Knitting: First pair of socks!

This is my very first pair of socks. I started them this winter when I took a sock-making class, but I missed a couple of classes. So, they remained unfinished in my knitting closet. I resolved to finish them this summer, and I did today. Yay!

One of the scary things about knitting socks is the kitchener stitch. However with good instructions, it's not so bad at all. First I visited, Knitty.com where I found a great tutorial. Then I found a great video tutorial on YouTube.

The way I did it was that I read and printed the tutorial. Then I watched the video to see it in action. I took it out to my couch, laid the directions next to me and went for it. Not so bad. I kind of got into chanting knit drop, perl stay, perl drop, knit stay. I'm glad nobody but the cats witnessed that silliness!

I knit these socks from tofutsies yarn. The finished product is really soft, but the yarn was a challenge to knit with as it was way too easy to split it. But that could also be my inexperience with knitting on small needles... Before this foray into sock knitting, the smallest needle I'd ever knit on was an 8! Now, I've used 5's a couple of times.

Are we really so rushed?

Last weekend, a friend of mine called me as she attempted to navigate the detour between Milwaukee and Madison. Getting here took several hours longer than it normally does. It gave her time to chat with me though.

Along the way, she had to stop for gas. Apparently, she took too much time at the gas pump after fueling her car. There were plenty of other gas pumps available, and since she drives a Toyota Camry, I'm guessing it was Regular Unleaded, not diesel.

A man was waiting for the pump she was using and got impatient with her. She turned to him and said, "If you didn't have such a stick up your a$$, you'd smile more often."

Want to know what he did next? He smiled. She's right afterall. What's the big hurry?

First of all, I love that she had the guts to say that. I just don't have the ability to say exactly what's on my mind in the moment like that. I would have probably only been able to muster a dirty look. It makes me wonder why are we in such a hurry? A few extra minutes at the pump just gives you a little bit longer to listen to the song on the radio/ipod/cd-player before having to turn off the car. If we slowed down, we could take a couple of minutes to use the restroom, get a soda, buy a candy bar or lottery tickets. Look at the other cars at the gas station. You just might see something really cool. One day, I saw a car in the grocery store parking lot that had crocheted seat covers. How awesome is that!

Photo courtesy of futureatlas.com Thank you!

Pumpkins vs Crown Vetch

The ground on the East side of my house is predominated by Crown Vetch. It's annoying because it spreads everywhere, and it looks really ugly in fall, spring, and winter. It's an invasive species too, so there's another reason not to like it. I thought I'd try planting some pumpkins among the crown vetch to see which vine would win. So I planted 8 pumpkin seedlings on the crown vetch hill. I planted two seedlings next to my driveway in case the crown vetch wins, I'd still get some pumpkins. I've heard that they are easy to grow, and that's what I need because I am gardening-challenged.

I went to the Fitchburg Farmer's Market yesterday and picked up some onion seedlings. I'm going to plant those and have some of my very own garden-grown onions. I'm quite excited, but I may have overdone it a bit. Since I have no faith in my ability to keep plants alive, I bought 55 of them. They were only ten cents a piece, so it was a good deal. So here's to hoping they grow!

Rainbow Fleece Farms was also there with some beautiful yarns and roving. I bought a needle-felting kit because it's something I've always wanted to try. The instructions were pretty clear, and it's a really simple thing to do! So far, I've needle felted a flower and a penguin. The only downside is that you have to be careful that you don't accidentally poke yourself with the needle.

Falcoon's lion cut

Here are before and after pictures of Falcoon's lion cut. He shed so much this spring that he developed some nasty matts. It was quite unpleasant for him, so we called in a groomer who gave him a lion cut. Craig thinks he looks "positively ridiculous." I think he's cute, but it's like looking at a different cat. I'm so used to seeing a cat with tons of fur. What surprises me most is how slender he is. He looked so big with all that fur!

Our other cats, Doc and Sid, are rather confused by Falcoon's new look, but I'm sure they'll get used to it. And I think most of all, he's going to be much cooler this summer. Today was 80 degrees, and he was acting so hot. Poor baby.

I'm Dreaming of a White... Easter?!

It's Easter, and it's snowing. There's still snow on the ground too. We've already broken a record. I don't know that we really need all that much more snow. Snow on Easter. I'm not sure if I can remember too many Easters when it's snowed, but then again, this year Easter is really early.

I *finally* finished my teal cotton sweater (see above) that I've been working on for what seems like forever! It felt really good to get it done. Of course, as I'm finishing it up, I had this terrible thought, "what if it doesn't fit?" All that work would be for naught! But I tried it on, and it fit nicely. I'm quite happy with it.

I knit with Plymouth's Fantasy Naturale, and I don't think it was a lot of fun to knit with! I kept splitting the yarn. And it was really slippery on metal needles, so I had to use bamboo needles, which meant that it took longer to knit. I'm just faster with metal.

Now, all I have to do is wait until it warms up so that I can actually wear something with short sleeves! I suppose I could just get impatient too and wear it over another shirt like I did in the picture.

Falcoon and the Fish

Falcoon is entertained by the goldfish. I'd just fed them, so they were being pretty active. I sure do wish I could somehow keep my fish from knocking over the decorations in the tank! It looks prettier when the decorations are actually standing up.

Easy Freezer Chicken

Craig and I eat a lot of chicken, primarily boneless, skinless chicken breasts. And really they are not that exciting. I am also always looking for ways to make cooking easier. So here's my method for making tasty chicken breasts.

1. Get a family-sized package of boneless skinless chicken breasts (not frozen - this is important)
2. Set out a bunch of freezer bags. For five breasts, I set out five bags.
3. Butterfly the breasts so you get two pieces of chicken and cut off the bits of fat. I figure that is approximately a portion for each person (there are only two of us).
4. Thouroughly coat the chicken pieces in spices. I use a variety of dry spices. But some of my favorites are Jerk and Rotisserie.
5. Put each butterflied and spiced breast in a bag, label it, and stick it in the freezer.
6. When the chicken freezes, the spices get sucked into the meat and embue it with flavor.

Now, when it's time to make dinner, you can pull a bag out of the freezer and cook the chicken. I typically use my George Foreman Grill for this, but in the summer, I'd use my gas grill. It's just too cold now to even consider outdoor grilling. You could also cook them in a pan with olive oil or Pam spray.

Last night, we had curry spiced chicken breasts with peas and rice. Very simple very tasty.