Contests, Randonymity

Finally Friday…

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Thanks to everyone who’s already captioned in the “Caption Me, Baby” Contest! You can caption along until 6 pm CDT, March 11.

Becka’s teaching a class on how to start a blog and is looking for examples of different ways blogs are used. If you leave her a comment with a blog link and explain how the linked blog is used (journal, shop, portfolio, etc), you could win a fibery art prize! Her contest closes March 8.

Jeanne has a fun post in which she ponders some aspects of Ravelry – make sure you read the comments, too!

As usual, I’ve gotten behind on my thank yous, so I’ll start getting caught up today. Last week, Fraro sent me some of her lovely yarn (many, many yards of Black Beauty – how did she guess?!) and some happy spring Regia.

“Stay back, May – Mom said this yarn was too special for your snickity-snick teeth to get anywhere near it!” -Chaos

“Hmph.” -Mayhem

She included this cute card, too – thanks, Fraro!

“Hey, how come this is un chat and not deux chats?!” -Chaos & Mayhem

KnitNana also sent me a package last week – check out the hair ties that she made and the cute knitting t-shirt! Thank you!

“Mom, is my hair long enough to wear a cute hair tie? And no, you cannot put it on my tail. Hmph.” -Mayhem

“Oh, I think it will make a great kitty toy instead!” -Mayhem

Happy weekend, everyone! Don’t forget to “spring forward” if you’re in the US or Canada… *grumbles*

Contests

The “Caption Me, Baby” Contest

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Below you will find an uncaptioned picture of Mayhem. To play, simply leave your caption in the comments of this post by 6 pm CDT (*whimper*), Tuesday, March 11. A winner or two will be chosen randomly (although I reserve the right to ask someone to judge the captions). Knitters will receive a knitting related prize; non-knitters will be brutally forced to learn to knit… wait, no, that’s not right. non-knitters will receive a non-knitting related prize. Let the captioning begin!

[Contest is now closed, but feel free to leave captions!]

“………………………………” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

Randumbs

30 Comments

Valerie’s having a blogiversary contest – you have until the end of March to post about some of your favorite things around your home and then send Valerie the link to your post. A random winner will be selected on April 2 to receive sock yarn or spinning fiber.

Pam’s having a monkey naming contest. Leave your suggestion by 11:59 pm EDT, March 16, and you could win a $20 WoolGirl gift certificate!

Yikes – Daylight Savings Time (DST) starts this weekend for the US and Canada. Have I mentioned more than 50 times how much I hate springing forward?! Kitty Absolute Time (KAT) does not formally recognize DST as anything other than an attempt to starve and torture kitties.

I never did make it to the Cloud Cult video shoot on Sunday – I was just way too comfy on my couch, reading and knitting with Chaos snuggled up against me… But I did win Jenn’s contest to guess how many WIPs she was going to take with her last weekend!!

Black kitties working in tandem – beware!

Oh oh – do you think I need to have “the talk” with Mayhem?

Check out these great/scary pictures from Saturday’s Polar Bear Plunge on/in Lake Calhoun, which isn’t terribly far from where I live. Please note that I did not participate! Those people are nuts.

Reading Update
You Slay Me, Fire Me Up, and Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister. Books 1-3 of the Aisling Grey, Guardian, series were very light and amusing paranormal romances with nary a vampire in sight.
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint. This is a Newford novel about a teenage girl who manages to attract the attention of not only the high school bullies, but also a ghost and some malicious faeries.
The Used World by Haven Kimmel. This is the second of Kimmel’s novels I’ve read; the first was The Solace of Leaving Early, which I also enjoyed and need to reread because I remember nothing of it. In The Used World, Kimmel skillfully weaves past and present together to create a powerful story of being an outsider.

Random Photo Update
*makes mental note to not use this elevator without having cell phone in pocket*

I went to the dentist yesterday (just routine x-rays and a cleaning, thanks) and noticed they had a gallon of Listerine in the bathroom. For some reason, I found that extremely amusing… (Dude, that’s some seriously bad breath!)

Yesterday Evanrude wanted to know more about Chaos’s Feline Universal Theory (FUT).

“Well, Evanrude, as you correctly surmised, FUT does indeed include elements of String Theory – I sure do love playing with those strings! It also includes many elements of Chaos Theory, but no elements of Mayhem Theory.”* -Chaos

*Please note that the Mayhem Theory link has sound!

Knitting

Twisty little cables

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Whew! The STR Mustang Sally Cable Twist Socks are finished – and finished days before the gifting deadline.

Notice how much darker the sock to the right/top is? Yet both socks are from the same skein of yarn…

“Don’t mind me, Mom – I’m just here to get my HPFM*! I’ll be out of the frame in a second.” -Mayhem

“I’m contemplating the nature of the universe back here. Leave me be. Do not tempt me with your socky concerns.” -Chaos

“Well, ok, perhaps I do need to check out these socks to see if they will be part of my Feline Universal Theory (FUT)…” -Chaos

*Hot Pink Furry Mouse

Contests, Festing

Friday night festing

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Margene is celebrating her fourth blogiversary with a contest! Leave her a comment with a story about a place that brings you peace and joy and you could win a fabulous fibery prize. Contest is open until March 13.

Sydney is also celebrating her fourth blogiversary with a contest! Leave a comment on the blogiversary post (before 5 pm, CST, March 7) and you could win a mysterious yarny gift.

Brigitte’s having a contest, too – vote on which of three project she should knit. Place your vote by midnight, EST, March 8, and you could win yarn and treats.

Scout will be accepting 40-50 sign-ups for her new Scout’s Swag Sock Club starting 6 pm, MT (I think MDT by then?!), March 10.

Friday night I wandered over to Deb’s for dinner, conversation, drinks, knitting, and dessert… not necessarily in that order. Considering how tired I felt, I wasn’t sure I would be very peppy, but the company of Deb, kmkat, and Vicki Knitorious livened me right up!

A meta-blogger moment between Vicki and kmkat…

And of course, Sammy kept us entertained with her play and antics, too.

“You don’t find our play and antics sufficiently entertaining?! You have to seek out other black kitties?! Hmph. I bet I can swat her from here…” -Chaos

“Get her, big kitty!” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading, Tunes

Let us bow before the Goddess of Girlie Drinks

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How many projects will Jenn take to her weekend knitting retreat, out of her 40 WIPs? Email your guess by 4 pm CDT, March 2, and you could win a mysterious prize.

If you live in the Twin Cities, you could be in a Cloud Cult video shoot (beware – link has sound) at Como Park this Sunday! (Thanks to Van for the heads up.) I might be there – I’ll be the one trying to knit while wearing mittens and dork boots.

I am so ready for this week to be done! Work has been busy. While the book scanning project was great fun, it disrupted my regularly scheduled relaxation – I haven’t knit since Sunday night. (Good timing on the Guilt-Free Fiber Dispensation, Trek – thanks.)

I’m behind in my blog reading. I’ve only read one book, and it was one of those “so horrible I have to keep reading to see if it can redeem itself” kind of books. The answer? Not even close. The book? Dancing with Werewolves: Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator by Carole Nelson Douglas. I really can’t remember the last time I read a book that bad. If there was an editor involved in the project (doubtful), he or she should never be allowed to work again. Gee, Chris, what did you really think of the book?! 😉

I’m enjoying my ASL class and even learning a bit, but it sure leaves my brain tired. (Stop giggling at me, Fraro!)

“I hope your class is also covering the more important KSL,* Mom, because the big kitty and I are getting plenty tired of having to communicate with you via these photo captions!” -Mayhem

Is it the weekend yet?! All hail the Goddess of Girlie Drinks! Worship amongst yourselves as you see fit…

*Kitty Sign Language

Knitting, Randonymity, Reading

Peeking under my bed

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Filled with “Must Have Cardigan” fever, Jeanne and I each ordered a copy of Street Smart to get the pattern. (I was extremely impressed with the service we got – Jessica of Weaving Rainbow even checked to make sure I’d meant to order two copies; she’ll have more copies of Street Smart soon).

“You’re boring me, Mom.” -Mayhem

“Does that come in black?” -Chaos

I realize my pictures of the CueCat barcode scanner yesterday didn’t emphasize its feline qualities, so here it is with a similarly shaped cat carving from MamaTulip:

“Now this is much more interesting!” *sniff sniff sniff* -Mayhem

*sniff sniff sniff* -Chaos

“Mmmm…. cord…” -Mayhem

Looks like I need to get the bitter apple out again, doesn’t it?!

Last night I finished scanning my books, other than the odd copy that I’ve loaned out and some knitting books/booklets that don’t have barcodes or ISBNs. For the morbidly curious, you can take a peek at my library – I recommend filtering by a keyword tag, such as “knitting” or “cycling.” (Yes, Van, you will find something if you filter by “zombies.”)

I was even inspired to pull out the boxes of books from under my bed! Wanna take a peek?

Perhaps you need a bit more info about what you’re seeing (beyond that I have enough wrapping paper for the next five years)? About eight years ago, my brother helped me build a queen-size futon frame (well, ok, he did 95% of the work – thanks, Matt!). This particular frame turns all the space under the futon into dust-free storage – I can fit a total of 24 copy paper boxes under the frame, with space on top of the boxes for a layer of luggage, ski poles, wrapping paper, snowshoes (on the other side, sorry) and a broomball stick (helpfully keeping me from being crushed by the futon as I rummage around). The amount of storage this adds to my wee condo is considerable and much appreciated. When in use, the futon rests on two removable slatted sections:

Sorry the picture is blurry – I was attempting to balance on one foot and take the picture while using my other foot to prevent the futon from falling back into place. It didn’t go so well, but I think the bruising will be minimal. 😉

Tales of the Neighborhood

Gone walkabout

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Saturday was gorgeous in the Twin Cities – sunny and in the mid-30s. I tossed on a lightweight jacket, grabbed my camera, and headed out for a walk around the neighborhood.

The sky was divinely blue.

Mmmm… coffee…

Some neighbors were out and about, too. 😉

And I found plenty to contemplate as I wandered. Do you need to buy two dresses to get a pair of flip flops? And spend $200 to get a pair of boots? How many people just leave with their one boot or flip flop?

“Darn it, that time Mom almost busted me traveling through the wormhole between Cyn’s place and here! Must be more careful…” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

Mayhem meets Chappy!

28 Comments

Jen’s having a contest to help her friend choose kitchen cabinet hardware. Weigh in with your opinion by 8 am EST, February 29, and you could win some kitchen cotton.

Reading Update
Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby. Really, I can’t believe how much I’ve enjoyed Hornby’s books about reading. Hornby is very, very funny and most of his insights are spot on. This was a particular favorite: “But please, if you’re reading a book that’s killing you, put it down and read something else, just as you would reach for the remote if you weren’t enjoying a TV program.”
Unshapely Things and Unquiet Dreams by Mark del Franco. A promising new urban fantasy/mystery series set in Boston about Connor Grey, a druid who lost most of his powers in an accident.
Three in Death by J.D. Robb. This book contains three Eve Dallas/Roarke novellas that have been published elsewhere: “Interlude in Death,” “Midnight in Death,” and “Haunted in Death.”

Recently, I won a contest over at Chappysmom. Deb sent me some gorgeous purple Zephyr and one of her cute Chappy cards – thank you, Deb!

“That Chappy kitty has a very long nose and ears! What do you mean, he’s not a kitty? What else is there?!!” -Mayhem

“Oh! Laceweight yarn! My favorite!” -Mayhem

“I’m sure Mom won’t even notice if I steal a ball or two of this. It’s not like she’s knitted any lace that I can remember.” -Mayhem

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.