I've gone crazy. Completely crackers. Lost my mind. I'm an utter lunatic.
I've been bitten by the sock knitting bug.
Mum bought me a pretty spendy sock knitting book, a very comprehensive one that allows you to customize patterns and make socks to fit their recipient. I'm making a made-to-measure pair of socks for her as a 'thank you for buying me the book and look at how I'm using it' present. Actually, I'm feeling pretty guilty about blogging because I've only got one sock done and she leaves in 6 days - but I'm pretty sure I can get it finished in time.
Any-who, I'm mad for sock knitting and I've even taken to gradient-dyeing my own yarn (gradient dyeing is where you have colors that go from dark to light to lighter), with some very pretty results. It's much cheaper to buy bare yarn and then dye it yourself; I can get 400+ yards of bare yarn for $4, which is an absolute bargain. I paid $4 for 200 yards of the yarn I'm currently knitting with, and that's VERY cheap.
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There's a knitting superstition called 'The Curse of The Boyfriend Sweater' - it basically says that knitting a sweater for one's boyfriend is a guaranteed relationship killer; that he will have broken up with you before it's finished. I don't have a boyfriend, so I can't test the theory....but if I DID have a boyfriend, I'd be knitting him socks anyway. Manly socks in manly colors to keep his toes toasty when it gets cold. I haven't made D socks yet - matter of fact, I haven't made D anything. He doesn't want me to knit anything for him, he says he doesn't like the way it looks/feels. That kind of hurts my feelings.
Speaking of hurt feelings......he's hurt me pretty badly recently. He's been in a shitty mood for weeks, and I ran out of excuses for him after about 10 days of continuous grouchiness. Actually, it wasn't grouchiness, it was spiteful, viscious nastiness. Life was not pleasant for me last month.
He's gone away for a few weeks. I took him to the airport early Sunday morning. Usually I don't sleep well before he leaves (even if it's only for a few days) and I always, always shed at least a little tear when I have to say goodbye.
I slept like a log Saturday night and didn't even have moist eyes when kissed him goodbye and drove away.
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I never, ever thought that I'd be what is colloquially known in the UK as a 'Twitcher', but since I put both a bird seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder in my yard I've found myself running for the camera every time a new bird shows up.
Thus far I've seen a pair of Cardinals (that come back every day), numerous Purple Finches, an American Goldfinch, and Indigo Bunting (gorgeous, gorgeous bird) and sparrows and grackles galore. I've also got a handful of hummingbirds that come by every day to have some nectar from the feeder.
Pictures of all of the above are all forthcoming....
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Gracie knows how to do 'Shake-A-Paw' as a request for food now. Mum taught her in the space of a couple of days last week. Speaking of mum.....she leaves next Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to having to say goodbye, but I have (as suggested) made sure that she knows how I feel about her. Nothing has been left unsaid, and I can wave goodbye to her knowing that she's had a fantastic time here with me and the kids - it's been the vacation of a lifetime for her, she says.
That makes me happy.