Kevorkian Scarf!

Lara and I are working on a knit-a-long project this month, and to understand why we are so excited about it, you first must watch this video:  (Safe for Work.  There is no truly foul language, just one "jackass.")



Back in college, we were all hooked on this series of web-toons, called Neurotically Yours.  (Beware of following that link; the main character is an extremely foul-mouthed squirrel named Foamy who has no problem telling you what he thinks of you.  Funny, but DEFINITELY not safe for work... unless you work in a biker bar.)  We were all foul-mouthed college kids at the time, so we loved Foamy dishing out his "squirrely wrath" to the unsuspecting public.  Flash forward .... a few.... years and imagine my delight when Lara shows me a scarf named "Foamy!"  (Raveled here.)  Instantly we re-name it The Kevorkian Scarf and decide we have to have it!!  :D

Lara and I both re-arranged the pattern blocks a little to make it suit our tastes more, but it's still pretty much the original pattern.  I used a skein of Tofutsies from the stash, a sea-FOAM green to match the pattern (color #789).  Haha!  For never having done drop stitches before and for not writing down a pattern, I think it's coming along nicely.  It's mostly big blocks of garter stitch, so it knits up quickly.

As John noticed, yes, it is more of a shawl shape than a scarf shape (i.e., triangular vs rectangular), but I will wear it more like a scarf ... neckerchief? bandanna? Around my neck, not my shoulders.  So I think it should remain "The Kevorkian Scarf."  "Kevorkian Shawl" just sounds weird.  :)

Don't Read without Tissues!

WARNING:  Tears ahead.  I'm serious, this poem really just made me tear up ... a lot.  Maybe because I'm a cat person or maybe because all my cats have been rescues, I don't know.  But you have been warned!  Get the tissues!

Thanks to the Snuggles Project website.  Check them out, they are a great charity!


Stray Cat
    by Franic Witham


Oh, what unhappy twist of fate
Has brought you, homeless to my gate?
The gate where once another stood
To beg for shelter, warmth, and food.

For from that day I ceased to be
The master of my destiny.
While he, with purr and velvet paw
Became within my house, The Law.

He scratched the furniture and shed
And claimed the middle of my bed.
He ruled in arrogance and in pride
And broke my heart the day he died.

So if you really think, oh cat,
I'd willingly relive all that
Because you come, forlorn and thin
Well...don't just stand there...come on in!

My Dorkiness Knows no Bounds

NEW OBSESSION!!  :)

We all know that I've been playing Neopets since I was stuck behind the College Info Desk (who can argue with free online games when you have lots of time to waste?), but recently they've been updating some of their features and they've added in the Habitarium.  Basically, it's a terrarium filled with little bugs that you tend to and oversee.  There's really no point to it, but it's excessively addicting!  Trust Neopets to find the next addicting game for me.

Anyway, if you've been wondering where I've gone off to, chances are I am looking after my "little guys" and organizing their habitat.  There are three species and three jobs available: Pinchit, Mootix, and Larnikin in the roles of Nester, Soldier, and Worker.  Sadly, my Habitarium has undergone an accidental genocide, and I have no pinchits left!  That was when I started my eugenics program and organized the species to coincide with certain jobs; all my workers are mootix, and all my soldiers are larnikins.  (You can "discard" or "hatch" eggs once they are laid, and I am just discarding everything but worker mootix and soldier larnikins.)  My loving sister claims that the genocide was intentional and that I am some form of cruel overlord, but I just wasn't paying attention to which guys were getting "old" and all my pinchits died off without breeding replacements.  :(

ANYways.... the nesters obviously breed you more guys, and the soldiers defend your land from invaders (yes, there are evil invading forces that threaten your habitat).  The workers gather resources (wood, stone, mud, pollen, water, grass) to let you build structures and buy food & decorations.  You can drag-and-drop your workers to get them started on a certain resource or move them into the house to rest.  As you can see below, I've currently got all of my workers focused on mud; I have to gather a lot of wood/mud/stone in order to upgrade my buildings right now.

I took a screenshot of my Habitarium today to show you how dorky I am.  :)  It's almost embarrassing how much I'm addicted to this game, except then I think about how I got a few friends hooked, too! I don't feel so bad when there are others out there like me. 

Weirdness from the Web

Aaaaand, here's one more thing to add to the "Stuff not to Knit" list. The blog I found it on doesn't say anything about it, just that it's machine knit.  My question is which dress is worse: the front one or the one in the back?  (In revisiting the What not to Knit blog, I have discovered that they already found this lovely dress & that it apparently costs a mere $1500! Goodness!)

Maybe that website gave me two things to add to the "Stuff not to Knit" list.  They say this "Compubody Sock" is the way you keep hands & ears warm, as well as ensuring privacy as you watch DVDs on a plane.  Weird.

Random & Geeky

Ok, if you haven't noticed yet, I am a super-dork.  (Gasp!)  I know, I know, I hide it well.  But there it is. 


ANYway, in random perusing of the internet, I found another super-dork like me, but she has artistic talent!  If you have any interest in brain chemistry / chemistry / psychology / neurobiology, check out Made with Molecules.  Raven Hanna, PhD is a "Yale-educated scientist turned artist" who lives out in sunny California and makes chemistry-inspired jewelry and things.  My favorites would have to include:

Neurotransmitter Charm Bracelet

Neurotransmitter Earrings

Ethanol Champagne Glasses

And for when I win the lottery (it IS hand-made jewelry), the Endorphin Choker.  It is made of the 31 amino acids in beta-endorphin!  How cool is this?!?!!

She also makes t-shirt designs, baby onesies (glucose for sweet), greeting cards, and more!  When you get a minute, check out her store!

Just another snippet...

While perusing the internet (I seem to be doing that a lot lately), I found on some old posts at Grumperina's blog a turn of phrase that I LOVE.  I think it explains what my sister and I call "Cast-On ADD" or "New Project ADD."  I love the thrill of starting a new project and getting everything organized and new... then the ADD kicks in, and I have difficulty focusing long enough to finish the project.  :(  But here, I think, Grumperina explains that special new-project feeling:

Nouns: 

Potential, promise, prospect, possibility.

Hope, expectation, dream, optimism.

Encapsulated in every new project we cast on.

Candy for the eyes and the heart's romanticism.

Will it be everything we desire?

Thing not to Knit...

In my random travels through the internet, I have found thing both enlightening and entertaining... and then there's these.  Now, I am all for creativity and innovation in the fiber arts, but really!  This is too much!

Apparently she makes knitted couches and flower pots... What is her gauge, you think?  US 458?

Brought to you by Etsy, our favorite shop of random!  This seller also has knitted lab rat & fetal pig dissections... as well as various cute animals.

Anne says, "Huh What?"

Is it a trap? Students push Admiral Ackbar for Ole Miss mascot  | ajc.com

Am I seeing this correctly? There is a student-led "rebellion" trying to instate Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars as the mascot for a college?  I mean, I get it:  Ole Miss Rebels... Admiral Ackbar led the Rebel Alliance... but really?!  (high squeaky voice)  Sigh.  Maybe I am just jealous that William and Mary didn't think of it first.  Haha.

Posted using ShareThis

Gordon Ramsay's Shephed's Pie

Fact:  I love satellite TV now.  One reason is because we get BBC America.  Yay!  That means great shows like Being Human (vampire, werewolf, & ghost live together and trty to be normal), Top Gear (crazy Brits and cars; Hammond is cute!), and Gordon Ramsay's various cooking shows, most favorite is The F Word (mmm... cooking).  Well, Gordon is a good Scot and tries to get his mother's shepherd's pie recipe into every cooking series that he does; so needless to say, we've seen him make shepherd's pie a few times.  John and I were grocery shopping the other week and he saw minced lamb in the meat aisle!  Instantly, he came back to me and sheepishly (no pun) and asked if we could use the rare opportunity to make shepherd's pie.  So a big win for technology came about when I whipped out my phone and Googled Gordon's recipe so we could get all the ingredients.  :) 

End result is very easy and VERY yummy.  Minced meat is rosemarily delicious and makes your house smell great.  Mashed 'tatoes are fluffy and cheesy.  Overall, it's great for packing on a few pounds before winter.  ;)

Fun Fact: you can only make Shepherd's Pie with lamb.  By definition.  If you use any other meat, it's technically a Cottage Pie.

Shepherd's pie

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 500g (1lb) minced lean lamb
• 1 large onion, finely grated
• 1 large carrot, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
  
• Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
• 250ml red wine (8 ounces)
  
• 300ml chicken stock (10 ounces)
  
• 1kg (2lbs) Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 50g (3.5 tbsp) butter
• 2 egg yolks
• Parmesan, for grating
• Olive oil
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350F) /gas 4 -and get prepped by watching Gordon prepare this shepherd's pie.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened

3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning

4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown

And as Gordon would say:  "Shepherd's Pie. Done."

New Fun Thing

Some of you might notice a new little button on the right for "Good Search" charity fundraiser. I just found this and it is pretty nifty. You use it just like Google / Yahoo / MSN / whatever search engine you are used to (it is powered by Yahoo, so it's a decent engine), but you take a nanosecond before you search to specify which charity you want to help out. Then, 50% of the money earned by the ads you see (and most likely ignore) will go to your charity of choice! How cool is that? Just to put it in perspective, if your organization only has 100 people making 2 searches per day for one year, then it earns $730! Totally free money at no cost to you.

The founders wanted to create a way to donate to charities that is no effort for people and makes you say, "Well, why WOULDN'T you do it?"

There is also "Good Shop," where before you go shopping online, you pick your charity again. Then Good Shop redirects you to the store's regular homepage, but a percentage of your purchase total is donated! (NY&C does 1.5% - with just my purchases there, I can earn a lot of money for somebody!)

HALFWAY!

Half-way done with the special April promotion for an extra $10,000 to breast cancer research... but we are not keeping up!! We're only at 45% of the goal! :0 Please take a few seconds every day to click and help out to save the ta-tas!

www.thebreastcancersite.com

More Geeky Funnies

John, in his internet wanderings, found a bunch of hilarious t-shirts at the Mental Floss shop. If you don't feel like clicking the link, here's a run-down of the better jokes:


Friends Don't Let Friends Derive Drunk (with a picture of the quadratic equation all messed up)

Inconsistency: It has its ups and downs.

Hokey Pokey anonymous: A place to turn yourself around

Veni Vidi Wiki: I came. I saw. I edited collaboratively.

You say tomato, I say tomato. Doesn't make much sense when you read it.

Square root of Negative 1 Heart Math ("i" love math ... get it?)

I'm an English Major. You do the math.

Hyperbole is the Best Thing Ever!

Fibonacci: It's as easy as 1, 1, 2, 3

When life gives you Scurvy, make Lemonade

PLUTO: 1930-2006, Revolve in Peace

Pavlov: The name that rings a bell!

Lady MacBeth Hand Soap

Beethoven: The Original Deaf Jam



and my favorite.....

Palindromes are rasemordnilap !

Happy St Paddy's!

I hope everyone celebrated St Patrick's Day in whatever fashion you saw fit. (green beer aint for everyone, that's for sure!) I was sure to wear green today; I work in a school, and my kids were warning us yesterday to wear green or be pinched!

Ok, I have a ridiculously cute picture from several years ago off of a little online game called "Shammy Hammy." The game was rather simple, just click on clovers to feed Hammy, and when he was full he did this little happy hammy dance. However, I cannot find it online anymore and I do nothave it saved on my laptop... so sadly, you must wait for the cuteness that is Shammy Hammy. :(

BUT! While I was searching for Shammy Hammy, I did manage to find numerous weird sites, and one really funny one. Check out: Unexpecedtly Funny things to do with Hamsters when You are Bored. I promise that there is no animal abuse or other such "wrongness" (if you thought that, you are a dirty dirty person!), just a lot of cute hamster pictures. Such as....

Teach hamster Yoga!

Teach hamster to act! (can't you see a skull in his hands, "alas, poor Yoric!")

Ordo to the Rescue!

Do a good deed

I think Lara sent me this link, but I figured I should spread the clicks. It's a website that gives food to animal shelters... you just need to click on that huge purple button! Actually, you need to click on it twice, once here on my blog, then once again on their site. My button just sends you to the site. The sponsors pay for the advertisement space and the money goes to feed the fuzzies! How cool is that?

Remember, you can click once EACH DAY for over half a bowl of food donated! Each day! Click on the link and feed the animals.

Saltwater Purls' Elephant Tea Cozy

Knit Wits is having a Tea Cozies for a Cure Auction this Saturday the 16th. We have asked the community to donate tea cozies they have made, and we are auctioning them off on Saturday and giving the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. Pretty cool, huh? I think it is much fun. So much so, actually, that I have joined in and knit a few cozies myself. The first one was a quickie, based off of Knitty's Baby Tart Hat, which turned out to be super easy... and super cute if I do say so myself. :)

At first, I had grand designs for a Pink Elephant Cozy (Saltwater Purls' design), but the pattern made me mad and I put it down for a few weeks. Mom finally harassed me into finishing it, so Friday night during the Olympics I knit up an elephant. I was surprised that it only took me a few hours to do the whole body; I finished him Saturday by making his ears and giving him some cute button eyes. :D He is totally cute! Now, I have to admit, I did not technically follow the pattern below... it was more of a "guide" than it was a pattern. But you know me, I like to do it my way. My little guy still looks like the original pictured with the pattern, I just went about it a different way.

ANYhoo, as I have disappeared into the void of job applications and moving, I thought this would be a good quick post for me, just to prove I am still here. Try knitting up your own cute elephant! (yes, pictures of mine will soon be posted. camera is still dead, and all that jazz)






Elephant Tea Cozy Pattern
by Jill Mongato, 2007

Licensed under Creative Commons

This pattern is licensed under Creative Commons. This means that you are allowed to use the pattern for whatever you like, as long as you give Jill credit. For example, if you like the pattern and want to post it on your website, feel free to do so as long as you include her name and a link to http://www.saltwaterpurls.blogspot.com, and notify her via e-mail. You may also print out and make copies to give to friends, use in a class, or swap/trade. Items you make using this pattern are YOUR property, meaning you can do whatever you like with them, even sell them if you want (which is not the case with most knitting patterns).

This pattern fits a teapot with a 19” circumference at the widest point. If your teapot is larger or smaller, adjust your gauge or change the number of stitches/rows. It might take a little bit of adjustment to get it right.

Yarn
MC: Caron’s Simply Soft in #9717 Orchid. You’ll use less than half a skein.
CC: Red Heart Super Saver #0382 Country Blue. You only need a few yards for trim.

Needles
Sz. 8 DPNs (4)

Misc. Supplies
Size 8/H crochet hook
Yarn needle
Stitch holder/spare needle
Spare circular needle (any size)
2 small buttons
Sewing needle and thread

Gauge
15 stitches/20 rows = 4” in Stockinette stitch (CC gauge will be slightly larger.)

Pattern Notes
READ BEFORE STARTING!
The finished cozy has a slit in the back for the handle to fit through. The pattern starts in the round. After a few rows, you’ll split for the opening by turning your work and purling the next row. Continue in Stockinette until the slit is the length of the handle, then re-join and finish the cozy in the round. The pattern will refer to “Rounds” or “Rows” when appropriate.

Body
CO 56 stitches, using long-tail cast on, or substitute any cast-on that is easy to pick up and crochet into.
Divide stitches onto DPNs, being careful not to twist, and join.
Round 1: K all sts
Round 2: K to last stitch. K into front and back of st.
Round 3: K into front and back of st, K around (58 sts)
Round 4: K1, K f+b, K 27, turn work to divide for handle (You will now be working flat. See Pattern Notes).
Row 5: Purl 31, P front and back, P 27, turn work (60 sts)
Row 6: K 32, K f+b, K 27, turn
Row 7: P 33, P f+b, P 27, turn (62 sts)
Row 8: K 20, K f+b, K 20, K f+b, K 20, turn
Row 9: P 20, P f+b, P 22, P f+b, P 20, turn (66 sts)
Row 10: K 14, K f+b, K 22, K f+b, K 13, K f+b, K 8, K f+b, turn
Row 11: P 39, P f+b, P 29, turn (70 sts)
Row 12: K 20, K f+b, K 19, K f+b, K 8, K f+b, turn
Row 13-15 (or number of rows required to reach correct handle slit length):
Work in Stockinette across
Row 16: K to end of row, re-join across slit
Round 17: Knit around
Round 18: K 10, K 2 together, K4, K 2 tog, K 4, K 2 tog, K5

Divide for Spout:

Slip the 14 spout stitches onto a spare needle or stitch holder to pick up and knit later.

Continue knitting next stitch after spout sts:
K 5, K 2 tog, K 4, K 2 tog, K 4, K 2 tog, K 10
Rounds 19 and up:
*K 2, K 2 tog* across each round until 10 stitches remain.
Break yarn. Draw yarn through remaining stitches, pull tight and secure.

FOR THE NEXT PART OF THE PATTERN, YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COZY WHILE IT IS ON THE TEAPOT.

Transfer the spout stitches from the stitch holder onto a circular needle, so they can wrap around the spout.
Fit the cozy over the teapot.
Note adjustments you need to make and correct them before proceeding!

Work bottom of teapot

You will probably have a gap between the bottom of the cozy and the bottom of the teapot. You will now crochet a band to cover this gap.Using crochet hook, Single crochet into each cast-on stitch. Continue in SC until you reach the bottom of the teapot, decreasing as necessary to follow the shape of the pot.

Work Spout
Measure the length of the spout that is sticking out of the cozy. You’ll want to leave a little space (about ½ to ¾ inch) uncovered; subtract this from the measurement.
Multiply the length you need to knit by your number of rows per inch to determine the number of rounds you need to knit. Write this down!

NOW, TAKE THE COZY BACK OFF THE TEAPOT.

Transfer the stitches onto DPNs.
Pick up 6 sts from above the spout stitches (where you re-joined the body after transferring the spout sts to the holder). Join and knit stitches in the round until you reach the correct number of rounds. Bind off loosely and break yarn.

Ears
Make 2 MC and 2 CC:
Cast on 10 sts
Row 1: P all sts
Row 2: K f+b into all sts (20 sts)
Row 3-7: Work in Stockinette
Row 8 and up: Work in stockinette, decreasing 1 stitch at the beginning of each row until
12 stitches remain.
Next Row: *K 2 together* to end. (6 sts)
Break yarn and pull through remaining stitches; secure end.
Sew MC ears to CC ears right-side out.

Finishing
Handle: Crochet with CC around slit.
Tail: Sew or twist a few strands of yarn together. Thread through yarn needle and
secure to back of body below handle.
Ears: Sew flat sides of ears onto body using scraps and yarn needle.
Eyes: Using sewing needle and thread, sew buttons to face.
Hair: Make a pompom from yarn scraps and sew to top of head.

Weave in all ends and you’re done!

Favorite Links ...Tuesday

Since I'm running this blog I can change up the weekly schedule if I want to... even if I really like the alliteration of "Favorite Links Friday" [sigh]

I spent the morning going through the posts and pictures on the Daily Coyote site and I feel that other people really just need to check them out. SS runs the site devoted to her rescued coyote friend, Charlie. Charlie came to her as a very young puppy when he was orphaned, and with the help of her cat, Eli, SS enjoys the gorgeous Wyoming scenery and Charlie's antics. She posts regularly on her blog but is five months behind the present since that was when she decided to start the blog in the first place-- so don't be surprised by talk of snow when it's warm outside. I appreciate the real-time, because you can never see too many pictures of cute baby fluffy things.

I also find it funny that Charlie is now much bigger than Eli, but still is scared of the cat when he gets mad. My favorite story SS told was when Charlie annoyed Eli into getting a hiss and a swat, which sent Charlie hiding up on the bed. Not deterred from his play, Charlie was tossing about a toy, only to lose it and have it land next to the perturbed cat. SS was cracking up over how obvious it was that Charlie really wanted to get his toy back, but was afraid of Eli getting mad at him again. :)

Another bonus is that her photos are super-great! They vary between really breath-taking mountain scenes (a personal favorite is "Horizon Fire"), artistic shots of Charlie looking stoic, and the more frequent berserker, Charlie-at-play moments. Looking at some of her stuff, I sometimes wish I could get photos like that.

Besides, she titles her pictures wonderfully: things like "Corn Spaz," "Yippee in a Puddle; It's Friday," and "Sometimes you Feel like a Nut." I think we all need a little yippee in a puddle because it's Friday now and then. :)