Category Archives: Randonymity

Randonymity

Birthday recap

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Wow. You guys rock!! I am completely overwhelmed by all the wonderful adivce and birthday wishes I’ve been receiving in my contest! You still have plenty of time to enter if you haven’t already.

Some fun birthday things – I got two flourless chocolate birthday cakes! Must be living right. 😉 Jeanne made the first, using our traditional recipe. My dad picked up the second at Whole Foods:

Many thanks to both of you! Mmmmm….

Last week, I mentioned my early knitting birthday party (for which Jeanne made the tasty cake) and promised pictures.. From Deb, enough ArtYarns for two pairs of cushy socks and Knitting for Peace (so wonderfully inscribed from her that I almost started to cry!):

“This is nice yarn, Mom, but please don’t knit me any socks. I don’t think that would make me feel more peaceful.” – M.

Jeanne gave me a very funny card (“Pictured here is 12-year old champion diver, Cleo Jones. Despite her age, Cleo has never abandoned her dream of ‘going for the gold.'”), a cute sheep bookmark, some yarn she dyed to make narrow black and purple stripes (be still my heart!!), and, um, some bedraggled gag yarn. This yarn goes back and forth between us…

“Shit.” – C.

Jeanne also made me these fabulous personalized magnets using pictures of Chaos and May from my blog!! (Sorry, these were very difficult to photograph.) I love magnets… someday I’ll do a little photoshoot of the front of my fridge.

And all the way from the UK, Mrs Pao and Pao sent another funny card (“Louis couldn’t wait to be an air hostess” – remember the sock monkey dress?!), elusive black Regia Silk (she had to get it directly from Germany!), and tasty treats (I can neither confirm nor deny that amazingly delicious rice crackers covered with dark chocolate were also included).

“Mom, how come my cat food isn’t this colorful and fun?” – M.

Mrs Pao also included presents for Chaos and May! On the right is “buzzy mouse” – you pull his tail and he buzzes around on the floor while his tail contracts back. On the left is “snacky mouse” – you stick a few cat treats into it to distract the cats when they’re getting pesky.

“She must be talking about you, May, because I am the very feline of upstanding behavior and am never ‘pesky.'” – C.

My heartfelt thanks to my friends and family and everyone who helped make my 40th birthday fun and memorable.

Alongs, Randonymity

Mmmm…. mocha: The coffee edition

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I think I’ve mentioned that I’m participating in the Knitters’ Coffee Swap, right? I’m a notorious coffee fiend, but I’m real particular like – I just drink soy mochas straight up. For me, chocolate is essential for the coffee experience.

There’s a contest as part of the Knitters’ Coffee Swap – sharing our favorite coffee shops. Well, it’s kinda funny – I always find coffeeshops that I love when I’m traveling, but don’t have a favorite coffeeshop in the Twin Cities (other than the generic Caribou Coffee). I’m also totally weak for buying souvenirs from coffeeshops when I travel.

Even when those coffeeshops aren’t that terribly far away.

“I ate an entire espresso bean when I was a kitten. What a rush!”

I’m also fond of some coffeeshops a bit further afield: Dry Creek Coffee in Hill City, South Dakota; Starry Night Cafe in Fort Collins, Colorado; Cafe Oasis in Sante Fe, New Mexico…

May? She just likes the cups.

“Mmm, this would be perfect for a little mouse dunking.”
Contests, Randonymity, Reading

The Bedjacket Edition

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Local knitblogger Christy is having a caption contest to celebrate her blogiversary! Caption the cute cat picture by November 11 and win some yarny goodness.

Gwen’s having a contest to welcome back her knitting mojo and celebrate being almost done with her holiday knitting. Leave a comment before Friday, November 17, about what you’re knitting for holiday gifts and whether you think you’ll finish in time and you could win some lovely Tess’ Super Sock Yarn.

Sue is having a comment contest – leave a comment before November 23 and you could win a copy of the book Toys To Sew or the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits.

Check out the new goodies Scout has for sale! Love the kitty shawl pin! And I’m curious as to how the Namaste Jetsetter knitting handbag compares to the Jordana Paige Knitter’s Satchel – anyone know?

Reading Update
Blood Debt and Blood Bank by Tanya Huff – the last two of the Blood Books. Blood Bank contains some very clever and enjoyable short stories, two of which should be read before Blood Debt.
Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton, book 13 of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. This one is odd, considering how the series has been going recently. It’s short (under 300 pages), compared to the 752 pages of Incubus Dreams (book 12). And it’s a lot more like the early books of the series, which is a good thing.
Shakespeare’s Trollop by Charlaine Harris – a Lily Bard mystery. I’m not managing to read these in order and I’m ok with it. Another solid mystery about Lily Bard, who lives in Shakespeare, Arkansas, trying to keep to herself but becoming part of the community anyway.

So, can anyone shed some light on what the heck the point of bedjackets was?! And if you were wearing a bedjacket, presumably in bed, would you need to be wearing slippers at the same time? Yes, another thriftstore find. Check out how well this booklet held its value. 😉

I like the lace pattern used for this one, but those slippers…

I actually kinda like this bedjacket, too, although I would call it a cardigan. I wouldn’t put the ruffles on the cuffs, but the construction is intriguing. However, once again, those slippers… *shudder*

This next one….. *blink blink*

And without the fringe, this isn’t a bad shawl. But, um…… are those slippers or small fuzzy dogs?!

Love her “you woke me up for what?! Well, hurry up then” expression….

And the back cover… priceless. I think this is a blurb for some early superwash yarn?? Whatever it is, “no sighs about size” gave me the giggles. Heh.

“I totally could model bedjackets. If I wanted to.”
Contests, Randonymity

Of contests and cleanliness

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Wendy has started her Heifer International 2006 Holiday Season Drive. For every $10 that you donate, you will receive an entry into the weekly and grand prize drawings. The grand prize drawing will be January 2, 2007.

Mim’s having a fun motivational/demotivational caption contest. Leave your caption comments by Friday, November 10, midnight MST.

Did you vote yesterday? If you did, you can participate in Kat’s contest. Emails must be sent by Friday, November 10, 6:00 pm EST.

For you competitive sock knitters out there who haven’t had enough after Sock Wars (my head is still spinning from trying to follow that one), check out Sock Madness, which starts in March 2007. I’m sure a competitive sock knitting reality TV show must be in the works by now…

“Why, yes, it does take a long time to clean such a long and lovely tail.”

“Hmph. I’m going to let that one go…”
Contests, Randonymity, Those Cats

Yup, I “buggered my blog”

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Sorry to worry anyone who tried to access my blog over the last 18 hours. I managed to clobber it after upgrading WordPress yesterday afternoon. Whoops! Many thanks to Pao, who provided both the title of today’s post and the key information I needed to resolve the problem. Also thanks to Jeanne for reassurance and to MrsPao, for getting Pao on the case.

Of course, now that it’s fixed, I’m utterly unprepared to post today. Um…….

Deb of Chappysmom might have a contest – take a picture of your November calendar page, post it to your blog, and let her know. If enough people play, it’ll be a contest. If not, it’ll stay a meme. Deadline is November 15.

V’s daughter, Little A, dressed up as Mayhem for Halloween! So very, very cute – and I love her jack o’ lanterns, too.

Ok, back to cat pictures….

“Ha! Now I have you where I want you, big kitty! You won’t escape my paws now.”

“Look, May! A mouse!”

“Hee hee, she sure is easy to distract – and I don’t like that color anyway.”
Randonymity, Reading, Those Cats

Randumb

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Hope no one’s got a Halloween sugar hangover this morning! I did wear the black cat ears last night (but not the tail – maybe next year). Interesting reactions included a woman in a crosswalk who looked through my car window and got the giggles, a dog that growled at me while his owner apologized profusely, and my brother’s cats poofing and hissing and creeping carefully back away from me. The block party was sort of a bust, since it was about 30F. Brrrr! Alas, I have not a single picture – we were too busy shivering and hopping around to stay warm.

Reading Update
Obsidian Butterfly, Narcissus in Chains, and Cerulean Dreams (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K. Hamilton. Ok, I now know where the psychotic break was in this series. Obsidian Butterfly, perhaps because it took place in New Mexico, far from St. Louis and “the boys,” was the last book where, as Beadslut so succinctly put it, Anita spent more time on a case than in bed. After that, we have Micah and the ardeur and a glacially slow storyline and lots and lots and lots of sex.
Running in Heels by Anne Maxted. I couldn’t remember if I’d already read this, although I wondered if I had the entire time I read it. Maxted delivers damn good chick lit, whichever.
The Trouble with Witches by Shirley Damsgaard, an Ophelia and Abby mystery. This is the most recent book in the cozy series about a librarian witch and her grandmother living in Iowa.
Blood Price by Tanya Huff. Vampires in Toronto! Finally enough people recommend this series to me that I simply couldn’t resist anymore. The first book was very good, and the next is already on reserve.
Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris. This is the first Lily Bard mystery and since I enjoyed Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse mysteries so much (and since Peeve recommended this series, too), I figured I’d give ’em a try. The first one is a good basic mystery (no paranormal romance!), set in Shakespeare, Arkansas.

Since I basically have nothing else today, how about some cat pictures from a few weeks ago? (Cat pictures?! Wow, that’s a new one!)

“Oh, come on, May, I just want to wipe a little smudge off your face.”

“Let me return the favor, big kitty – with my teeth! Bwah-ha-ha!!!”
Contests, Randonymity

Happy Halloween!

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KitKatKnit is having a contest – ‘fess up to who your TVBF (TV Boyfriend) is by 10 pm Sunday, November 5. The randomly selected winner will receive a fiber-related prize. (I know CarrieK is laughing hysterically ‘cos she knows I can’t enter this contest – I don’t watch TV.)

Aija is having a very interesting contest that involves contributing to the world’s longest poem – check out the details on her blog for how to play. The prize will be sock yarn (in honor of Socktoberfest) and the contest runs through early afternoon on Friday, November 10.

There are still some spaces open in the Knitters Coffee Swap! Sign up now, because it’s limited to 50 participants. Thanks to Knittymama for coming up with such a fun swap idea!

If you had fun with the Knit Sock Kit Swap, Scout and Bev are having a Knit Mitt Kit Swap! You can sign up from now until November 3.

I’m looking forward to seeing the knitted items that you use a lot. Carole commented yesterday that she probably uses her handknitted socks the most. I probably do, too, but I got particularly intrigued by the other knitted items that I used a lot. Your mileage may vary (YMMV)!

You know what I hate about “falling back” to Central Standard Time in the Fall? Well, besides how early it gets dark, that is. It’s the cats, thinking that I’m inflicting cruel and unusal punishment on them by feeding them an hour late. Usually they start whining an hour before feeding time (well, Chaos does – May fusses a little and then goes off on Important Kitten Business). So after we switch from daylight to standard time, I get two hours of dedicated whining…

How are you celebrating Halloween? I’m going to a neighborhood block party with some friends and their baby. Maybe I’ll actually put on my pseudo costume… How could I resist these el-cheapo black cat ears from Target?! (I am so not wearing the tail.) The black cat candy dish might’ve wandered home from Target, too. I don’t know where that other black cat came from! 😉

“Hmmm… there’s mischief afoot and I’d hate to miss it! Where there’s mischief… there’s Mayhem.”

Chaos and Mayhem wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!

“Please go trick or treating for tuna and send it to us. Thank you.”
Contests, Randonymity

Let’s do the Time Warp again!

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The Traveling Knitter is having a “Knitbloggers for Blood” contest. Donate blood or blood products (plasma, etc) and let her know. For every 25 donations, she’ll draw a random prize winner.

Edit: Tracey of Fuzzy Britches is having a contest. Leave her a comment by November 1 (the two month anniversary of her new blog), and she’ll randomly draw a name to receive some Socks that Rock!

Lorinda is having a super short story contest (six words). Leave a comment with your entry and you could win a mysterious prize.

A little while ago, I showed you all a vintage pattern booklet with a very strange cover and promised more pictures from it. Well, as I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for more details, here goes.Really, all I can say is that the booklet must have been underwritten by Coca-Cola. True, the back cover doesn’t have as many bottles of Coca-Cola on hand as the front did, but…

While the front and back covers are quite summery, the rest of the booklet is fall/winter. And there’s just something about this guy… Smarmy?! Is he trying to look down her sweater or something? That’s really not possible with the necklines in this booklet! And don’t miss the cigarette in his left hand…

I actually kinda like this sweater… but this guy is killing me! “Yeah, baby, I’m hot hot hot.” Blech!

Again with trying to look down her sweater. Sheesh!

And again… that silver ring of his shows up on multiple pictures on different fingers.

I do appreciate that the female models seem to have normal bodies and aren’t as scary thin as some of the models in these vintage books.

But this guy?! He’s always there… even in the background… Is she trying to still her beating heart, or is she just glad he’s not lurking over her shoulder?

“Is it safe to look yet?!”
Knitting, Randonymity

Fiber festival in my closet

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As I mentioned yesterday, Karrie’s asked those of us who didn’t go to Rhinebeck to pull some fun things out of our stash (that we might not even remember purchasing) and pretend we’ve come back from Rhinebeck with them as wonderful new purchases. This is budget fiber festival at its very best! Because you know, I have plenty of yarn in my stash that I don’t even remember that I have. Let’s take a look at a few things, shall we?

Of course, any fiber draws a few felines around here…

*sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff*

I did manage a slightly less obstructed picture below. From the left, a skein of nettle yarn. Yup. Nettle. I picked that up at the At Home Store in Fairfield, Iowa, when I was there for an Anna Zilboorg workshop. I think I was planning to make some sort of bath scrubby from it, but unless this stuff gets a lot softer after washing, it would completely strip off your skin – and not in a good way.

Next is a ball of Brooks Farm Duet (mohair/wool) from the Taos Wool Festival a few years ago. It might become Clapotis at some point. Below the Duet is a small skein of La Lana Phat Silk Phat (wool/silk) picked up in Taos. This might become a very narrow little dressy scarf.

In the center, Regia Bamboo, which I picked up maybe a month ago – I’m fascinated by the idea of bamboo socks, but I’ll probably wait to knit this until spring, since right now I’m just interested in knitting warm woolly socks. Above that, May inspects a ball of Opal Zebra – I forgot I had this, but I’m very curious about what it will look like, so maybe I’ll knit it soon (of course, “soon” is subjective…).

Underneath May is a skein of laceweight silk from Blackberry Hills, purchased at Yarnover a few years ago – someday, someday, it will become a shawl (no, not Adamas :p ). Below that, three small skeins of Rovings Polwarth and silk – also from Yarnover. This would make toasty warm socks. (Hmm, I’m detecting a theme of silk here…)

“Are zebras tasty, Mom?”

Another picture of May from mid-September. She’s definitely sleeker now! She’s also has more silver-tipped fur on her legs and sides – I think she’s going to be a different sort of stealth tabby than is Chaos.

“I feel pretty! Oh, so pretty! And so rumpled! Oh, so rumpled!”
Contests, Randonymity, Those Cats

In which we find the sock monkey dress

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Last night, Jeanne and I stopped at Crafty Planet to scope out their bib yarn, um, I mean Sugar’n’Cream, and what did Jeanne spy in the window but one of the infamous Sock Monkey Dresses! (Hey, you can buy one for a mere $1,500US, MamaTulip!) Jeanne got a great picture of me with the dress, too.

The wonderful (but tragically blogless) RachelH sent me a very cool tin sign – thank you, Rachel! It will be perfect in my kitchen. (Plus it was a great thing to find waiting for me at work on my first day back.)

 

“The big kitty told me that flashing thing you keep pointing at me will make me go blind, Mom. I’m outta here!”

We haven’t had a Chaos and May size comparison for a while…

 

*sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff*

 

“I am Mayhem – hear me roar!”