Do you want to hear something funny?

I'm buying this car:

And starting in a vanpool on Monday. Yep. I am very bright.

Knitting! And Sewing!

Good gracious! And the worst pictures ever!*

The Purple Blob. I finished this just after last year's retreat and promptly decided it was too short and too boxy, so I ripped it back to the armholes, figured out a better rate of decrease (which is to say, I thought about it before I reknitted, unlike last time when I got to somewhere around my waist and totally faked it, which didn't work at all. I know. I'm surprised, too) and re-knitted. I finished it again at this year's retreat. And then bought new buttons because I totally winged the buttonholes and ended up with more holes than buttons. It's still a little short and boxy but I'm much happier with it. It is a basic top down cardigan following Barbara Walker's instructions in Knitting From the Top Down.

Tulip Skirt from the winter 2008 issue of Stitch (will they make this available for subscription?). I made one last year from a black rayon-linen blend (no picture, apparently), which I do not recommend as it feels nasty and pills. This is something called "weaver's cloth", I have no idea what that is (100% cotton from JoAnn's). I don't know. I want to like this skirt, but it may be too short and too poufy for me and I end up feeling like my rear end goes on forever. Maybe if the fabric has better drape and is a little longer? How many times will I sew this skirt before I admit that I am not 25 and thin as a rail? The color for the sweater in this picture is just right, though.

This is also from that issue of Stitch, but I don't remember what it is called. I have also made this one before, but I only took my waist measurement into account, forgetting completely about my hips. Hahaha! Let's pretend that one never existed. This is supposed to have horizontal pin tucks as well, but at some point early on I realized that was going to take 2 inches I didn't think I had to spare. I was right. This fits perfectly in the hips, the waist is a little big, but that is manageable.

*I've been playing with Blogger and headers and layouts for most of the afternoon (for work, not for me) and I'm a little loopy. Here is a sunflower, just because:

This and That

I want to get back to posting more than once a week, but I seem to be at a loss for words these days. It will get better, it has to.

I saw Where the Wild Things Are on Saturday with my mom, my sister Krista and her two kids (plus a friend of Mani's).



It was as beautiful as I had hoped it would be. One objection I've heard is that this isn't a movie for children, I find it hard to be objective, though, since it didn't seem that far off from my own childhood which was lonely, scary, occasionally dangerous, and often very fun.

We went shopping earlier in the day. Along with two blouses and a bunch of t-shirts, I found a great deal on this:

I've wanted a Professional 600 for a long time and now I have one! I want to go home and pet it right now!

On Sunday I dragged myself off the couch (quite difficult, I must say) and pulled out the rest of the garden: four stalks of Brussels Sprouts and a basketful of potatoes.

I didn't have Brussels Sprouts until I was an adult, since my dad hates them and he did the cooking. I love them, as does Len. There are four stalks in that picture. This was the first year we did potatoes, they worked out well, despite my having put them in late.

Completely gratuitous picture of Lizzy. It might have been my picture of the day, but she wouldn't look at me and then she ran over to bark at the neighbor's horses.

Health Care Costs

I don't know if you are following the health care debate, or if you even care (there are certainly plenty of things to get worked up about, I would think one could be forgiven for not getting worked up about this issue). I myself am alternately fascinated, appalled, confused and depressed by the whole mess. My opinion is as simple as this: I have really good health insurance, Len has no health insurance and I am at a loss to explain why I deserve to have health care and he does not (of course if a catastrophic event happened, he would have care, but it would bankrupt him).

However, no matter where you sit in the spectrum of opinion on this one, I highly recommend listening to this week's This American Life which explains the rising costs of health care. It is fascinating, appalling and depressing. But not confusing. More Is Less.

Also Ran

Unfortunately, I'm still feeling crummy, which has apparently dried up my usual witty drivel. Mostly I just want to complain. No, that isn't even true. I just want to take a nap. I did finally see the endocrinologist and there are a couple of solutions. Maybe, someday, I'll feel better. In the meantime, I am taking pictures and posting them at the other place. Here are some that I haven't posted there:

I love these fuchsia, they look so fake, like plastic flowers.

These colors shouldn't go together.

I really like grass seed heads.

Volunteer lettuce. This started growing out of our porch a couple of months ago, I haven't had the heart to take it out. It's so random, I have no idea how a seed could have gotten there.

365 Days of...

...something.

I've been seriously remiss at taking pictures this summer. I don't really know why besides an overwhelming lack of motivation. I'd been needing something to kick start me, and a few weeks ago I got one. My brother sent a link to a very large 365 Project (80 women post one picture a day). We talked briefly about taking on the project, but didn't really make a decision either way.

Today, I made a decision. I'm doing it. What do I have to lose, besides a little self respect? And he has decided to do it too. I finally made the decision when I found a blog called 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs. That is clearly more insane than one little picture a day.

I will be egging on my brother and posting pictures here.
He will be egging me on and posting pictures here.

Of course, I don't actually have my camera with me right now, and I am taking tomorrow off, so the fun (for me) starts Monday.