American Idol? Give me Tina Fey

The Ogre watches American Idol, and his mom watches American Idol. Spinsanity wouldn't meet us at Fabrications because it was AI night.

(Fabrications Fun will be posted Monday-my camera is currently awol)

Due to these facts, I watched American Idol and like Simon, I only speak the truth.

Jesse-aka forehead girl-She's skinny. Where's Mama Cass when you need her to give her a ham sandwich? Wait, better yet, take that ham sandwich put it on her forehead. Or brush her eyebrows back to hide that thing. Dang, my forehead isn't that big is it? I'm gonna get me some bangs.

Adam Lambert-Community College rendition of a Mama Mia-esque Rolling Stones play. Wow.

Then I lost interest. See if you can give me names for these.

1. Bad gay cabaret.
2. Wait! Rick Fox is on American Idol?! I thought he was more Dancing with the Stars material.


Even the judges weren't safe from judging!

She's really mean for how not pretty she is.

That last statement could also be applied to me.

Which warranted this response from the Ogre "Hating other women doesn't make you a feminist, it just makes you a bitch."

Nicely played Ogre, nicely played.

It was like the Grand Prize Game

Spinsanity and I met up at this crazy circus like event.

YOUR LOCAL YARN SHOP'S

GRAND OPENING!!

Here's what greets you when you walk in.

Really, this was taken the moment I walked in. I tell you, the evil camera sure does help a person make an entrance!

I fell in love with these.

Sure, I've always loved shibui sock yarn, but did you check out that shawl? It's a $105 kit-the yarn included is silk and the pattern is not sold separately. I was sad. I knew Spinsanity was trying to distract me from my melancholy when she said "Oooh, something shiny!"

Ok, it wasn't actually shiny, it was in fact SPINNY!!

As part of the Grand Opening Celebration you spin the wheel and get a discount or prize or both.
I really wanted to land on 13. I ended up on 12.5. Sadly, the wheel fell to 12 and...I GOT A 20% off discount!! SWEEET!

Ok, 13 was a giant bag of cascade yarn and the wonderful wallaby pattern, but hey, I can spin again when I stop back in.

PLUS!!! When I checked out, I got a coupon for $5 off a skein of sock yarn and a free pattern.

Did I forget to mention cookies? The have free cookies and soda this week too. I love snacks.

How's that for awesome? Plus-this Sale goes on all week! Get in there before Saturday, Feb 28th!!!

Wait!! What's this? Why am I eating, AGAIN!


Oh, that's right. It was Grange Work day. Sure they call it work day, but it's actually a lot of fun.
Ok, I don't have any photos of the first job I did, but those toilets are sure sparkly now.

You know I knit, and I crochet, I just recently admitted to scrapbooking. But the one thing I will never do is...sew.
\

WAIT! I can't take on another hobby!!!

Oh those pesky knits

Remember last year, well, a little more than a year ago, the Dream in Colors Tulip baby sweater was all the rage?

Here's mine, finished January 2008.




Apparently, the baby I made it for is now bigger than a cat.



Which made me sad. I mean I know babies grow and all, but really Maeve is a big baby.

So, Maeve, I think I have this figured out, I'm knitting you another sweater. Same yarn, different pattern. You better not outgrow it so fast this time.

I'm finally going to admit it

I go do this thing one day a month with a group of ladies.

There's snacks, and treats, and laughing. At first I would lie to my friends and say we're just hanging out. But finally it was leaked that I was going to

SCRAPBOOK

I tried to act like I don't like it, and I never said that I actually was a scrapbooker. But now, I think I need to just admit I have a problem.





I was starting to take over Sarah's part of the table. I had even more supplies under the table. Plus, I was making fancy pages. I wasn't just throwing in pictures this time.


Plus we worked on making freebies for the March 14th Charity Scrapbook Retreat we're hosting. Yes, I was making borders, and using the big slicer and not complaining. Except when my cup ran dry.


You're telling me you've never seen how mixed drinks are made?

Mid Week Celebration

Why are we celebrating with brownies in the middle of the week?


Well, it starts with what arrived in the mail...


New shoes for the Ogre!!

Shoes, right. Not a big deal, why the brownies.

Have you ever seen an Ogre's feet? They're HUGE! Most professional basketball players are actually Ogres. It's really a great cover gig. They travel the country, make great money and are able to take care of the zombie problems in the big cities.

Shaq=Ogre. That's why he occasionally is found doing law work.

Back to the excitement. Ogre sized shoes are not often found locally, they have to be special ordered. Actually, in Pitch Forks and Torches-An Ogre's Plight it suggests the Ogre just go without shoes or in chilly climates find two small cows and well wear them.

Normal foot on the left

Ogre shoe on the right

Normal shoes

Ogre shoes



I mean two new pairs of shoes? Really, was it necessary? His current pair are from when he rolled a hobo and stole his shoes. So you buy them when you can find them.

Although, Orange is the new Pink

I'm still knitting away on the Lacy Cable Shrug. No photos, please. Actually it's beautiful, but it looks the same as it did before, only longer. Ok, maybe there is a spot where I wasn't paying attention, and why photo that?

When I'm done, you are going to be so jealous of how awesome I look in it and you'll want the pattern and the yarn. So, I'll save you all the trauma of searching for the pattern, just go, go now to Briar Rose Fibers!

Speaking of Briar Rose...I just got some gorgeous blue Sea Pearl!



It's merino and tencel lace weight. Can you believe it's not orange and green?

What will it become? Good question.

Knit on Tuesday? Only if you've got Reubens!!

Here we are at the Koffee Klutch in Galesburg again.


Wait!!! Knitting on a Tuesday? How did that insanity happen?




Well, it turns out some of us can't go a whole week without having one of Lu Ann's tasty Reuben Sandwiches.


Just look at that thing!


Is it tasty, is it juicy, is it mouth watering delicious? Yes, Precious, it is.


That guy from the Kalamazoo Gazette, you know the food guy William R. Wood, he really needs to check this thing out. It's the Best Reuben in Kalamazoo County, and possibly the state!

I also highly recommend the spicy Buffalo chicken sandwich.

Vinegary hot sauce, pepperjack cheese, and a jalapeno slice mixed in with the fresh lettuce and tomato. WAIT!! Maybe I should be the new Gazette Food person! I'm making myself hungry.

Oh wait, it's called the Koffee Klutch, so you probably want to hear about the coffee.

A full service menu of coffee drinks at very reasonable prices. The coffee is roasted to perfection without the bitter burned taste often passed off at pricey coffee shops. Lu Ann also makes one mean Chai Latte. Not as sweet a blend as you may be used to, but with more actual Chai Tea flavor.

Plus, the baked goods...The Ogre requests a scone be brought home every week, or don't bother coming home.

At no other coffee place do you get the personal attention, and genuine friendliness like at the

Koffee Klutch

2 West Michigan Ave.
Galesburg, Michigan
269-665-JAVA (5282)

Plus, the crafting great there. I swear, someone's always there to lend a helping hand with your latest knit, crochet or spinning project. Ok, maybe the crafters are really only there on most Thursdays and the occasional Tuesday, but really, that's a draw too.

Summer, I'm thinking about it

I've been trying to do this thing, for like 3 weeks now. No, nothing like that. I've been trying to get reservations-for this summer. Booked, booked, BOOKED!! It's not even like I'm trying to get a seat for a family of 5 at Cinderella's Castle.

No, I'm trying to get camping reservations.

No Fairy Godmother, no glass slippers, just a place to call camp when we aren't out wandering the wilds of the North.

But I'm watching you other campers. You're planning to go, you've hogged up the sites for 2 week periods, but when it comes down to it-you're going to cancel. When you do, I'll be there to take up the slack.

Kidneys and Tacos!

I originally intended to get this Kidney Kozy completed in one evening.



Turns out it took a week.

But that's 2 knit kozies done, plus this breaking news:

Home Grange in Calhoun County generously donated 10 lap robes!

Plus I hear the Dialysis unit over in Marshall is right across the street from Oye Amigos. Who says you can't drop off your Kidney Kozies and eat your tacos too?


Ah, yes, consumeristic greed, and at such a young age.

A bit of whine with your VD

I get that it's Valentine's day, and I actually did get presents-Thank you Dear Ogre, you know me so well.

But I was promised a pair of mittens in a mitten swap.

Look, I sent my swap partner her stuff.




But to the best of my knowledge, no one else has done any mitten swapping.

So, all that awesome you see up there, you'll never get that kind of thing from me future swap partner...because you all stink. No more swaps for me.

NOW-SEND ME MY MITTENS!!!

Holiday Snacks

Happy Friday the 13th! Ah, one of my favorite holidays.

Your telling me this isn't a holiday?

Then why did I spend all morning making snacks for Pig 1?


Oh, Valentine's day. I guess that's why he wanted the cucumbers cut into hearts.

No Fire!

So I've been doing this thing lately...Cooking!



Thanks for asking, but really it's been without flame or incident.



Oh, what kind of footwear does one wear with such a sassy apron and stripey shirt?

Floral sneakers of course.



Wow, it's a good thing the Ogre is color blind. I think it's got to help.

Sunshine on my Shoulder...

just makes me hate Michigan that much more.

I had to stop knitting, leave the house, be around other people and enjoy the nice weather. Did I mention taco bar? I had to endure the tasty goodness of taco bar too. Pure torture.

Now, back to knitting.

A little guilt, a little yarn-Kozy!!

Marty has one Kidney Kozy done.

I mean I could say:

Well, I've been keeping the world safe from zombie invasion! I'm making all those sweaters-how can I squeeze in a Kidney Kozy? I have three Pigs to raise, I don't have time.

But you know that just isn't my style. I got out the big yarn and the big needles and got to work.



I didn't say I worked very hard, I just said I got to work.

Inspired by the One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka the Yarn Harlot.
Here's the link to the original pattern.

I used me some Jiffy Thick and Quick yarn in classic Knit with Snot colors. I did notice that I interpreted the pattern wrong, so it really is inspired by. Yes, yes, I messed up a one row repeat. It adds that personal touch.

We got it, your brains are safe

That last zombie out in the field busted free Saturday morning around 4 am. It was promptly taken care of. Alright, maybe it was more around 7 am when it was taken care of, but I'm pretty sure it didn't get any brains in the hours between 4 and 7.

It was still really slow moving, so I let the Pigs take care of it.

Besides zombie slaying training with the Pigs, I've been using this thing.


No, not to slay zombies. To help me with the yarn I've been spinning...

I don't need weapons to fight zombies, I scare them away with my PJ's.

What's that?

You may be wondering what I was knitting in that previous post.

Tada!! Sweater number three for the"What was I thinking trying to knit 12 sweaters this year" group.



So, the Lacy Cable Shrug from Briar Rose Fibers, with their Fourth of July yarn. Please, really, be impressed, those are faux cables!

Oh, I really should check the Insanity 12 Sweaters group and see if shrugs count. They tend to go all willy nilly with the DISAGREE button over there. Like really, say what you mean, disagree tends to be a bit vauge.

ARGGGH!

Dear Knit Picks,

Thank you for making your Options Needles so cheap. It's great that I can afford to have needles in every size break right when I'm in the middle of a project.

Last week, the Harmony version was coming unglued.


This week, the plastic cables are coming undone from the metal connectors.


No, this isn't a great photo, because of the extreme frustration I was experiencing.

Again, thank you for being so cheap. I really makes knitting a joy.

Sincerely Irritated in Michigan

Zombies, Zombies, Everywhere...

I've got this one ruddy zombie out in the back field, and I can't get him. Now this may not seem like that big of a deal. But how would you feel waking up every morning looking out the back window and seeing a green flannel clad brain eater?

He's like horrible statuary. Frozen in a perpetual desire for brains. I haven't seen him move in a good 4 weeks, but sometimes on warm nights I swear I hear a faint "arrrrrr braiiiiiiins." It's kinda creepy.

So, why can't Holly the mighty zombie slayer "get" her zombie? Remember, he's in the field, and the snow's up to my waist.

I figure if I'm patient enough he'll start to thaw and start moving closer. But really, that flannel shirt is starting to wear me down.

Kidneys,,.can I get Brussel Sprouts with that?

So I've been working with the Southwest Michigan chapter of the National Kidney Foundation. You thought I just sat around and knit all the time? Ok, I do get up and leave the house sometimes.

What do I do? I offer witty remarks and eat free lunch at the planning meetings of course. No, really I guess I do offer witty remarks. But sometimes I have good ideas...ok the idea officially was Sarah's but, I pitched it to the committee.

We're having a

Charity Scrapbook Retreat
for the National Kidney Foundation
March 14th
10-4
Lighthouse Community Church
4321 S. 11th St
Kalamazoo, MI
Lunch Provided!! Hourly Prizes!!

(Space is limited-register now!! You can contact me here if you are interested)



This is the space we were checking out last night.



Here are Sarah and Katie dragging a table around while I took photos. Smart, right?

They wanted to know how many tables I thought would fit, and I said "why don't you use a table to measure." Witty remark turns into brilliant idea, and I got out of doing work. I did take photos, that is work. People base whole careers on photographs, they even have a name "photographer." See I was there in an official capacity.


After the location was deemed suitable, we continued our planning meeting at the Beacon Club.


Did I mention we are not the official National Kidney Foundation Walk Committee?

We're a splinter group-The National Kidney Foundation Walk Committee and Fun Group.

We're also in the works of setting up a
Charity Knit In
$5 at the door, lunch provided, and knit all day.

Like I said, in the works.

Oh, you want to join my sweet walk team because we are so rockin fun? Or donate cash?
Well, please, feel free:

2009 NKF of Michigan, Inc. - Southwest Michigan Kidney Walk

Date: May 31, 2009

Location: The Celery Flats

Our group "Little Carter's Ray of Sunshine"
Hope to see you there! (Really, we need help, the Plainwell National Honors Society kids are getting a team together, and we're challenging to a fundraiser show down.)

Knitting? Nothing stops the knitting. Plus I've got 12 sweaters to do in 12 months!

Here's the start of number 3


It's all Briar Rose Fibers all the time around here!

Fiber, Fluff, and...Gizzards?

Saturday was another day of Zombie Prom Date Knitters hitting the road!

River's Edge Weaving Studio hosted a Spin In and how could we resist? I mean, they have zombies to slay in Grand Ledge too, we had to help out.



There were new friends to meet, time to spin and knit in peace, and new fluff separation skills to try out.

No, really lift and separate. Actually, I don't know what I did but it was fun, and fluffy and it's making SWEET colors-like Noro. With my spinning it even has the signature thick and thin.

So many wheels! So much fluff!!


Even I couldn't resist trying to sell my wares.
(Photo that won't show up is supposed to be here)

Chocolate shaped like nephrons to support the National Kidney Foundation!

Check this monoloco:



MITTEN FORMS!!!!!

We couldn't resist getting them out of the felting kit they were in for a quick photo op. I thought just laminating a map of Michigan was sufficient, but actual mitten forms. Will wonders never cease?

Now friends, enemies, neighbors, fellow Roman Coke drinkers why don't we have a fiber in? Half the people who went to Grand Ledge were from...Kalamazoo or Calhoun County. We've already come up with a name. Ka-Ca Spinners. Fitting, no?

WAIT!! The fun didn't end in Grand Ledge for Al and I on our way through Potterville, we noticed two things that got us excited. One, a sign for Joe's Gizzard City. Two, a sign for Hastings. Ah, yes, what is exciting in Hastings.

Well, besides one of the few remaining Ponderosa's, there's The Lady Peddler. You know, The Lady Peddler! You see here at the Michigan Fiber Festival every year! She's also got a store at 142 E. State st, Hastings.

As you may have guessed, more yarn and fiber beat out the Gizzards this time. All I've got to say is, YOU missed out!