Category Archives: Contests

Contests, Knitting, Reading

Now with even more Elegance

39 Comments

Maylin is having two contests. For the first, suggest a use for a particular set of needles, and you could win those needles and other goodies. For the second, guess the total weight of yarn in her sock yarn basket and you could win something from that basket. Both contests at midnight (midnight in France) on Halloween.

Did you see these kitty Halloween costumes at Cute Overload? Chaos and Mayhem have nothing to complain about. 🙂

Reading Update
Singer of Souls by Adam Stemple. This book starts out only a few blocks from where I live! 🙂 This was a fabulous urban fantasy novel and I’m looking forward to reading more from Stemple (who has also been in the local bands Cats Laughing, Boiled in Lead, and the Tim Malloys).
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, edited by P.N. Elrod. I got this primarily to read “A Hard Day’s Night-Searcher” by Sherrilyn Kenyon (yes, yes, a Dark-Hunter short story) and “Something Borrowed” by Jim Butcher (a Harry Dresden short story). There’s a good short story by Charlaine Harris, but it isn’t part of her Sookie stories.
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann. This was such a fun read! A flock of sheep discovers its beloved shepherd dead with a spade through his body. Led by Miss Maple (hee!) and black sheep Othello, the sheep work to discover the culprit.
Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Dark-Hunter. Moving right along…
Stroke of Midnight – “Winter Born” by Sherrilyn Kenyon. A Were-Hunter short story featuring Ash and the Simi. What’s not to like?
Talk Nerdy To Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I’ve maybe overdosed on the Nerd Series…

Knitting Update
I finished a second pair of Sockamania Elegance socks… This pair is for another holiday present and was knit from Socks That Rock in the Monsoon colorway on 2.25 mm needles, 60 stitches. This was a sock club color that I bartered Jeanne for. What looks like grey in the pictures is actually supposed to be a plum color (and thus look less like camo), but you can only discern the plumish tinge under very specific lighting conditions.

“A camo kitty bed? So no one’s going to be able to see me when I’m on it, right? Cool!” -Mayhem

“Finally, I’ll be able to have some privacy and take a good bath, since no one can see me.” -Mayhem

*mrmph* “Boy, that’s a tough snarl there between my toes…” -Mayhem

“Hey, wait a minute… you’re all staring at me… this camo kitty bed sucks! It doesn’t work! Hmph.” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity

Thank you post the first

36 Comments

Whoops – I had the wrong link for Karrie’s contest yesterday, so I’m posting it again with the correct link. Sorry about that!

Karrie’s having Fake Rhinebeck Post contest – if you didn’t go to Rhinebeck, go stashdiving and get excited again about yarn you already own! Post a picture and blog about it before midnight PDT, October 27, and you could win a fibery prize.

Largehearted Boy is having a funeral song contest – what would you like played at your memorial service? You could win Arcade Fire’s Funeral, the Mountain Goat’s Ghana, and Eudora Welty’s novel The Optimist’s Daughter! A winner will be selected at noon CDT on October 29.

Thank Yous
I have been extremely remiss in thank yous for the wonderful get well presents people have sent to me! I’ll start remedying that right now.

Margene sent a wonderful mixture of cats (cute bowls), chocolate (truffles, hidden by Chaos head), and cashmere – thank you!

*sniff sniff* “Are these kitty treats?” -Chaos

Debby sent yummy gluten-free goodies, lovely Austermann Step (which I haven’t tried before), and some healthy kitty treats that Chaos and Mayhem love – thanks from all of us! And do stop by to visit Debby – her kitty Charlie passed away this week. 🙁

“Ok, these are definitely kitty treats. Hurry up and open them, Mom!” -Chaos & Mayhem

Frarochvia sent some of her gorgeous bellamoden sock yarn, pure dark chocolate,

and a stunning Flower Basket Shawl knitted from her lovely yarn! Thank you so much!!

Chaos really liked the shawl…

“What the heck are you doing under there, big kitty?!” -Mayhem

*purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr* -Chaos

Contests, Reading, Those Cats

Wireless woes

33 Comments

Argh – my wireless connection hasn’t been very stable for the past few days. Consequently, I’m behind on bloglines again and am a little frustrated at how many attempts it took me to get this post (such as it is) together. Fortunately, after an hour on the phone with tech support last night (aka “Dad”), things should be a lot better now. Just too many wireless networks in my little corner of the metropolis, apparently, all of us fighting for the same few channels.

Contest Update
Lisa has a lot of patterns from her LYS closing – leave a comment at Lisa’s blog for Libby (owner of the LYS), and you could receive a pattern or patterns.

Karrie’s having Fake Rhinebeck Post contest – if you didn’t go to Rhinebeck, go stashdiving and get excited again about yarn you already own! Post a picture and blog about it before midnight (PDT), October 27, and you could win a fibery prize.

Reading Update
Gone with the Nerd, Nerd in Shining Armor, and My Nerdy Valentine by Vicki Lee Thompson. Formulaic and trashy – but I’m enjoying these silly books anyway… although My Nerdy Valentine was my least favorite so far.
The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires by Katie MacAlister. I got the giggles when I saw this title at the library. It was a “meh” read, which was pretty much what I expected. 🙂
Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton. Finished this one and started the next… and put that one down after 20 pages. I just can’t get sufficiently engaged in Agatha Raisin…
Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Ok, I admit it – I’m completely addicted to the Dark Hunter books now and wish I’d been reading them in the correct order instead of skipping a few here and there.
D.A. by Connie Willis. This young adult science fiction book was ok (the moral of the story wasn’t subtle at all!), but so short that it seems far better suited for a short story collection than as a standalone novel.
Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster. Ever wondered what it would be like if Jane Austen has written her novels as “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? Wonder no more! 😉 A cute premise that seems to owe some inspiration to Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next novels, I’m glad I got this from the library and didn’t purchase it.

“Why, yes, I did gobble down the big kitty. You won’t be hearing any whining from him anymore.” *burp* -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

“I told you so!”

36 Comments

Leave Jodi a comment by October 13 letting her know that you’re a sock knitter, and you could win some bright hand-dyed sock yarn!

Darlene’s having a contest to win a skein of STR, and if she gets 50 comments, she’ll give away a second skein (mysteriously described as being her favorite sock yarn). Leave her a comment about your favorite sock yarn and sock pattern to participate.

Reading Update
Fantasy Lover, Night Pleasures, and Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Yes, yes, finally reading some of the Dark Hunter novels! I liked the first two (Fantasy Lover and Night Pleasures) quite a bit more than Night Embrace. I’ll have to see how the next few compare…
Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander. I recently found used copies of some books I read as a kid and plan to reread them. This had to be the first, since there’s a black cat on the cover. 🙂
The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde. It was definitely time to reread the Thursday Next novels. I must admit, after suffering through Wuthering Heights, I got a lot more out of the WH character rage counseling session in The Well of Lost Plots. Hee hee. Here’s a favorite quote from that book:

I kicked off my shoes and flopped on the sofa next to Gran, who had fallen asleep over the sock she was knitting. It was already a good twelve feet long because, she said, she had “yet to build up enough courage to turn the heel.”

What sock knitter hasn’t been there, eh?

Ok, that’s it for today. I kinda overdid it yesterday on the computer and am definitely a bit worn out! Maybe I’m not quite ready to whittle away those unread blog entries yet…

“I told you so, Mom! You need to take more naps!” -Chaos

Contests, Randonymity

Tuesday is for tidying things up

61 Comments

*yawn* Yes, another switch upgrade last night – but the upside is that I won’t have to work very much today!

Kristi’s having a contest – the first person to knit a pair of socks from her new Siren Socks pattern will win a skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool.

MrsPao has finally reached Minnesota in her vacation recap! She has a great shot of Mayhem, as well as more shots of Chaos’s Baleful Stare of Death.

So, after reading Jenn’s post and discovering that new Lana Grossa (aka Meilenweit) colors were out… I was helpless.

“My foot is much nicer than this sock yarn.” -Chaos

I’ve had some contest luck lately. I won a $10 gift certificate to Aija’s etsy shop, zer0 Markers – thanks, Aija! I also won some Lorna’s Laces from Kat (top left, below). Thanks, Kat! On the top right is a lovely skein of Great Adirondack sock yarn, which was a gift from MrsPao – thank you!

“Just passing through, nothing to see here.” -Mayhem

I participated in the swap-bot handdyed sock yarn swap and got a gorgeous skein of yarn from monochromaticgirl – thanks!

“Hey, big kitty, didn’t we tell Mom no more yarn? Well, there seems to be quite a lot of it today…” -Mayhem

I also participated in the swap-bot indie coffee swap. My swap pal Mrrranda went above and beyond my expectations! She sent a two-disc indie music mix, coffee from RoosRoast Free Speech Coffee, chocolate after-coffee mints, some bumper stickers, and two extremely cool t-shirts! I particularly adore that mix-tape t-shirt. Thanks, Mrrranda!

“May, I thought you said there was yarn out here? I don’t see any yarn.” -Chaos

Elspeth sent me some great mix cds, wool wash, body cream, black cat stationery, some candy, and a puzzle card – thank you, E!

“Hmm, maybe she’s up to something, because there isn’t any yarn here, either.” -Mayhem

“May, are you sure you didn’t just imagine the yarn?” -Chaos

I also ordered a new Posy Sock Bag from Nana Sadie Rose.

“Hello, small flat kitty. Have you seen any yarn out here?” -Mayhem

“Hmph, well, be that way then.” -Mayhem

Catch you all in a few days or so! Thanks for all your wonderful comments – they’ve meant a lot to me. Think healthy lucky thoughts toward the Twin Cities Wednesday at 7:30 am CDT!! 🙂

Contests, Those Cats

In which Mayhem goes to the vet

42 Comments

Jeanne and Miss T have posted about our dyeing adventures on Saturday.

Roxie’s looking for pictures of your hands doing knitterly things. You could win some lovely black cashmere! Deadline is midnight PDT, September 26.

Pam’s celebrating her blogiversary – answer one of the four knitting questions she poses and you could win some yummy yarn. Contest closes at 11:59 pm, September 30.

Angela’s hosting a contest for her friend Nikki, who’s been nominated for an award for her children’s book illustrations. It’s a tiny bit complicated, but by voting for Nikki, you could win some lovely goodies (and Nikki could win, too!).

Mayhem’s Big Adventure
Yesterday was Mayhem’s annual trip to the vet for a checkup and some shots. She was very, very quiet for the entire trip, which she spent huddled into a very small ball. She weighed 10.3 pounds, up from 3.1 pounds at the same time last year! The vet was particularly impressed by her soft, shiny fur and asked what I fed her (Innova EVO).

“This sucks.” -Mayhem

At first, Chaos hissed at her a lot when we got home – I wonder if he thought he was an only cat again?! But he did unbend after a bit.

“I guess you’re the same cat that was here before. Taste like it, at least.” -Chaos

“Hmph.” -Mayhem

After feeling horribly guilty for the entire trip to the vet because May looked so miserable, I don’t think she was permanently scarred by the experience – see how suspicious she is of the cat carrier?! 😉

“Don’t look! My foot is too dirty to appear on the blog! Mom! Stop! Don’t use this picture!” -Mayhem

“Hmm, I wonder if I’ll get abducted again if I go in there…” -Mayhem

“Hey, big kitty… Hee hee hee.” -Mayhem

Contests, Dyeing, Reading, Tunes

Now I have a song from Cloud Cult stuck in my head…

48 Comments

…since I’m pretty sure most of you haven’t ever heard of Cloud Cult (a local Minneapolis band), you’re completely safe. Unless, of course, you want to go listen to the song (“Take Your Medicine”) and see if you can get it stuck in your heads… Since some of you actually clicked on links to notorious earworms last week, I know you like to live dangerously. 🙂

Anne in New Zealand would like to send some goodies to whoever leaves the 300th comment on her blog.

Sorry my posts haven’t been very energetic lately. I’ll fill y’all in on why in a few days. Hopefully you can hang in there for a while!

Reading Update
Witch Hunt: An Ophelia and Abby Mystery by Shirley Damsgaard. Sweet and fluffy paranormal mysteries set in small-town Iowa, about a librarian who’s a witch – I’ll keep reading these (and not just because there’s a black cat in the books).
Electric Blue by Nancy Bush. It was harder for me to get into the second Jane Kelly mystery than it was to get into the first (Candy Apple Red), but once I did, I enjoyed this light read.
Touch of Darkness: Darkness Chosen, Book 2 by Christina Dodd. I’m enjoying this series – I know it will be at least four books (based on the premise outlined in the first book) and I’m already waiting to find out when the next one will be published!
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I’d read this before, but I was looking for a light and fun read and Jennifer Crusie rarely disappoints.

Dyeing Update
On Saturday, Jeanne, Miss T, and I converged on Deb’s house for a lovely day of conversation, dyeing, knitting, eating, drinking, and laughter. Here’s what we dyed – I didn’t use any black and only minimal purple! Hopefully none of you hit your heads falling off your chairs in shock. 😉

“This isn’t as hard as you all think it is. Go try it right now! I’ll wait.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Make it stop! Make it stop!

47 Comments

Don’t forget to enter my contest! The deadline is today (September 19) at 5 pm CDT.

Suzanne’s having a contest – show her or tell her about your favorite knitting spot, and you could win some sock yarn.

Becka’s curious about your favorite sewing or crafting tool – leave her a comment, and you could win a lovely handmade ornament. She’ll randomly select a winner on September 24.

So on the drive up to the cabin Friday afternoon, I started listening to Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I’ve never read it it before, but after reading about Heathcliff being “the most hated character in English literature” in various Thursday Next novels, I’ve been meaning to find out why.

Well. This is certainly a novel filled with much mewling and whining and carrying on and people willing themselves to death hither and thither. And Heathcliff truly is a cruel, arrogant fiend. But even worse… ever since I started listening to the audiobook, I’ve had the Kate Bush song “Wuthering Heights” going through my head (here’s the video if you’re brave or foolish). Yes, indeed, ever since Friday afternoon, no matter what else I listen to instead, I hear Kate Bush warbling, “Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy. Come home. I’m so cold! Let me in your window. Heathcliff…”

Make it stop! Make it stop! Argh!!!

“NOOOOO!! NOOOOO!! I don’t want that song stuck in my head, either, Mom!! Run away!!!” -Chaos

“Moooooooooom!! That song melted my ears!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

You know I hate knitting thumbs…

32 Comments

Don’t forget to enter my contest! Deadline is 5 pm CDT, Wednesday, September 19.

Diane’s curious about fair judging – guess which two of her items won blue ribbons at her local fair, and you could win sock yarn! Leave your guesses by September 24.

Sarah’s hosting a preemie knit-a-thon in gratitude for the knitters who clothed her tiny PeeWee when she was born premature. There are all sorts of ways to participate in her knit-a-thon and contest before November 29, such as knitting items for your local NICU.

Reading Update
Whack A Mole by Chris Grabenstein. The most recent John Ceepak mystery is another good read (well, duh, I guess, since I’ve read the three-book series in less than two weeks, eh?).
Deadly Advice: An Advice Column Mystery by Roberta Isleib. It was ok, but will I read any others when they come out? This was the first Advice Column mystery, in which psychologist Rebecca Butterman tries to figure out how her next door neighbor really died. I admit to picking this up simply because it had a condo, a cat, and a blog in it. 😉
Troll Bridge: A Rock’n’Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. Trolls and boy bands and dairy princesses and butter heads, oh my! This fantasy was a quick read that will be particularly fun for those familiar with Minnesota.
Scent of Darkness: Darkness Chosen, Book 1 by Christina Dodd. This series is about a family that can turn into predatory animals due to an ancient pact with the devil – the age old struggle of good and evil and how neither are purely one or the other. Well-written, but avoid if plentiful steamy scenes aren’t your thing!
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie, and Eileen Dreyer. The three orphaned Fortune sisters are witches denying their often inconvenient power and on the run from their murderous aunt. Things get a bit complicated when their true loves turn up. More with the steamy scenes here! *fans self*

What Did I Buy?
Yesterday I mentioned that I did purchase something for myself at the Goods for the Woods craft fair in Grand Rapids (birthplace of Judy Garland!). Well, y’all know I hate to knit thumbs…

“Wow, Mom, this is some darn spiffy knitting. When did you do this? I must’ve missed it entirely.” -Mayhem

“Are you done with the pictures yet?! I have important things to do.” -Mayhem

“I see what you mean, Mayhem.” *sniff sniff sniff* -Chaos

“Nope, Mayhem, Mom sure as heck didn’t knit these. These are made from some pretty slick wool blankets. Tricky of her, eh?” -Chaos

Contests, Randonymity

Drive-by blogging

27 Comments

Deb’s hosting a little virtual happy hour – if you take a picture of your own yarny celebration and let her know about it before September 21, you could win some goodies. Hopefully I will remember to take a picture while I’m up at the cabin over the weekend. Yes indeed, that means I’ll be even more behind in bloglines than I am already. If you have a contest you’d like me to mention, please send me an email!

Also, don’t forget to participate in my contest. Deadline is 5 pm CDT, September 19. Thanks to everyone who’s already commented – Chaos and Mayhem are enjoying all of your advice. 😉

The kitties or I try to reply to all the comments we receive. However, I do get undeliverable email messages back from a few people. If you haven’t received a reply back to your recent comments, please check your spam folders and also verify that the comments you leave have valid email addresses.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

“Oh no! Big kitty, I just heard that Mom’s going out of town for the weekend! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” -Mayhem