10 Ways to Lighten Your Mood

1. Watch something funny, especially with someone who has never seen the movie before - I'm watching Caddyshack with Katie and loving her reactions!

2. Read something funny - I love having that laugh that makes everyone womder what is so funny.

3. RAOK (Random Act of Kindness)- flowers or a card sent to a friend as a surprise

4. Visit your favorite place- mountains, seashore, park, garden, zoo...A day at the beach is such a relaxing pick-me-up for me.

5. Finish something you have been putting off - that lapsed craft project, that corner of the desk that needs organizing - the sense of accomplishment makes me feel like I did something

6. Lunch with a friend - love to get together and share an hour or two about what's going on - my recent fav has been Baker's Crust for the half sandwich and soup followed by the Crepe Diablotin.

7. Make a fun mix of songs and have them at the ready on your Ipod when exercising or driving around - been loving "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind and Fire lately - must be from watching Night at the Museum:Batlle for the Smithsonian.

8. Hugs from your kids - I still have the best hugger at home for another four years at least!

9. Chocolate - the temporary panacea to all problems!!

10. Date night with the hubby  - we love joint massages, dinner, and chatting at Starbuck's


So what works for you???

8.

Do my eyes decieve me??

Boo!! Is she back? Is she lurking? Is she thinking of reviving and revising this poor excuse for a blog? Time will tell..

Creeping back quietly...hoping no one has noticed the long absence

The Omnivore's 100

RULES!
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

From Very Good Taste Blog. If you can't identify the food go to the original post .

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros - Sunday brunhc at Smith
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich - I've never liked them
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche - I was eating it in the early 1980's when a friend would bring it to me from Argentina!
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut - yuck
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - does Port and a cigar count?
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal probably not since I do not like spicy foods
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - I've actually never had a Big Mac in my life- I prefer Quarter Pounders with Cheese
56. Spaetzle57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie love the apple and peach
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky - the strawberry is my fave
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - bought it right on Blue Mountain!
100. Snake - no way no how

I suck...

33 words

Speedtest

Can you tell I never took typing in high school?

Movie Meme

How about something not knit related? I stole this from Carole Knits.

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. Guess by commenting or emailing me (castelfam7625AThotmailDOTcom)
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

In no particular order, I picked 10 comedies....
1)Moles and trolls, moles and trolls, work, work, work, work, work. We never see the light of day. We plan this thing for weeks and all they want to do is study. I'm disgusted. I'm sorry but it's not like me, I'm depressed. There was what, no one at the mutant hamster races, we only had one entry into the Madame Curie look-alike contest and he was disqualified later. Why do I bother?Real Genius as finally figured out by Jenny.

2)You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club. Bull Durham from My Big Bag Swap Partner

3)Sharks are like dogs, they only bite if you touch their private parts.

4)That's not Yankee dancing - that's Devil Rays dancin'!

5)You can't have an air raid without bombs!

6) We've come for the body of Macaulay Connor.
I'm so glad you came. Can you use a typewriter?
No, thanks, I've got one at home.

7) Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.

8)So this is Hell. And there's a crucifix in it.

9)Do you realize what you've done? You've taken a woman who loves you, one of the great women in the world and thrown her away. I lost her too, but I will get over it because I am shallow and self-centered. But you, you wont, because you are "complex". You will feel terrible anguish for the rest of your life. This is turning out to be a pretty good day.

10)Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Monty Python's Holy Grail from Sarah


And I can't leave you without showing this.

Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's from a girl whose ancestors come from Armagh and Bandon in Cork County!

I've got quite a few projects going on right now. I've started the Great American Aran Afghan. That will be a long, ongoing project but hopefully a wonderful heirloom for the girls. I am still working on those d&*n socks for my brother in law, that were due for Christmas. Socks just aren't giving me any joy lately. I've finished 1 more 76 stitches hat and am working on one last one. I still have some Manos left over(2 full skeins, 3- 1/2 skeins) so I'll felt it into something. Any suggestions? I'll be starting my Big Bag this week also.

I did finish one project for a Red Sox Spring Training Swap I'm doing on Ravelry...

First Yankees/Red Sox game of this year is tomorrow. I also have some Red Sox and knitting goodies for her as well.

I will leave you with this and this.

Have a Bailey's and wear some green!

Massachusetts Girl

You Are 88% Massachusetts

Wicked pissa! Now go down to Dunkies and celebrate.

How Massachusetts Are You?

F***ing A, I'm a Massachusetts girl! That is not gratuitous swearing in Good Will Hunting. How do ya like them apples! But I have to ask what do the The Mighty Mighty Bosstones sing? I do love the Dropkick Murphy's however...

Wow- 2 posts in a month!

I joined a knitalong that will help me keep this blog in better shape! I'm doing the Big Bag Knitalong and Swap. Here's the questionnaire...


Do you knit, crochet, or do both? For how long?Just knit for about 5 years.
What other crafts do you do, if any??Photography/Scrapbooking/Cooking/Reading
What are your favorite colors? Colors you loathe??I like brights; not too fond of pastels
Favorite yarn brands? Fiber types? Yarn you can't stand??Love Brown Sheep;Not a fan of Lion Brand
What is your favorite type of item to knit/crochet??I'd rather say that I'm not fond of socks right now and I've never knitted a sweater
What kind of needles do you like? (i.e. circular, straight, metal, bamboo, etc.)?I prefer circs and I have the KnitPicks Options that I love
Any knitting tools you lack but crave??Can always use stitch markers
Patterns you've been dying to get but haven't yet??The Lucy bag
Do you drink coffee, tea, cocoa? Flavors you love/hate??Only drink water- don't like hot drinks and I don't add stuff to my water
Favorite sweets & snacks?sorry to make this difficult but I'm on a diet and moving soon so I'm avoiding that stuff for my hips and the moving truck!
Any pets, kids, spouses? Spouses that act like pets or kids? (j/k)?I hubby who'll be gone off and on until June in prep for his next job, 2 daughters- 1 teen and 1 tween and 1 old cat
Favorite things to knit/crochet for the above, if applicable??The daughters have both recently learned how to knit but I'm about to start some afghans for them
What kinds of books do you like to read? Favorite authors or genres??Lots- history, historical fiction, romance
Do you collect anything? (besides yarn! LOL!)?Cat's Meow houses of places we've visited, baskets, my college's yearbooks prior to 1950
What, if any, are your non-craft related hobbies??Like before- cooking, reading, photography
Scents you adore? Scents that make you gag??vanilla, lemon/citrus, lilac
What is your idea of a relaxing time??spending a day at my day spa and going out to lunch
Oh yeah, are you on Ravelry and if so, care to share your Ravelry ID??yes, I am. Castelfam

I also finished a hat- a 76-stitches hat from a 2004 issue of Interweave Knits. I had some Manos Del Uruguay that I bought about 2 years ago to make a few. Here's the first one...
I actually made one of these as one of my first knitted projects and fell in love with it. I have enough yarn to make at least one more if not another.

For my library friends, I think you will enjoy this.

The lamest blogger in the universe! Yep, That's me!

I've been officially guilted by friends to update this poor blog.

I'll do some knitting stuff first. Before 2007 was officially over, I made these from some Cascade 220...
These match the scarf that I made and the pattern can be found here. I also made these wristwarmers in the Fetching pattern from Knitty
I used some luscious Muench Touch Me for the yarn. I ended up fulling them and they fit perfectly. So nice to have velvety fetching wristwarmers! My first finished object of 2008 is this
I used basic Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted and the pattern came from Bags: A Knitter's Dozen . Here's a closeup of the cabling detail...
That's the knitting so far. I have a few other projects in the works that I'll post up soon.

C in DC tagged me so here goes:
THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

1. I was a classic rock DJ in college.
2. I made aspirin in my chem lab last week.
3. I've never been outside of North America.
4. I've lived in 6 states.
5. I want a red pickup truck with XM satellite radio- no gun rack though.
6. I buy lots of makeup but never wear it.
7. I never learned to sew but I can cross stitch and attach buttons (sort of.)

If you have a blog and you are reading me, consider yourself tagged!

On a last note, I am so glad that Spring Training is happening and that the 2007 World Series Red Sox signed this hot dude...

Long Lost and I need a lesson from Miss Manners!

First, right off the bat, I need to apologize sincerely to my Fall into Autumn dishcloth partner. I received the box before Veteran's Day but that's when my school schedule got very ugly. Professors moving things up to be done before Thanksgiving and moving them after to help us out. That, of course, didn't help at all!! Then I proceeded to lose my partner's info- swift move on my part so without further ado and no excuses for my ungracious reply...Thank you Sharon for my great package...
. BTW she made the soap which of course I didn't remember until I got her info remailed to me. Thank you so much Sharon, the dishcloth is wonderful and has joined the others in my kitchen!

In between classes I have managed a bit of knitting but I am way behind on the Christmas presents. I made this...
a coffee mitt from One Skein Wonders and I also have finished one sock
for one of my brothers in law from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. It's the Spey Valley sock pattern and I made it from some KnitPick's Landscape yarn in Cape Cod.

This is finals week so I'll be free until Martin Luther King weekend but I do have to throw in Christmas, a visit from my mom and a trip to Pigeon Forge with the Woods family for New Year's. Hopefully I will post at least one more time before 2008!

TTFN!

October Knitting

Hello dear readers! I am surviving Chemistry as well as Oral Communications and English Composition II. But the workload is keeping me very busy. However, I have been getting some knitting done.

I made an Irish Hiking Scarf
to go along with a knitalong that I'm running in the Knitters Love Nora Roberts group on Ravelry. We read the "Born In Series" and knit the scarf for September but it took me until October to complete it!

Maria, if you are reading go away now and come back next post...

While she's leaving, I finished a dishcloth for my Fall into Autumn Swap. It's the Shapely Diamond Cloth from Kitchen Bright Dishcloths. I made mine from some Lily Sugar 'n Cream


. I really like the stitch detail in this pattern. Hope my swap partner likes it.

Ok now that Maria's gone, I finished up her socks for Christmas. Remember the Jaywalker UFOs??
. They're now complete and will make a nice gift for Maria.

My latest installment of creative knitting is this. Wonder what Harley-Davidson would say?

TTFN!

Catch up

Hello all! Chemistry is kicking my butt. Anyone want to explain the electron configuration of a charged molecule with covalent bonds?? Anyone? Bueller? Didn't think so.

Lots going on in knitland. My dogs days of summer partner had some personal crises and my swap came late. I did get some great yarn
but the swap people felt bad for me and Pecan Nut sent me another package to make up for it. Check out my new dishcloth...
and some great yarn...
. Thanks so much I love everything.

Speaking of the dishcloth exchange... I'm a bit behind the questions so I'm going to catch up right now!

Now that in some geographic locations the weather is starting to turn cooler, do you change the type of yarn(s) you knit/crochet with? This is Memphis- that means that its finally below 100 degrees on a regular basis. We don't see cooler weather until Halloween and maybe even to US Thanksgiving. All that means for me is that I'll knit outdoors away from the A/C (that's how I knit all that stuff this summer, Tanya- in the A/C under a fan!)

When you knit or crochet dishclothes, washclothes or face clothes, what do you use? I'm usually between a 5 to a 7 needle and I usually use circs because they're easy to travel with. I'm usually knitting during my 2 hour break between classes so I need small, portable projects to fit in with my 20 pounds of textbooks! Is there a particular yarn you love and use all the time for cloths? I use Lily Sugar N Cream because that's what's available in my local Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

Autumn has now officially begun here in the States!! What is your favorite thing about Autumn/Fall? Why? Mountain Day!- oh wait I'm not at Smith anymore...damn...anyways it was break from classes that was declared by the president of the college and bells rang all over campus to announce it. We never knew when it was. I miss fall in New England- there's nothing like it but fall now means it's time for the 4 month house decorating season- fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I furnish my house ala Christmas Tree Shops thanks to living in Newport for a year and my mom who regularly sends stuff.

Addie and Maria- if you're reading this...stop...go away....


Ok well, I've finished the first Christmas present- socks for Addie-
These are the small columns socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. I used some Shepherd Sock in Somerset from Lorna's Laces. Remember my UFO Jaywalker's? They're becoming Maria's Christmas gift. I only have the gusset and the foot of the second sock to finish and I know she'll like the colors. There's that present solved. Anyone else knitting for the holidays??

Ok, here's my truly weird knitting for you.

TTFN!

Some Knit alongs

Well, I've joined 2 knitalongs recently. First, I've finally joined the bandwagon and am knitting the Irish Hiking Scarf. I'm doing this in conjuction with my Knitters Love Nora Roberts Ravelry group. We're reading her "Born In..."Series and knitting this scarf for the month of September.
I'm using some Cascade Quattro for yarn. Scarily, I've already finished the books.

I also joined the Chevron Scarf frenzy. That pattern can be found in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
I'm using some great Koigu for this scarf.

I've collected some fun and strange knitting sites so I'll be ending my posts with one from now on for your entertainment. Go see this. Do you think my Chemistry professor would have a problem with me wearing that sweater to my final??

Fall into Autumn Questioanire

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been doing it?Only knit and have been for about 3 years

2. Have you made dischloths before? Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both??Made many and do both

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before ??Lily Sugar and Creme and I'll try any

4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles?Don't really like plastic but will knit with most else

5. What are your favorite colors? Any colors you don't like much??Blues, Greens, Whites/Creams/Yellow, not particularly fond of brown

6. What do you like best about Autumn??The smells, but I really miss New England falls. They're the best!

7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of em? or No Thanks!?Apple and Sweet Potato

8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school , or the one who overslept on the 1st day??Overslept- stiill do!

9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap)?Oh yeah, love to decorate outside more than I do inside but strangely I'm not into the costumes

10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose??Chocolate,chocolate and oh yeah, chocolate (no nuts!)

11. Do you have any pets? Kids? Husbands who seem like kids? ;)?One cat, 2 girls ages 11 and 15 and 1 hubby

12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why??no clue but probably Noro Kureyon because of the crazy colors and the slubbiness and irregularity of the yarn.

13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths??Dishcloths and doilies

14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? (Feel free to share another fall memory if you do not celebrate either of these holidays)?Halloween

15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about??Other than not being a big nut or coconut fan, nope

Lots of FO's for the neglected blog

I have lots to show you... I knitted this for Hubby's cousin who is going through leukemia for the third time (I'd appreciate it if you kept Christopher in your prayers). It is Halfdome from Knitty. I used some Tahki Cotton Classic for the brim and Marks & Kattens Jeansgarn for the body. It came out rather loose. I'm going to donate this hat and make another with a few less stitches to tighten the circumference.

I made this great dishcloth for the Dog days of Summer Swap. It's from the January 2007 issue of Creative Knitting.

I had some cotton yarn in my stash with no label and I made a Dream Swatch Head Wrap for eldest. It is supposed to be almost 4 feet long but with the yarn I used, I only made it to 30 inches. I definitely want to make another of these.

Go away Jenny...


. This Bella Scarf, made from Knit Picks Suri Dream, is her birthday present.

Finally, I had an extra skein of the Garnstudio Angora Tweed I used for the ruffles scarf. I made the wave handwarmers from One-Skein Wonders.

I'll warn my few readers. I go back to school on Monday and I'm taking such fun courses as Chemistry, English Composition 2 and Oral Communications. I will try to do better than last semester on updates, but no guarantees!

I'll leave you with this... I'm thinking I have a goal in life now but I may have to put it off until we're done with Navy moves because hubby will kill me if we are over our weight limit due to yarn!!

TTFN!

What a great July

This July was a great month, busy and hectic but overall wonderful. We started off in Atlanta visiting the Woods Family. The next week was filled with appointments but the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which I loved!). The next eldest went off to the Diocesan leadership camp and the youngest had soccer camp, which was followed up by the distribution of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows... which was followed up the next day with a trip to Florida to visit the Cronins and a stay at hubby's family's house in St. Petersburg Beach. This is the view from the pool deck..., which was right outside the living room. A great month!

I got LOTS of knitting done! I finally finished that Ruffles scarf that has been on the needles for 2 years! I polished off 2 dishcloths, a Spinning Wheel Dishcloth for Michelle and a Honeycomb dishcloth for the Florida house. I made another mobius purse in Ravenclaw colors for my youngest. I also made a Sophie Bag for myself from some lovely turquoise Brown Sheep Bulky.

I got lucky enough to have Bronwyn as my partner for the second Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap.... She really indulged me this time. Not one but TWO skeins of Socks that Rock in Mustang Sally and 24 Karat. There were 2 sets of choclate frogs but one was gobbled pretty quickly. I love the sock patterns but I am especially happy about Cookie A's Twisted Flower pattern that I have been eyeing for months! The bag is really cute and so perfect for fall. Thanks so much Bronwyn or cimorenegal as she is known on Ravelry!

THE Baby Blanket is Complete!!!!!

aran baby blanket
Originally uploaded by castelfam

I had to do a brief post. I finally finished the epic baby blanket. It's the Aran Baby blanket from Knit Baby Blankets and I used Plymouth Encore in cream (256). I am so happy with this blanket. It is large enough to last into toddlerhood and I purposely used washable yarn. I loved the cabling so much that I'm eyeing more cable projects! Now we just need the baby to be born and he's due any second!

HSKS 2

Well, I have been very neglectful of my HSKS 1 partner. I realized that I never posted a picture of her gifties to me. The sock pattern is from Knit Picks and I don't have it yet so it's most welcome. The bag is a design of my partner, Bronwyn. Click on Knitted Dice Bag for a free pattern. She made mine from Knit Picks Merino Style. It is divine. The girls keep trying to "borrow" it. Strngely enough, she will also be gifting me for HSKS2. I can't wait to see what I get!

I recently finished the bag for my HSKS2 partner. I used the Cinnamon Braid Sling Bag from Cat Bordhi's, "Second Treasury of Magical Knitting." This was my first successful mobius project. My first, a novelty scarf, is, no joke, about 8 feet long! I used Nature Spun Worsted and now my youngest wants one in Ravenclaw colors by the Book premiere next week. I still have to finish a baby blanket by then.

TTFN!!

Dog Days of Summer Contest

Someone who crochets- Abby C.

Someone who's never made a dishcloth before Madonna B.
Someone who has been knitting\crocheting for less than 2 years Angela T.
Someone who has been knitting\crocheting for more than 5 years Barb N.
Someone who is from a non-US country Stephanie L

HSKS 2 Trivia

Trivia

1. "What happens if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" "Throw it away and punch him on the nose." Which two people are talking? Harry & Ron

2."If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest." Who say this? Fred
3. When sitting on the wall next to Professor Dumbledore at the beginning of the book, who does Professor McGonagall bet was the wizard responsible for the shooting stars seen by Muggles over Kent?

Dedalus Diggle


4. Known by the students as Nearly Headless Nick, what was Nick's actual name?

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington

5. When venturing into the Dark Forest with Hagrid for their detention, who is the first centaur Harry and Hermione see?

Ronan


6. We know that Parvati Patil was sorted into Gryffindor house, but what house was her twin Padma sorted into?

Ravenclaw


7. What colour do the flames turn when you use Floo powder?

Emerald green


8. What colour tie was Cornelius Fudge wearing when he came to take Hagrid to Azkaban?

Scarlet

9. After running away from the Dursley's, Harry took up a room at the Leaky Cauldron. What number room did he stay in?

11


10. While Ron, Hermione, and his other classmates are in Hogsmeade, Harry stops in for a chat with Professor Lupin. What did Lupin tell Harry he had just taken delivery of for their next lesson?

Grindylows


Picture Scavenger Hunt
The pictures can either be posted on your blog or you can link to them from your blog.