Through The Looking Glass

Working with homespun yarn is more difficult than storeboughten. The thickness of the yarn has fairly severe variation, from the width of a thick bit of thread to fatter than worsted. I had some difficulty judging size and some other frustrations along the way, but the yarn was gorgeous and the hat it made is well worth having doubled my time from the last hat.

I don’t think this picture (click for larger) really does justice to the yarn, which was spun by Joni several years ago (I cannot recall whether she dyed it or bought the wool already dyed). The crown is actually a vibrant burnt orange, absolutely stunning.

Boy, do I ever need to fix my eyebrows. And get a haircut. And wash my face.

1. A few people have asked, and of course you may use the graphics. If you are able to host them yourself that’s great, but if not go right ahead and direct link. I wouldn’t complain about getting a link back to my blog, but it’s not a requirement or anything.

2. If you didn’t get an award, it’s because you didn’t reply to the original thread (right here). If you still want one, leave a comment here (NOT on the original thread). There is virtually no chance whatsoever that it will happen in 2004, but you’ll get one eventually. I promise.

And I think that’s all! Unless there are any questions.

It is the 2004 awards, and it will be 2004 until 11:59 on Friday, so count this as a success. Please note that the variation in award decorations is entirely based upon how tired I was when I made the graphic.

Mindi is tiny. Teeny-tiny-teensy. I am not exactly huge, but certainly not as tiny as bitty little Min.

Or so I thought.

There is now conclusive evidence that we are roughly the same size. I present Exhibit A, a none-too-flattering photo (click for full size) of us together at Meghan’s house:

I admit that I was wrong. Just this once.

To make up for it, here is a picture of a clementine that looks like a butt. Oh my darlin’.

Remarkably, I have not yet given up on my career as a knitter (there should be a more glamourous word for that), but I have paused due to not having fat enough needles.

So I thought I would see if I can still crochet. And since I haven’t done anything but a single crochet in years and years and maybe decades, I thought I would just play around and allow myself to fuck up as much as possible and just see what I could do.

Well, I expect you’ll all hate me, because this is the result. No planning, no clue, and I got this:

I have learned to cast on. Maybe not correctly, but there are stitches on a needle, so I am not going to be fussy.

I already knew how to knit (the actual stitch) but the actual making something skill is still eluding me. I hold my yarn incorrectly, it would seem. But I am very good at ripping out stitches (FUN!) so I expect to have an abandoned half-finished project by the middle of the week.

Written a few days ago. Saved as Draft to be finished later. Didn’t bother finishing, because the main sentiment is expressed well enough already.

Will and I are like lovesick puppies. We discussed the matter today, and determined that we are equally smitten.

Not with each other (though that too) but with dear Eaf and Grr. We had a lovely group of people over yesterday for the tradition Christmas Mexican feast, and while both of us had a terrific time, we were privately bemoaning the absence of Jess and Heath. We very nearly called them, but Will was drunk and I was asleep on my feet and neither of us could remember how to work a telephone. So, um, merry Christmas, guys! You’ve been in Texas long enough, come back now.

For one day…

So far, so lovely.

In keeping with tradition, I made pizza last night, which Will, Jenn, and I devoured. After some prep for today’s cooking and some cleaning up, Will and I opened our gifts to each other. He gave me two gorgeous sets of PJs from Victoria’s Secret – a satin pair (this one, I think, in red) and a cotton pair for actual sleeping – as well as a satin robe (I didn’t find pictures of the robe and cotton PJs – will edit later if I find them). I gave him a banjo which has already become the Other Woman in our marriage. After gifts we got in bed and listened to Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. As per usual, I fell asleep sometime around the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Woke up early this morning, though not as early as Will, and we did stockings with our coffee. Will got me a calligraphy pen and ink and some little candies and BASEketball, my favorite comedy ever (Dodgeball is a very close second – I like sports movies where people get hurt). Having blown my wad (and his paycheck) on the banjo, I gave him a Pooh & Piglet card and some coupons for things like massages and other stuff that isn’t fit to print.

Then we opened our FAT LOOT. Or phat lute. Or something.

Will’s parents take the cake this year. Will received 11 DVDs, mainly of werewolf movies, including all three Ginger Snaps movies, as well as some other horror gems. He also got a few CDs. They gave me two gorgeous sweaters, which look so adorable on me that I will just have to post pictures later. They also sent several flour sack kitchen towels, which is exactly what I wanted. I know, I know. They sent more, including some cutesy stuff for both of us, but my head was spinning from the DVDs and I stopped paying attention.

Cassie gave me a cookbook I’ve been wanting for ages of Southeast Asian food and Stitch ‘n Bitch, so next time the kids come to visit I will be sure to join the knitting circle. Poor Heath and Will are going to have to play nicely with each other.

Jamie and Elliot sent me a cookbook and Will a…something. I don’t remember, but I know he liked it. We laughed hysterically when Will looked at the cookbook and realized that the author is a Buffy actor and was on the one and only episode of Heat Vision & Jack. (On Buffy he played Jenny’s uncle.)

John sent me one of Wil Wheaton’s books, and Heath and Jess gave me the other, autographed to the Queen of Pie. And John gave Will the DVD of Baz Luhrman’s La Boheme, which Will saw on TV years ago and loved.

Jenn’s gift is arriving at LAX on the 11th – she bought Darren a plane ticket to come see us.

Will’s sister and her fiance sent us the prettiest silver nutcracker salt and pepper shakers, polar bear cocktail picks and tin holiday plates. I like the plates so much that I am thinking of buying one of those hanging plate racks, which is something that only Grown Ups have.

I know I am probably forgetting something (we totally scored this year), but I’m sure I’ll post again later. Right now, though, I have to go check on the Mexican feast that is cooking downstairs.

Six months ago, we had a 19″ bubble television. This was replaced by a bad-ass 32″ flat screen.

Two days ago, we had the stereo system that I’ve owned for ten years. The receiver is as old as I am, or close to. It works perfectly, if stereo is your bag. Movies played through the speakers on the television, which are fairly powerful, but again, stereo.

As of this morning, the battle of Helm’s Deep* is playing in 5.1 Surround Sound in my living room. The same goes for all of our components, with the exception of the VCR (haven’t got the right cable) and the PS2 (not sure what the issue is, but I’ll fix it after Christmas).

HOLY CRAP.

I would like to state now, for the record, that Matty is my bestest friend in the entire universe. Dear Tyler and Casey, if you have to go to Community College, it is totally my fault. To make it up to you, I am issuing an open invitation to come over and watch movies any time. But none of that Barney crap.

*Sadly, even with the fabulous new sound system, the Uruks lost.

The other day we saw a sign that said something like “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I found it completely ridiculous, since I doubt that even the most staunch of atheists is going to go to the trouble to get the spelling changed. (Though Jess did point out that there is no Christ in Creesmoos, which I can’t spell at all.)

I am super-depressed that our friends are gone, so this won’t be much of an update. Suffice to say that I adored the ‘new’ people (not really new, just new in-person) and cried when Katherine left. No slight intended to anyone else – with Katherine, I know that it could be three years again before our next get-together. I mean, I doubt it, because I just won’t stand for it, but it was between our last two meetings. Heath and Jess could easily be our best friends. You know, the people that you just spend all of your time with because you get along so effortlessly. Will and Heath in particular clicked, to the point that we think they should team up as a comedy duo or something. And Mindi is at least as lovely in person as I thought she would be, which is pretty damn lovely (and I am not just talking about how pretty she is).

I won’t write about the people who stayed elsewhere yet, because there were a lot of them and I am tired, sore (horsies on Monday) and grumpy (see above, re: our friends leaving).

I can’t believe it is Christmas on Saturday. I hope Baby Jesus doesn’t mind if I am a little put out.

I have to go make my WD Secret Santa present now. I predict that it will be lame, particularly since I have Appendices to watch when I am finished with it.