Indisputable Signs of Spring

First, some tulips, seen after last week's riding adventure:



Second, a paparazzi shot of the newest denizens of my employer's parking lot:


(Clicky for more goosey.)

Incidentally, these geese are non-migratory. One hen is actually nesting (second year in a row) in a planter in the front of the building. Many people refer to them as "flying cows," but I think they are still beautiful—even if they do tend to be a bit menacing if you need to cross in front of the frolicky goslings.

Speaking of the ride last week... Here is a shot from the trail. It wanted to rain all morning, but the sky held until we were on our way home. We were at a working ranch in the Blue Ridge Foothills (don't let the name fool you—like any good ranch it was grubby).

Tomorrow's ride is slated to last three hours. If I can sit down when I get home, I will snap a pic or two of some undeniably spring-y WIPs and WIPs-to-be lying around here.

In the "Not sure I want to Share the Secret" Department:
Run (as in Do NOT Pass GO) over to Woolarina to check out the dreamy hand-dyed and -spun goodness that awaits your viewing pleasure.

Fellow MD'ers, K8 and Paula have been hard at work producing some stunning wares. Unfortunately for me, it seems I am always out of town or off gallivanting every time they do a local craft fair, so I had been SERIOUSLY missing out! But through the wonder of the InterWeb, I can now buy online. WOO! I practically broke a nail hitting the Add to Cart button. And in no time I had some of the Shiny on my doorstep... Yowza! Let me just say Tess is now sharing a spot in the knitting basket ifyaknowhattimean. Now that I have blabbed, don't go buy it all. I am already saving up for after MDS&W.

Celebrity Sighting!

...that's me and vibegrrl, and the woman of the hour: Stephanie Pearl McPhee!

She even let me get a picture of my most recent Sock In Progress—in the full-on "Stephanie." My sock knows someone FAMOUS!



We tried to talk her into a Tour T-shirt, but maybe that's a bit too rockstar just yet. In the meantime, here's a little button. That's right, it's YH'05: Knit's End Tour!


(You can have one free and clear-without the huge ticketmaster promotional markup-but please, save it to your own server)

...A big thanks to Stephanie for visiting and signing my book(s), and also to Kristine, and the awesome gang at Knit Happens for hosting her!

National Race for the Cure

I'll be there. (I will be walking.) Any other area knitters want to join me?

Once my registration is in, I will post a link where you can go to sponsor me. Even $5 goes a long way towards making a big difference.

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The horseback riding was kind of a bust. My group's driver was running late for various reasons, and there were no extensions from the ranch. So the 90 minutes became about 45. But the weather, despite threatening to rain all day, was gorgeous. Along the bit of trail we did see, there were scads of redbud trees and not a few dogwoods blooming.

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I know, I know, do I ever knit anymore? I do, I swear, I just haven't taken many pictures lately. I feel so overwhelmed by all of my other stuff, that dealing with the camera, the server, and the files just seems like the straw that more poor camel-y back would like to avoid. I hope it is a phase that will pass soon.

As far as progress: I have finished a pair of socks and the back and three-quarters of the front of my shell-that-may-go-to-MDS&W. I reserve the right to bail out of wearing it if the fuzziness of the green yarn makes me look too much like a giant unripe kiwi-fruit.

I am still in the late 70s (row-wise, out of 160-something) as far as the shawl goes, but I will be kicking it into high gear after finishing the shell.

How Magical can it be

When I haven't seen any yarn at all?

I don't think I will make it to any of the parks, but even the hotel is pretty surreal. (The convention is in the Dolphin, I have a lovely view of the lake.) Some time work trips aren't so bad. [But the kid in me is crushed that I am missing Space Mountain!!]

So, leave a note and tell me your favorite Disney character. (Including all the born-agains like Winnie-the-Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, etc...)

There are two things...

That are sure in life... I don't need to list them, do I?

But I was up late last night worrying about the Grim Income Reaper and would like to think of other things today.

I have knitting progress, but no pics. I am actually going to try to knit up an MDS&W shell in the next couple of weeks. This would be easy but for the inevitable travel (next week, Orlando—and no, before you ask, it is all work and no DisneyWorld). If I get an FO out this thing, I will take a pic, so all you folks going to the fest: ye shall know me by my shell.

Things to think about today instead of the The Tax Man who Cometh:

• Go Fug Yourself - Not for the faint of heart, MANY MANY Thanks to Norma for bringing this bunch of snarky hilarity to my attention.
• Topless Adventures - This one is for Ann, by way of explanation... It is probably not what she was thinking, but in Vibegrrl's new cutest ride—it is a GREAT way to spend a sunny DC day.
• Pink is the color of Spring - Now is the best time in the world to quit smoking. Speaking of my dear buddy Ann, she is quitting as we speak. Go congratulate her and her quit-buddy, Vickie: they are both four weeks closer to healthy pink lungs!
• Thinking is good for your brain - Is it Art? You be the judge among these many wild and crazy links. NOTE: Art isn't always pretty and it isn't always nice, click at your own risk. (I can' t remember where I first found this link... If it was from a fellow knit-blogger, please speak up, I want to send you a thank you!)
• Only 21 days left! - If you can't make it, please see Abby for an appropriate button.
• My kinda Tax Hike - Scroll down to see today's excursion. If you live in DC, meet me at the metro!

Freak Event: two posts in two days!

As soon as I say I will post more, you won't hear from me for another month, but if I insist that I won't post much...

Anyway, this was too good to pass up. So, I was hanging with the hippest knittin' DJ I know, and she was all, the cherry blossoms were so pretty! And I was all, you know that pic you took of the Jefferson and the blossoms? I took practically the same one!



Even weirder... it was on the same day! At the same approximate time! And yet, we didn't see eachother. (The astute viewers among you may notice from the angle, that we were at least a half mile apart. So it's not that weird, but still.)

And then I started thinking... there must be thousands and thousands of pics of the Jefferson Memorial and cherry blossoms. A quick google image search confirmed my suspicions... One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six. These are just the posted pics. Think how many are in people's homes, tucked away in photo albums...

I know, I am a geek. But what amazes me is that these blossoms are out for a few days! It's not like the Sydney Opera House or the Statue of Liberty (which are both easy to photograph, being there all the time).

If I were still an active artist, I would consider this a great installation: gather as many individual pics of different temporary events (how many amatuer shots must there be of Olympic torch bearers?) and put them all up in a gallery. One room per "event." If you are an active artist, and decide to do this. Let me know, I would love to see it (and contribute my pic of the blossoms).

Lastly, here is my favorite "tourist" pic of the day: Monks eating Ice Cream Sandwiches. It was a pretty warm day.

Not dead, only napping

At the risk of letting a whole month pass sans post, I have decided to bite the proverbial bullet.

It's been busy: work-wise, brain-wise, and knit-wise. There is no room left for blogging with all that. I keep thinking things will lighten up (and keep trying not to think that they never will).

My sister's wedding was wildly exhausting, but she looked lovely and I got a much-needed check in with many far-flung relatives. The newest baby is TOO CUTE. As is the way with babies. I didn't win big in Vegas, but I also didn't lose much... I hear that's good for Vegas. Took tons of pics. Here's one. I am the crabby looking one in glasses next to the bride.

The cherry blossoms were wonderful. I have pics but they aren't uploaded yet.

I have been following Chris I's advice and knitting socks like there's no tomorrow. Finished the Spirit Waffle socks, and have a basic pair in Jawoll (60% done) and one pair in Steinbach Wolle more than 80% done.

In new project news: I started my Lotus Blossom Shawl. It has been great! I am finding mistakes (and fixing them) before they require serious ripping. I just finished row 75... only 80 something left!

I can't say that I will post again soon... It's is all I can do to keep breathing in and out. But I can say I will try. (PS, What Lara says is all true: topless adventures make everything feel better.)