If you were looking for knitting content, you’d better pass on this entry.  I fell asleep in my chair early last night, earlier than usual.  I managed FOUR rows of knitting.  That leaves me with nothing to update.  There are a few other things that come to mind.

I’ve been at my desk all morning,  at work, getting stuff out of the way.  Not much headway has been made on the stacks of paperwork that surround me, but several eye strain rebate forms are ready for the mail and I’m finally up to the *call City Hall and talk to the mayor* $100.00 parking ticket.  If it isn’t paid in 14 days the fine doubles, in 28, it triples.  I have six trucks trying to park, everyday, in Providence, a city not really open to business.  When an economy is on the down turn, one would think that it would make sense to try to encourage business, not wipe out those that are left in the struggle.  Ah well…. that would be my take on it, apparently NOT that of the Mayor, and thus, the phone call.  In order to procrastinate just a bit longer, I’ll post.  First. 

Web / Blog stuff:

• Podcasts… there are more everyday.  Links to some of the knitting content podcasts are on my sidebar.  I love listening to them while I walk.  If I had a speaking voice and something to say, I’d be there.  What a terrific concept.  It’s like taking your Stitch and Bitch with you, wherever. 
• Then, there’s Pandora, if you haven’t tried it yet, go now.  It provides you with fantastic music selections,  picked to your specifications,  for your on the spot  moods, whenever.  Love it. 
• Thanks to Margene’s link to Lisa, and her link to this, I’ve got everything back in perspective.  Try it.

Hey, have a good weekend.  I’m going on an Antique Greenhouse tour.  Pictures are sure to follow.   Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this harbinger of spring… the water striders are back.  Saw this guy yesterday. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Last week I was taking pictures of ice.

My Mother always told me that as a kid, I’d join anything.  Maybe, maybe not.. but there are two new buttons on the side bar.  The first is the WIP Wipe-Out KAL button.  I saw this after I had decided to search out old projects  for completion earlier in the week.   On my way out the door Tuesday night, I remembered that the only project in my knitting bag was the Vine Lace Cardi.  I could have gone with it alone.  Vine Lace doesn’t take much concentration.  It has a four row pattern repeat and the first and third are basically a purl row, garter on each side.  Not much to worry about.  But, when a conversation gets involved, or projects are being passed around, it is nice to have something stockinette in hand.  Back to "on my way out the door".. I reached into a knitting bag I had dropped onto my pile o’ bags and voila!! a sock I had totally forgotten I’d started.  It was on two circs and the gusset was completed.  Perfect!  Here it is finished.  One more sock to go. 

The second button is the NEW Maryland Sheep & Wool 2006 poster. Once again, beautiful job guys.   So, who’s going?  Taking classes?? 

Knitting:  Because it was pointed out to me that my knitting was hidden at the end of yesterday’s post, today’s update will be first. .

• The Vine Lace Cardi is coming along.  I’m happy I swatched with the sleeve.  At the six inch mark or thereabouts, I was able to see how far off my gauge was, switch from the size small to a large and adjust the number of stitches the top of the sleeve would have had to accommodate another couple inches.   I’m not frogging the sleeve, it’ll work.  Changing the pattern around sounds like a much better idea.   Alpaca grows, as does the lace.  This will, by comparison, be a quick and fun knit.  (that better not have jinxed this project)  First sleeve… done!

Just sayin’… (Not knitting and things I’ve been meaning to ask)

• Spider Boy Sam (aka Sammy Scarface), the better I know him, the more I love him.  How could I not?  With Sam, everything is interesting, everything is fun.  Everyday brings something fresh, something new, something exciting.   Saturday, I looked out the window and saw him racing across the backyard to the clothes line where a corner of a sheet had started to blow dangerously close to the ground.  Sammy grabbed that corner in his mouth and pulled.  He almost had it off the line.  Turns out, an 8 lb. cat is no match for a  king size sheet.  Sammy has a ways to grow.  Every evening, Sam drags his rope over and places it at my feet for a game of fetch.  Do you think I should remind him, he’s a cat?   

• The part about the clothes line.. does anyone but myself, my sister and my Mom still hang clothes outdoors?  At least once a week I hang the bedding outside.  There’s nothing like the smell of sheets dried in the sun. 

• And breakfast, what do you eat?   There is so much talk about breakfast in the schools and how much better students perform when they eat well in the morning.  How about you?  I have oatmeal, every morning, all winter.  I make it from scratch, with a heaping tablespoon of ground in the coffee grinder flax seed mixed in.  I top it off with some sort of fruit and homemade yogurt.  Works for me. 

• Walking?  Do you?  I try to get my 3 miles in as many days as the weather allows, my criteria, of course.  Cold and or windy, must be sunny.  Warm days, wind and drizzle OK.   

• Dr. Who..  Who knew there were so many fans out there.   

And one more thing for those of you who attended SPA last month.  Did anyone find a little plastic zippered case, say 4 x6?   Inside it had a Panasonic camera battery (flat rectangular thing) and an SD card.  I called the hotel,  housekeeping says they didn’t find it.  Thanks.