits and

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-53253937310629761752010-08-31T13:05:00.004-07:002010-08-31T13:27:26.452-07:00

It's that time of year again--while the rest of the country is savoring the last lingering days of their summer, I'm counting the hours until summer is over, done, and gone.School has started, and darkness is falling noticeably earlier, both of which are counts in fall's favor.But our cold water is still running lukewarm (from sitting in pipes outside), butter can be softened in an hour at room

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-22357455073166100412010-08-23T14:41:00.007-07:002010-08-23T15:25:30.112-07:00

One of the many things I love about blogging is the way you can cross paths with other bloggers in another state or another country without even meaning to.This summer, I became intrigued by the flora of the UK. As my springtime forays indicate, I am reasonably familiar with the plants that grow here in the Sonoran Desert, but most of the plants I saw in gardens and fields in the UK were total

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-68962837900506982542010-08-18T18:03:00.005-07:002010-08-19T15:48:36.641-07:00

Originally, I'd intended to do a proper summary of the rest of my month in the UK, but there was simply Too Much, all of which defies description. It was a month in another world entirely, and if it weren't for the scads of pictures I took, I'd be tempted to say it was all a dream. The best evidence of the sheer amount of living that was crammed into last month is in the pictures of the *two*

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-59022018465186348982010-08-16T10:53:00.003-07:002010-08-16T10:58:32.106-07:00

Back in the Valley of the Sun. I was gone so long, I feel like a tourist gawking at the wide streets, low buildings, and skinny palm trees for the first time._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-52254531991578346822010-07-15T02:40:00.008-07:002010-07-15T03:06:20.731-07:00

A knit tag, discovered en route to my beloved Konditor and Cook.We took some day trips over the last weekend, complete with handouts containing background info and thinking questions.You would not believe how hard it was to get a picture that would let me pretend I was alone in the middle of nowhere without a concession stand or car park in sight.I nearly added Mousie to the load while doing

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-89685312198291871412010-07-13T00:19:00.008-07:002010-07-13T00:33:59.608-07:00

Mousie and I have had a very busy week and a half: The Tube to the Barbican, with its funny above ground Tube stop--once to see the libraryAnd once to see a play (Nevermore)Running with petroglyph beasties at the British Museum on a proper field trip, on which we did not get lostWith just a little time for coffee breaks. It's a funny fing that there is no drip to be found in London--just

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-57015131607549483742010-07-11T09:26:00.004-07:002010-07-11T09:48:06.243-07:00

I finally got a picture. I've been too busy not to get run over by them to get a good picture of one in action, so here's a parked taxi Mousie and I found on our way to this place:You may have heard of it. By the grace of a stranger, we got a groundling ticket for the box office rate and got to stand right up front for King Henry IV, Part One. It was a fabulous show, enthusiastically performed

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-21647902479063438892010-07-09T22:43:00.003-07:002010-07-09T23:03:44.910-07:00

On Thursday, we visited the British Library, and by luck or fate, I found a copy of Neverwhere. I'd thought of that book when we were on the Circle Line (which actually makes a sort of curlicue shape) and passed the closed Blackfriars station, which features in the early part of Neverwhere.Then I remembered more of the story--how Richard comes to London from a small town, how he gets sore feet

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-12312655160217148192010-07-06T07:58:00.004-07:002010-07-06T08:24:02.223-07:00

After a solid day of taking pictures of architectural detail, I realized I had hardly any of the iconic British things--so here's a stab: Organic Wensleydale wool from Annie Sherburne!A building on either Fleet Street or the Strand, I can't remember which because we were sort of lost from the group at the time!A red telephone booth!Fish and chips from The Plough!No surprise, Mousie and I are in

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-42959636720174267202010-07-04T23:42:00.010-07:002010-07-05T00:01:12.783-07:00

Already, we've seen and done a ton, so here's a few quick things:My hair had a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact it's rawther humid, for one.But there's a lovely church with a garden next door to the dormitory...Where Mousie and I go to enjoy our Konditor and Cook.Yesterday we got a bit lost, but ended up finding a pretty little park...And the British Museum._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-353538467069665722010-07-02T13:54:00.002-07:002010-07-02T13:56:59.004-07:00

I am not thrilled with the bathroom, but Mousie likes the view._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-20118247799238029452010-06-30T08:02:00.006-07:002010-06-30T08:48:10.058-07:00

Big excitement: for months I have been plotting and planning to join a study abroad for Library and Information Science students. I kept it under wraps, because nothing is done until it's done, and I believe that fate can be tempted. But now that I'm 24 hours away from takeoff, I think it's safe to announce:I'm going to England for a month. (!!!)Thanks to an education that deemed world history

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-68497173198592371642010-06-28T10:48:00.004-07:002010-06-28T11:21:46.098-07:00

As usual, blog time is only an approximation of real time--although I'm just getting around to blogging it now, my Pimlico Shrug has been finished since Friday morning. But I love it! The yarn is soft and warm, and the pattern has struck the perfect balance between slouch and stylish, as promised. I had to tweak the collar a bit--the increases, as many Ravelers have noticed, create a funny

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-87098438653755858102010-06-16T08:02:00.007-07:002010-06-16T08:45:15.309-07:00

Here it is, the project I've been hinting at for a couple weeks now: the Pimlico Shrug.I'm knitting it with my Vermont Grand View Farm Romney. This year's share came at the end of May, complete with goodies as before, and I wasted no time getting started on my project!The Romney is a great yarn: two ply, with slight variations in thickness, and very wholesome and sheepy-scented. Up until now,

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-79792279199690884972010-06-06T13:16:00.013-07:002010-06-06T16:02:25.932-07:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled knit-talk for a post aboutBOOKS.Every summer and winter break, I reenter the real world, look around, see a book, and remember how much I love reading. Fiction, nonfiction, mystery, sci-fi, history, language--*gasp*. I love them all.The beauty of working in a library is that I can pick through a completely random assortment of books at will, but the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-78830964089121960952010-06-02T08:00:00.007-07:002010-06-02T15:31:42.643-07:00

When I said I was on a wooly wool kick, I meant it--my latest FO, as the temperatures begin pushing past 100 with depressing regularity, is a 100% merino pullover:The Lace Leaf Pullover!Started in a moment of possession by EZ, finished in a few days of marathon knitting, the Lace Leaf Cardigan is the latest installment of what is shaping up to be a line of sweaters that I've heavily modified/

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-71807491721222246122010-05-22T16:44:00.008-07:002010-05-22T17:37:57.603-07:00

Remember how my beloved PowerBook crashed a while back? I finally got the chance to take it in for data recovery, and lo--the very professional young fellows at MacMatters recovered all my data. They did a good job, and were both more courteous and endearing than the staff at the nearest Apple store. If you're in their service area, I highly recommend them! In other news, the temperatures

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-4297358762843108782010-05-16T10:28:00.003-07:002010-05-16T10:55:57.258-07:00

Hello all! I'm still here, still taking random pictures of flowers in my neighborhood like a crazy person. These yucca are in our yard, which mitigates the crazy factor.Classes are over, most of the grades are in, and now I just have to finish the many things that went unfinished during the semester. Topping the list are The Secret Life of Words, which I have been relishing with all the zeal I

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-53111559118065348572010-04-19T09:16:00.007-07:002010-04-19T10:32:51.857-07:00

Has anyone else been watching the saga of Eyjafjallajökull? I set NPR as my new homepage, and so for better or worse, I have been avidly tracking the news of the eruption and the resultant meteorological/transportation phenomena.Although the geology of the event is pretty cool in and of itself, I think the thing that's really got me hooked is consequences for humans. Businesses, schools,

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-61021995930316274342010-04-12T09:05:00.005-07:002010-04-12T09:34:53.079-07:00

That little message when I opened up the packet containing the instructions for my new MacBook Pro. I love it--your set-up booklet is not thrown in among packing peanuts, it comes in its own little sleeve tucked in a recessed section of the tray holding the computer in its box. And when you open it--a little assessment of the universe. That is what I love about Apple.So yes, my computer did

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-8659815300250711172010-04-07T10:19:00.004-07:002010-04-07T10:46:42.232-07:00

1. No pictures (mis apologias). I don't want to attempt rigging a 2nd camera to this computer, esp. just for another few days. And the iSight camera captures a most unappealing panorama of the most cluttered part of my room.2. According to the Fed Ex oder tracker, my new computer is on the delivery truck. Ohhh.... the guilt.3. I hope it comes after las hermanitas get back. Stella is

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-60490852285395136312010-04-05T09:43:00.006-07:002010-04-05T10:57:13.000-07:00

For such an eventful weekend, all I have to show you guys is one picture: That is also Event 1: I finished the Little Boy Cardigan, a.k.a. the Garter Ridge Cardigan from Little Badger Knitwear. That was my off-record project, which I finally finished last week, thank goodness. It's adorable, and the yarn I used (Sublime Extra Fine Merino Superwash) is beautifully crisp, but it was just one of

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-88202853828836424812010-03-30T08:30:00.005-07:002010-03-30T08:43:16.294-07:00

Everything, and I mean everything is blooming. I took a walk around the neighborhood and was amazed at all the different flowers I was able to find. Trees, succulents, wildflowers, you name it--all the plants are covered in flowers, and both perfume and pollen lie heavy on the air. Hello seasonal allergies!These little guys are not the culprits.These (non-native) orange blossoms are.As are

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-38665613554267773512010-03-23T10:13:00.003-07:002010-03-23T10:29:09.955-07:00

Last week was spring break. Although I value the restorative powers of a break and feel that at least one is essential in every semester, I take exception to the fact that over the course of a break, all the routine, momentum, and discipline that have taken eight weeks to get in place are irrevocably broken. Not unlike a size 2 needle that has been stuffed in a backpack that is then stuffed in

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-20956913778872629552010-03-04T15:17:00.008-07:002010-05-16T10:46:09.838-07:00

Saturday, I went for a hike with Hermanita. The day was damp and overcast--we got rain the next day--so all the leaves were at their best. Everything was so fresh and alive that I went a little crazy with the macro setting on my camera. We caught the little green fuzzies--I don't know what they are, but they have carpeted the mountain--in the act of blooming:There was the obligatory creosote..

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-51438559032852022992010-02-25T13:20:00.004-07:002010-02-25T13:30:15.178-07:00

I can't really call it procrastination when the end result is scones. Productive avoidance?Recipe: Cream Scones from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. My all-time favorite recipe--so easy and versatile. This batch has 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger inside, and I always brush the tops with butter and sprinkle on some turbinado before baking._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-79464497512732149512010-02-22T10:53:00.010-07:002010-02-22T11:22:43.886-07:00

A persistent rain kept me from a walk this morning, but I wouldn't trade it for all the sun of summer. It made hunkering down with a cup of coffee, the dog, and some Death Cab (perfect rain music) all the cozier.And knitting--can't forget the knitting. I retrieved the Lace Leaf Pullover from my knitting basket on Saturday when I ran out of yarn on my commissioned project (remind me to reveal

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-13961820113360767572010-02-15T10:48:00.006-07:002010-02-15T11:31:39.140-07:00

As promised, here is a photo of the mountain turning green. The bottommost layer is a fine fuzz of green grasses and wildflowers. Above that, the brush--bursage, brittle bush, and creosote--are all coming out with their leaves, filling in the space around the perennial spots of green, the cacti.Unfortunately, all this green is being helped along by a hot sun. I will (grudgingly) accept the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-91850564648885516562010-02-10T09:13:00.004-07:002010-02-10T10:09:27.767-07:00

I'd hoped to go for a hike this morning and bring you guys back pictures of the mountain turning green, chubby little quail puttering among shoots of grass and wildflowers that have sprouted from all our rains. The only thing is that it was supposed to rain today. Not a problem as far as keeping me inside--since our big storm, we've reverted to our pattern of little, short rains. But the deal

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-38103975015168369202010-02-01T15:05:00.007-07:002010-02-01T16:12:58.768-07:00

Well, it's Monday again, and guess what? I haven't gotten anything done. Clarification: I got in a hike (picture of the telegraph lines above the trail), and completed my correspondence--which would have gone better if it involved me in an Empire-waisted dress with and a writing desk, not me in a Skellington hoodie with Gmail and Safari dropping my wireless at every opportunity. Now, I am

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-48389456995248611182010-01-29T08:01:00.007-07:002010-01-29T16:08:17.933-07:00

Every semester, during the first few weeks, I reacquaint myself with my Method of Organization. I don't know how well they fit with the dictionary definition of organization, but for all its quirkiness, my method gets me through each semester more or less together.Rule 1: write down due dates the moment you get them. Preferably all in the same place, like a daily planner.Rule 2: whatever comes

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-86224929339106428652010-01-24T10:32:00.000-07:002010-01-24T10:32:31.433-07:00

After nine years, I've grown accustomed to the short periods when the weather, as in not sunny and hot, asserts itself in the desert. In the summer, it's monsoons, windstorms followed by thunderstorms, both of which are breathtaking displays of nature's brute force. There are monsoons in the winter, too, but these usually entail a couple weeks of intermittent showers, interspersed by our usual

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-72578793087635875302010-01-17T18:25:00.008-07:002010-01-18T11:45:12.260-07:00

This weekend, I had a spinning adventure with my new/old spinning wheel. What spinning wheel? The Ashford Traditional I found at an upscale thrift shop in the middle of last semester. As I was checking out, the guy at the counter asked me, "Are you going to use it?"Yes, my good sir, I just had to wait until finals were over (and the next round has yet to begin).I do know how draft on my drop

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-51549351132897979732010-01-12T18:20:00.010-07:002010-01-12T19:38:57.959-07:00

As a student, my year follows a slightly different cycle from the average person's. My "year" officially ends with the end of the fall semester, and while I certainly mark the new calendar year January 1, my "year" doesn't actually start until the start of the spring semester. In between is a short, blissful period of abandon. A period where I can do what I want, as I want, without

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-28283992913803688112009-12-24T13:19:00.003-07:002009-12-24T14:22:04.366-07:00

Merry Christmas (or winter holiday of choice) everyone! I did, in fact, survive the madness of finals. Las hermanitas y yo even had time to help with Christmas baking, too. The gingerbread chalet is the most photogenic of our efforts: Monita decorated the front, and I decorated the sides. Hermanita forbade both of us from icing the roof, which is not as unfair as one might suppose--Monita and

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-32202164485604797592009-12-12T15:11:00.003-07:002009-12-12T15:18:57.560-07:00

What do you guys think? I went in from the reader's end yesterday, and it knocked me over the head how much I dislike pastels (personal issue--they have their place, por ejemplo en suéteres de Hermanita, but not on my blog). So I changed my color scheme. Any thoughts on the new look?And yes, before you ask, I am totally having finals avoidance issues._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-37374086409188613832009-12-11T15:52:00.003-07:002009-12-11T16:12:35.205-07:00

I came out into the living room with the intention of continuing my punishment--I mean, finals--but Stella came and got into my lap before I had a chance to get my binder or my knitting, so another post it is.(Yes, I could just move the dog and get my stuff. But she's just so cute and contented up here. And my brain isn't working quite right for homework purposes.)Final the first has been sent

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-56458506056871677802009-12-09T09:18:00.004-07:002009-12-09T09:50:22.181-07:00

I liked that song when it was a radio song, but I came to absolutely love it when my Pandora started playing it and I learned the lyrics. The freckles in our eyes are mirror images... *sigh*That song has nothing to do with Week 16 of this or any semester, except for the title. Once madness starts, it begins to escalate, and reaches such great heights more quickly than any sane person could

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-72397224007771860532009-12-01T13:33:00.010-07:002009-12-01T14:17:00.495-07:00

Luckily, I have not had so abominable a Monday (or any day) since last posting. That's not to say all's roses and kittens in baskets, but definitely less abominable.As finals and the Christmas season barrel down on me simultaneously, I have had an epiphany about Christmas knitting. There are lots of divergent opinions out there: Laura of Cosmicpluto is doing some gifts this year, Ravelry's

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-10485307183104918332009-11-16T15:55:00.004-07:002009-11-16T16:14:48.063-07:00

I am fully aware that there is enough bad karma floating about in this world, and there will be even more tomorrow, and I don't need to add to the load, but I have been racking my brains for a week 13 post all day, and all that comes to mind is this:Today has been the nastiest in a long line of abominable Mondays. I don't know what it is about Mondays, but I have endured a long string of

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-55550164403785188642009-11-06T13:54:00.007-07:002009-11-06T17:35:26.002-07:00

For all I've been blogging about it, one would think I wasn't knitting at all. Au contraire, my dear readers.First came the Mousie. Knit out of small amounts of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight and my all-time-favorite stash yarn, Lamb's Pride Worsted for a little instant gratification, my Mousie got me thinking about my other stash yarn and the joy of knitting something for oneself.Not that I

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-6169407768599368562009-10-31T14:14:00.009-07:002009-10-31T21:13:35.519-07:00

Happy Halloween! Stella is barking with the force of a thousand Great Danes at small bands of smaller children who, quite clearly, are planning to invade our home, las Hermanitas are costuming for a party and door-answering, and I am planning on sitting down for a night of my favorite fall music and some knitting.Most people would agree that music has moods, but for me, music also has definite

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-65069239381156050072009-10-27T12:58:00.008-07:002009-10-27T13:29:57.068-07:00

...Because if this is week 10, that means I need to start working on some class projects.Moving on to happy thoughts: Sunday was Stella's Adoption Day!The day was nothing out of the ordinary--she threw up on my carpet at 5 in the morning, sat and watched Sunday Morning with us, the usual Sunday things--but it's so strange to think we've had her for a year. In that time, she has developed a

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-88019718578171494722009-10-20T08:02:00.010-07:002009-10-20T08:36:18.413-07:00

I was hard pressed to come up with a topic for this post. Lots o' projects and lots o' dry, precise writing (I can never be interesting and precise at the same time) does not make for good blog fodder. Enter Lolly. This blogger is always filled to brimming with excellent ideas that other knitters can get in on. Her latest idea is to revisit old knits, which was quite apropos, because the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-37364427238299080832009-10-12T07:34:00.007-07:002009-10-12T08:06:50.262-07:00

This is really terrible--one should not have to delurk on her own blog. But the weeks have been flicking past, and I cannot in good conscience leave my poor little blog (and readers) neglected. Last fall I did week-by-week updates, with success, so let's try that again this semester. Knitting--I had terrific success with my spate of baby knits. Baby Blue Ears and the coordinating

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-89022111800044702512009-09-22T09:42:00.003-07:002009-09-22T09:54:00.778-07:00

The first day of fall is here, and you can smell it in the blissfully cool air. Meaning you can smell the air, and things growing in it, as opposed to the smell of melting asphalt. We don't have any fall colors, per se, but I have a little collection of fallish pinecones on my desk, and I can still watch everyone else leap headfirst into the joys of fall knitting.How will you celebrate the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-30520282053753415452009-09-11T18:17:00.007-07:002009-09-11T18:42:39.004-07:00

1. The Red Scarf, a.k.a. the Movie Scarf, is in the mail. Yaaay!2. Pandora has tried to put Modest Mouse on my Death Cab station. Extermination is underway.3. Pictured drying beside it is my version of the Cisco baby bonnet: Baby Blue Ears. It's heavily influenced by the brilliant B r o o k l y n t w e e d, and modeled here by Stella. She is such a strange little dog--we can dress her up in

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-12847395341654483332009-09-08T10:31:00.005-07:002009-09-08T10:46:08.477-07:00

I love my Pandora account. I mean, songs played for free in their entirety--like Martha says, it's a good thing.Big however: there is some sort of quirk in the program that will on occasion cause it to take my feedback and absolutely blitz me with music from one particular artist. As a consequence, I will go from ambivalence to their work to utter blazing hatred. Case in point: for years, I

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-1748502546515251542009-08-29T07:53:00.009-07:002009-08-29T08:37:43.470-07:00

First week of grad school proper over, and I'm still here with what sanity I had to begin with. Such as it is.Whoo hoo!I like it, although this whole online classroom thing really weirds me out. Yes, I know, it's sort of like blogging. But still.One thing I've learned is that there comes a time where I have to pull the plug. When I had in person classes, they stuffed the students into the

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-82417700026406017182009-08-24T14:24:00.014-07:002009-08-25T11:37:46.373-07:00

Fall semester has started, and with a full load of classes, I feel like I'm officially a grad student. Ahhhhh! I went on a finishing-up and cleaning-up spree this past weekend. The cleaning went well, the projects not so much. The scarf above (crummy picture--I was home alone with my camera) is the only finished object I'm really happy with, so let's focus on that.I'm calling it my movie

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-83219626929474254232009-08-15T12:29:00.005-07:002009-08-15T13:15:29.953-07:00

I've taken my time getting this project finished, and then there was the usual trouble catching one of las hermanitas in a picture taking mood while the light was still decent. But! I have finished my Latvian socks, and I rawther adore them.Specs!Pattern: Latvian Socks, by the venerable Nancy Bush.Yarn: Rio de la Plata sock yarn, *just* under one skein in Seaweed Needles: Size 0, which are not

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-88542678000252493722009-08-02T08:47:00.003-07:002009-08-02T09:09:32.271-07:00

Not a whole lot of knitting is going on here. Most of my creative energy (not to mention time) is going towards the final project for my Preservation class:bookbinding!Never you fear--the socks I have been working on forever are in the home stretch, and a post just for them will come soon. In the meantime, how about a little media roundup?I have become mildly obsessed with The Postal Service's

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-87139905715154218622009-07-22T19:03:00.005-07:002009-07-26T16:45:43.491-07:00

A pictorial summary of my week thus far:I'm back in Tucson for another class. I've got the same room in the same door, and check it out--There's a crane under my window! Surprisingly, it's not near as loud as the much smaller earth moving vehicles.I really miss Stella._uacct = "UA-4598949-1";urchinTracker();(Bad placement of desk chair in background)A friend from class took me to see Sabino

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4862338865754238680.post-21114415282832676632009-07-17T08:06:00.011-07:002009-07-26T16:45:21.091-07:00

The sock is back on track! (Wouldn't it make a very nice mitt, too? Just throw in a space for the thumb to come out...)And here is the little beginning of a heel flap. I'm so excited to be getting to the exciting part of the sock. Not that I don't love the meditative nature of the leg and the foot, but working the heel and the gusset is always the part that I love to see working up for its

Wendolenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525155309586185163noreply@blogger.com0