Category Archives: Contests

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

This, that, and the other thing

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Karen’s celebrating her birthday with a haiku contest (it must be haiku contest week, eh?) – leave her a birthday haiku comment by midnight CDT, May 30, and you could win some yarn TBD.

Julie’s celebrating her quitting smoking anniversary with a contest. Leave her a comment by June 2 about something you’ve accomplished that you didn’t think you could, and you might win some Socks That Rock or Spunky Eclectic yarn!

Go vote for Pam’s dress over at Kaboodle and let her know that you did so – you could win a $20 WoolGirl gift certificate!

Kerry needs help naming her new pair of parakeets. The contest runs until the parakeets are named. The prize itself is also unnamed, but Kerry promises it will be good.

Please send good vibes to Not An Artist’s kitty Guinness, who is not doing well right now.

Reading Update
Bitten, Stolen, and Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld, Books 1-3) by Kelley Armstrong. This is an extremely well-written and involving series. The first two books are told from the perspective of werewolf Elena and the third book is told by witch Paige.
Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. If you’re a fan of Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, P. N. Elrod, Rachel Caine, Tanya Huff, or Tate Hallaway, you’ll find a new short story you’ll enjoy!
If Angels Burn: A Novel of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl. Huh. Not quite sure what I think about Viehl’s stuff. I’ll get back to you on it.
Under Cover by MaryJanice Davidson. Steamy fluff set in the Twin Cities. The book is broken into three sections, each featuring a different main character, but all spun off of the same main event.
Hot Stuff by Janet Evanovich and Leanne Banks. As usual, Evanovich’s non-Stephanie Plum stuff is merely mediocre.
The Kitchen Witch and My Favorite Witch (The Accidental Witch, Books 1-2) by Annette Blair.These are sweetly enjoyable romances, light on the paranormal.
Romancing the Dead (Garnet Lacey, Book 3) by Tate Hallaway. Madison witch Garnet’s vampire fiance is missing…

Good Timing Update
Last Monday when I finally got home from work, I found a prize package from Cathy-Cate in the mail! Talk about good timing. (However, good timing for receiving a package does not necessarily translate to good timing for taking pictures; that’s my story for why these are exceptionally crappy photos and I’m sticking to it.) I now own a gorgeous skein of Wollmeise (I didn’t have any!), along with some tasty treats, a handy stained glass style notebook, a great black kitten card, a knitaholic magnet,and some shea butter lotion. Oh yeah, and something that Chaos obviously loved and obscured.

*nom nom nom nom nom* -Chaos

Yes, ’tis sad but true – Chaos cannot control himself around soaps containing natural oils and slowly licks such soaps into oblivion. This leads to some rather complicated soap storage strategies.

“What sort of delectable kitty treat do you have there, big kitty?” -Mayhem

“Back off, May. No soap for you!” -Chaos

No soap for you, either, Chaos!

“Alas. That was some darn tasty soap!” -Chaos

When thwarted re: the soap, May made off with the yarnaholic magnet and the photoshoot came to a screeching halt.

“Refrigerator magnet! Mine mine mine mine mine.” -Mayhem

Contests, Dyeing

Dyeing for summer

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Wendy’s giving away a cute green iPod Shuffle. To enter the contest, leave her a comment with a summer-themed haiku by midnight EDT, May 29.

On Saturday, Jeanne and I headed out to Deb’s to do a bit of dyeing. (Check out Deb’s pictures, too, including one of me.)

Excuse the blurry pictures – sometimes I swear that the “anti-shake” feature on the camera introduces as much blur as it prevents… Probably it’s just me! Anyway, here’s Jeanne working on the last skein of the day.

Deb and Holli relaxing…

And our finished products. Care to guess which two skeins I dyed?

Were you right? 🙂

As you can tell from the pictures, Saturday was nicely sunny – but it was only in the low 60s. Still, this is much better than last year, when we had our air conditioners on by mid-May!

“Shhh… maybe Mom won’t notice me in the cooler and I’ll get to visit Sammy and Tig and check out their ‘Cat Wheel o’ Fun!'” -Mayhem

“What do you mean, there’s not room for the sorbet with me in the cooler?! How could you even tell I was there? Hmph. You never let me have any fun.” -Mayhem

Contests, See the Sights

Cat box turtle

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Thanks for your kind thoughts, everyone – yesterday was another somewhat crazy day at work, enhanced by a migraine. Bless my migraine shots! Today – hey, at least I’m working from home, right?! 🙂

Holly’s having a “What dreams have you deferred?” contest. Leave her a comment about your deferred dream and you could win a very cute handsewn tissue cover (it has a face!).

Over the weekend, the weather was nice enough to go out walking. It’s finally starting to look like spring around here!

The grass and dandelions are thriving, but many of the trees have taken a more cautious approach – can you see how bare some of them are back there?

Hmm… I wonder if the owner of this car is into the fiber arts?

No time for a leisurely stroll, apparently…

Even the turtles were out sunning at Lake of the Isles.

Speaking of turtles…

“100% hybrid cat box turtle? Why is that funny, Mom? You aren’t making sense again…” -Chaos

Contests, Those Cats

In which I reveal the Mother’s Day card I received

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Nicole’s hosting her Second Annual Bookwyrm’s Birthday Blog Bash! She’ll be offering three prizes: one each in the categories of knitting, reading, and writing. To get more details and participate, head on over by May 21.

Ok, since I decided that the bibs must go in the mail today, I stayed up way too late in order to finish knitting the second bib. As part of that, I sacrificed the time I was planning to use to write a witty, insightful post for y’all… not buying it? Darn it. (Yeah, I can wait for the snarky commentary to die down.)

Um… Look! Over there! The kitties gave me a Mother’s Day card! Wasn’t that sweet?

There were a lot of smudgy footprints on the envelope, so I’m sure it’s authentic. 😉

“Of course it is! Love you, Mom!” *purr purr purr* -Chaos

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Contests, Tales of the Neighborhood

Be gone?

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Moraie is celebrating her second blogiversary with a contest. To participate, leave her a comment guessing what number the blogiversary post is and identifying the guy in the linked picture. She’ll take guesses until midnight PDT, May 20.

Yesterday it actually felt like spring! (Everyone ok after that shock?) I headed out into my neighborhood to get to know my new camera better and take a few somewhat random pictures.

I hope you embiggened that last picture for maximum amusement. 😉

“What do you mean, it defeats the purpose of towels on the furniture if I’m under the towels? Why do they call it FURniture then?” -Mayhem

Contests, Knitting

Warning: Radioactive pandas

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Wendy’s giving away a copy of The Splendid Table’s How To Eat Supper. To be included in the random drawing, leave her a comment (before May 15, 5 pm EDT) with an easy and healthy recipe.

Jane’s having a contest – she’s about to become a Mac owner for the first time ever. By May 15, leave her a comment giving her your favorite Mac tips if you have any, or tell her why you think she’s making a good/bad choice.

Sarah’s giving away a copy of Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn. To be included in the random drawing on May 17, leave her a comment with a link to your favorite sock pattern if you’re a knitter or include your favorite recipe if you’re not a knitter.

Are you a list maker? If so, check out Listography, where you can build your own personal database of lists.

Who knew Chaos was moonlighting at lolcats?! 😉 And how cute (and accurate) is this one?!

Knitting Update
The Radioactive Panda (Cotton) Socks are done!

“Ow! My eyes! My eyes!” -Chaos

Hmm, you can’t really see the second sock in that picture, can you? Is this better?

See that little bit of fluff on the floor between the socks? That’s all the yarn I had left over – less than a foot. I had to rip out my bindoff on one sock and start binding off 1/2 round sooner so I wouldn’t run out of yarn. In addition to my other complaints about Panda Cotton, please add “pathetic yardage.” Here’s a closeup of the “extra” yarn:

Contests, Randonymity

In which I reveal a small winning streak

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Amy Artisan’s giving away five copies of Kate Jacobs’ newest book Comfort Food. (Comfort Food is not a sequel to The Friday Night Knitting Club; it’s about a celebrity chef.) Leave her a comment about your favorite comfort food by May 21 to be included in the drawing.

Connie’s son is working on a project for his college graduation in June and would really appreciate it if you stopped by to answer a few questions for him before May 10.

Sign ups for Summer of Socks close on May 15! Nope, I’m not going to sign up – knowing me, I’d never knit another sock again. 😉

Thanks to June for an interesting post that sort of broke my brain. No, not the part about gas mileage – the optical illusion below that.

So, a few weeks ago I had a bit of a contest winning streak. First I won a copy of Vicki’s Bloomin’ Hat pattern – thanks, Vicki!

Next I won some Dream in Color Smooshy and a WendyKnits sock pattern for donating to Nikki’s Relay for Life contest. I was particularly excited about this, since I didn’t have any Smooshy yet. The Smooshy is much more purple than it looks in picture, which is a good thing. 🙂 Thank you, Nikki!

“Smooshy sounds nice and cushy, like something that should be a kitty pillow, and it’s just my size!” -Mayhem

Um, no way, May! Finally, I won a gorgeous limited edition skein of Lavender Sheep sock yarn for donating to Debby’s Get Your Guts in Gear fundraiser (still time to donate before the last prize drawing!). Thank you so much, Debby! I am honored to have a skein of Charlie’s yarn.

You’ve already seen how much Chaos enjoys the ASPCA bracelet that Debby included…

“Must. Steal.” -Chaos

Contests, Knitting

In which I reveal a shocking development

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Marsha’s having her final of three birthday contests. Leave her a comment about your favorite knitted object and you could win yarn, a giant blue IKEA bag, and a tasty treat. Leave your comment by May 7.

Cathy’s celebrating her blogiversary with a contest/raffle. Every $5 you donate to Doctors Without Borders, Knitters For Knockers, or The House That Yarn Built between now and midnight CDT, May 11, gets you a chance to win some great prizes, including Socks That Rock, Wollmeise, Twisted Fiber Arts yarn, and more.

Trek’s collecting box tops as part of a fundraiser for the Neatnik’s school and is having a contest to encourage people to send her more box tops. You have until August 1 to collect the box tops. One random box top collector will be selected to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

Knitting Update
Brace yourselves – I’m not knitting a sock or a bib, nor am I knitting with purple or black. (Can someone help Marina up off the floor and make sure she’s ok? Thanks!)

I’m knitting a dodecahedron (Celestine). It isn’t much to look at yet, as I’ve only completed eight of the 12 points, plus I will need to stuff it. The yarn is Regia Crazy Color 6-Ply and I think its random nature is perfect for this project.

I did attempt to get some modeled shots… The first is of Celestine mid-fall.

“Why the heck would I want to model an unfinished dodecahedron, anyway?! It’s a toy, not a hat.” -Chaos

“Did someone say toy?!” -Mayhem

Contests, Gluten Free, Recipes

Random for a rainy (and possibly snowy?!) Friday

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I’m actually going to get out and do some interesting things this weekend! (Sure, I can wait a minute while you all recover.) Tonight Jeanne and I are going to see the play Stitch, Bitch n’ Die, then tomorrow night Jess and I are going to see Cloud Cult at First Avenue.

This lolcatz gave me the giggles – maybe because the feline face looks almost familiar.

KnitOwl is having a contest – finish the sentence “The night was…” and you could win one of her cute handmade toys if you make her husband laugh. You can submit as many sentences as you like by May 15. (Not limited to knitters! Anyone who has a kid or knows a kid should give this a shot.)

Knitting patterns and copyright seem to generate a lot of brouhaha – if you’ve read enough such to last you a lifetime, you’ll definitely enjoy Fleegle’s humorous take on the subject.

Keep Knitting Infinity Wendy in your thoughts, as she just lost her lovely kitty Samantha to cancer.

The Boston Globe had a nice article about celiac disease plus some gluten-free recipes in Wednesday’s edition. Speaking of gluten-free recipes… 😉

Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
Heat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper.

Crust
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c + 1/2 c sweet rice flour or rice flour (or gluten-free flour mixture)
1/4 tsp xanthan or guar gum
3/4 c powdered sugar

Mix butter, 1 c flour, xanthan/guar gum, and powdered sugar. If dough seems too sticky, add the additional 1/2 c flour in small amounts and mix well after each addition. Pat dough into lined pan. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until crust is very lightly browned. Remove crust from oven and cool.

Filling
2 T lemon juice
zest from one lemon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t xanthan or guar gum
2 T cornstarch
1 c sugar

Mix filling ingredients and spread on cooled crust. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle warm bars with powdered sugar. Let bars cool thoroughly before cutting.

“Hey Mom, don’t start counting your gluten-free beers today, ‘k? *belch*” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Small box, large cat

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Paula’s celebrating her blogiversary with a contest. Leave a comment by noon, CDT, April 25, and you could win a custom sock bag or yarn.

Heather is also celebrating her blogiversary with a contest – answer two brief questions in a comment by April 30 and you could win yarn to make a Nettie bag.

Have a lot of time to kill? You could play this strangely addictive little airport security game…

Go check out Not an Artist’s great picture of her cat Guinness wearing a baby sweater – and make sure you follow the links below the “cat animation content” if you’re looking for some laughs. (I must say that Guinness is a much more obliging model than Chaos and Mayhem.)

Reading Update
Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. I don’t really enjoy the “Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers” novels – more Ranger and Joe, less Diesel, please!
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden, Chicago wizard and private investigator, returns in the latest and very enjoyable installment of the series.
Real Murders: The First Aurora Teagarden Mystery by Charlaine Harris. Originally published in 1990 and recently reissued now that Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse vampire mysteries have done so well, the first Aurora Teagarden mystery is well written and paranormal-free. 🙂
Women, Work, and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working, Girlfriend! by Rosaline Joffe and Joan Friedlander. I received this book to review through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. If you’re interested in my review, you can read it over at LibraryThing.
Tall, Dark and Hungry (Argeneau Vampires, Book 4) and Vampires Are Forever (Argeneau Vampires, Book 8 ) by Lynsay Sands. Whew! I am now completely done with the Argeneau Vampire series – light’n’trashy paranormal romance that I much enjoyed.
Sucker Bet (Vegas Vampires, Book 4) by Erin McCarthy. More enjoyably light’n’trashy paranormal romance…
Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning. Darkfever was a dark urban fantasy primarily set in Dublin, in a world where the fae pose a significant threat to humanity – but only a few people are aware of the problem. I already have the next book in my library queue!
Single White Vampire Seeks Same, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Brittiany A. Koren. A collection of short stories about paranormal beings looking for love in the personals.

New Keens (black, of course). Small box (well, as small as a US11/EU42 shoebox can be). Large cat.

“Hee hee. Mom won’t ever find me now!” -Chaos

“Mom! You must’ve cheated. And who’re you calling large, anyway?! Hmph.” -Chaos