More Rhode Island Goodness

The happy couple, at the rehearsal dinner on Thursday night.

The Three Mrs. Kiladitises (Kiladitii?) at the wedding on Friday -
we took our jackets and wraps off for the shot, but we were freezing!

Back to the Cliff Walk - Mike decided it would be funny to sit where there was no guard rail and laugh at me.

He finally got me out there, and I was terrified the whole time. See me clinging to the rock?

More water. Nothing exciting to write, just very relaxing and beautiful to look at.

Aaahhhh...

Rhode Island has officially knocked Virginia down to the #2 spot on my "Places to Drop NY Like a Hot Potato For" list. We were there for Mike's cousin Jen's wedding last week, and I fell in love shortly after arrival (and congrats, Jen and JP!).

I located a yarn store within 20 minutes of our arrival - baby, I Googled yarn stores weeks before we left - and got some nice, blue yarn that I've started knitting with already (can't divulge more than that for a few months, sorry) and it knits up like a dream.

We went on a Cliff Walk to see all the Old Moneyed mansions - as Mike's uncle puts it, "These people considered you 'new money' if you made your first million after 1908." The Vanderbilt's estate, The Breakers, was just amazing. I took this picture right by the estate. Can you imagine looking at that when you woke up every morning?

We missed the kids unbelievably, but it was nice to play boyfriend and girlfriend again.

We also found the best Thai Restaurant ever, Thai Cuisine, on the main drag, Thames Street. To say we gorged ourselves is probably putting it mildly, but it was all worth it. Any chance they do takeout to New York?

Nope, haven't started sewing yet...

I still haven't started that skirt that I bought the fabric for. I think I have to dig my apartment out from under all the accumulating crap first. We've been in the swing of seasonal clothing changes, so we've got large Rubbermaid containers all throughout the place, not to mention the usual cavalcade of junk laying around. I'm ready to hire a professional organizer at this point. Or Tim Gunn. But that's just for my clothes.

Speaking of Tim, has anyone checked out Tim Gunn's Guide to Style? I have to admit, I was a little disappointed; I don't know what I expected, but it's just another makeover show. Kind of like Queer Eye, minus 4. I'm psyched for the new season of Project Runway, though.

Little stressed trying to learn everything at the job these days, but otherwise loving being back at work - if, at times, a little guilty.

Break time's over; more to come.

Some Knitting, Some Sewing, Some Sleeping...

...describes the weekend. I had a great day out with the girls when Nancy, Stacey and I took off to go shopping yesterday. Any day that involves unlimited salad & breadsticks at Olive Garden is a good day for me. I even purchased some new yarn - cotton yarn to recreate Alex's beloved 'blanket', which literally wore away about a year and a half ago. I knitted it for him when he was first born, and he became like Linus with it. When it first started to fall apart, I tried to mend it but like I said, it was literally worn away in some spots. So I just knit up another one, with a regular yarn. He's tolerated us, but continues to ask for 'Blanket'. So I got home yesterday, whipped out one of the balls of yarn, and said, "Hey Alex, what's this?" He jumped up and down and said, "BLANKET!" It kind of blows me away that he remembers it.

Will is sullen because I haven't started that massive skull blanket project from DomiKNITrix yet, but that's HUGE.

I also got some fabric because Stacey insists that I can too make a simple wrap skirt using one of the patterns I got when Rag Shop went out of business. Let's see how simple it is when I call her, sobbing, at 1 a.m. one night soon... ;-)

I Haven't Disappeared Again...

...I'm just wiped. The new job is great - loving it! But I'm still getting back into the swing of things, and the school year is ramping up, so I'll be back shortly. Just let me get some more sleep...

Zombie Hunters, A Little Late...

I totally forgot to post some of the pictures from the Zombie Hunters shoot we were on a few weeks ago. What a great time. Mike was particularly thrilled at the chance to break a bottle over Patrick's head - something he's wanted to do for 15 years! Stacey got a bit bloody - she blogged about it, too.

I'll be updating the Zombie Hunters blog, so I'll post here when it's live with some juicy links.

Attack of the Crankies

Wow, I'm bitchy today. I just feel irritable and ready to bite someone's head off. I think being at home with the boys all summer long has whittled down a lot of patience. Only a couple of days more... I've even packed my little 'desk drawer bag', or the Duane Reade bag as I call it. All my little necessities, all in one convenient spot.

I think I'll do a week's worth of ironing, just to feel like I'm getting closer to the big day.

I'm at a knitting impasse at the moment, which is also making me cranky. I'm being my notorious self when it comes to finishing one piece that's been done for weeks, and something that should be relatively simple has a small stumbling block that's sent me off into inaction. And since knitting has become such a soothing activity for me, that's made me very irritable. Grr.

I think I need to do some yoga. I've skipped two days and think I'm starting to feel it. Which can be a good thing, since it means I've gotten back into a routine - hurrah!

And in a complete tangent, anyone want to discuss Britney's tragic performance at the VMAs? Or has Kanye's whiny meltdown moved to the topic du jour? Dude, he makes Alex look mature. Yeesh.

Ah... Insomnia...

Coming to you live from New Jersey again, it's 12:54 a.m. and I cannot sleep. Grr. Aside from Alex's small but incredibly bony elbows sticking me into the back, I'm just keyed up like crazy, obsessing on wrapping up business at the current job, enjoying my last few days as a mostly at-home mom, and getting ready to start a new page the week after.

If there were space, I'd do some yoga. But space is tight and I know I'd somehow crack my head open doing an intense downward dog. I'd knit, but I'd need the light on and that would definitely wake one of the boys up at least. I'm lucky the glow of the computer monitor hasn't roused them yet. I'd eat, but lots of things are starting to fit now that haven't in a long time, so I'm not jeopardizing that. Besides, I did some damage earlier at this street festival thingie Will wanted to go to.

Not only was it hotter than the outer reaches of Hell, but the food was awful. If I'm going to blow my healthy eating plan in a spectacular way for the day, it'd better be tasty. Any kind of outdoor festival must involve either zeppole or funnel cake. I saw a sign claiming to have zeppole, 6 for 3 bucks. Not bad! I order a bag and peek inside, waiting for a waft of hot, doughy powdered sugary goodness to hit. Zeppole, my foot. Zeppole turds, yes. They were these hard, tiny things that look like premature zeppole. And they were overcooked. Feh.

Of course, I ate them. Hey, I'm an eternal optimist - what if one of them was done right?

I've got to wander to a site that requires less typing and more reading. More to come, perhaps when the daylight hours hit.

Two Down!

Alex, ready to take on the world in his TMNT backpack today

Will and Alex at the playground for Will's first day, yesterday

I've got two kids in school. It feels so weird to say that.

Will started third grade yesterday - I think the bloom is off the rose, so to speak. He's happy to be around his friends again, but I'm not sure how much he loves school. I think he's turning into a 'dude'. I'm a little worried, what with this being the first year of the state tests that our NYC Public school kids must endure, so I'll have to sit tight and brace for the rough ride. I'm hoping I'm worrying for naught.

Alex, on the other hand, LOVES school. Walking with him today, I asked him if I could cry. He told me no, because he'd "be home later!" First into his classroom, he greeted his teachers with a happy "GOOD MORNING!", happily chose his own cubby, and proudly displayed his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack for them. Then he put his picture on the attendance board and ran to the circle time area to read. I barely got a kiss on the side of my ear because his new buddy, Jason, had arrived.

It's very strange, after being home for 9 months, to suddenly have 2 1/2 hours to oneself. I went back to Will's school to help escort new kindergarten parents and kids to the classrooms, and then took a nice, long walk. I figured if I rushed home just to sit in silence, I'd be pissed at myself for wasting two hours on a beautiful day. So I walked into Forest Hills, ended up at Barnes & Noble with a $25 gift card from my CafeMom Secret Sister (mwah! Love ya!), and browsed the crafting titles with an intensity normally reserved for parent-teacher conferences.

I ended up getting three kids' books and a free Halloween tote bag. Hey, I've got $6.50 left on the gift card, I'll get a new magazine; maybe the next issue of Interweave Knits.

I saw a chapter book for Will that looked interesting - and honestly, anything that keeps him reading these days, when it's getting tougher and tougher, is a book I'm going for. I've got the first in a new series, Fred and Anthony's Escape From the Netherworld. It's definitely going for the Captain Underpants audience, a couple of years older. And it claims to have "Ghosts! Monsters! Blood! Guts!" on the cover, so I'll take it. Wish me luck.

Alex, for whom reading and being read to is still a pleasure (please, please, PLEASE stay that way!), got two books (well, I figure he and Will could share one). Max's Halloween, which is a cute board book featuring Max from Max and Ruby, who Alex loves. Very cute stuff. I also saw a book by Carl Reiner, Tell Me a Scary Story - But Not Too Scary. It even came with a CD of Carl Reiner reading the book, with sound effects. For $7.99 and the chance at getting a free tote bag, it sealed the deal. The book is a home run with both boys, by the way - I've played the CD for Alex three times today, and Will's just put it in now. Score, baby!

I've finished off two books myself, but I'll blog more about them later. I'm wiped and I still have to get one kid out of the bath and put one in. And work out. And iron. I think I should rename myself Cinderella.

School Starts Tomorrow? Holy Crap!

So it's Labor Day today (Happy Birthday, Mom!) and I find myself embracing the fact that Will goes back to school tomorrow, and that Alex starts Pre-K the following day. And yes, I will cry like a 2-year old with a skinned knee when he does.

After being home all summer with the boys, I'm grateful to have had the time with them, but as I've said before and will say again until the day I die, being an at-home mom (or a part-time at-home mom, as I've been for the past few months) ain't pretty. I think I've said the word "Guys" in a threatening voice approximately every 2.5 seconds every day since June 28th, when Will got out of school. "Please!" follows, clocking in at about 3.2 second intervals. I've almost had sunstroke from being out in the park, while my children play blissfully on, I've watched a lot of DIY Network (new obsession show: Greetings from DIY - Lauren and Linda, I'm talking to you), I've knit a lot and even got to know my sewing machine a little better. I've baked a lot of muffins, I've explored some new recipes, and I've had a lot of fun.

That said, I'm thrilled to say I've accepted a full-time job! Starting on September 17, you can find me at Working Mother Magazine, where I'll be a Consumer Marketing Manager. I'm so excited; I've been reading the mag on and off for about 8 years, and to have the opportunity to be a part of the magazine is so exciting. I love the location (42nd right off of Vanderbilt), which will leave me the opportunity to meet with Stacey for some mac & cheese at Burger Heaven (mmmm...); I really hit it off with the people I interviewed with, and I'm thrilled and hopeful, which I haven't really been much of in a while.

The boys are excited to be in afterschool - yes, after I started my little experiment, figuring I'd give them the home-time and security and freedom I thought they were lacking, they turn around and tell me they miss their friends. Who knew?

So it's Fall, the kids are going back to school, and I kind of feel like they do, as I get ready to go back to work. I'm psyched that I'll have their first two weeks of school off for them (especially since I don't feel like scrambling so early on to find out where to put them on Rosh Hoshanah).

And to be mercenary for just a moment, it'll sure be nice to have two full-time paychecks again... a girl's gotta have yarn, ya know...

** NEW ** THE OFFICE SUMMER VACATION

I cannot WAIT for the premiere! And hour-long episodes for the first FOUR weeks? The Office rocks!

Happy Birthday!!

Alex is now the big "4"! Happy birthday, sweetie!

Soggy Summer

Here it is, August, and I feel like I've wandered into March by mistake. Yeesh.

Well, I've been in beautiful downtown Dumont, NJ, since Tuesday - a getaway with the kids at Nana's - and it's been soggy. I'm hoping the weather lets up today so I can get them to a park. My uncle stopped by and took us to a Burger King with a playground yesterday, and then to a store to do some school supply shopping (which Will does begrudgingly), so that was nice. I'm hoping he calls again today, because I get antsy being stuck in doors all day - especially when I'm indoors with two little ones who get wackier than I do.

Alas, payday isn't until tomorrow, so my beloved Skein Attraction remains in the distance. Uncle Bill offered to take me yesterday, but going into a yarn store with no resources is just cruel and unusual punishment. I continue to amuse myself with my Baby Ull yarn, picked up last time. The pattern has given me a little less agita since I fooled around with it, so I've gotten much of the pieces knit; now I just have the inevitable (sob) assembly - and you can bet I'll be at Skein Attraction for that.

I really have to work on the Zombie Hunters press kit. I'm showing it tomorrow. I've got to clean up the stationery I've concepted, and need to pick up red and black folders today. Lots of cutting and pasting in my immediate future. I've got some cool production stills printed out, just have to whittle down exactly which ones I'll use. I'm going to probably let Patrick vote on the final 4 or 5. Then I go to work on the blogs and CafePress store that I've set up.

I went on a tear and read every script, and I can't believe how good the storyline is. It's great stuff, and I hope this really takes off. I'll keep this space posted on the developments. I'll be AD'ing this weekend, so that's cool. It's been a long time since I've been behind the cameras!

Bad Blogger...

I've been a bad blogger. I have so much stuff to write, and of course, I've blanked. Grr. So expect updates as my memory recovers.

One thing I would love to blog about is my trip to an honest-to-goodness LYS (local yarn store, for all the non-knitters out there). I've read lots about the LYS phenomenon, but locally for me means A.C. Moore or Michael's (which have lots of nifty yarns - I've embraced the racks there on a regular basis for a while now). But man, I haven't been to a place dedicated solely to yarn and the knit/crochet craft since I left Garden City (Garden City Stitches, where I spent many a lunch hour ogling and pawing at the beautiful yarns). I found a place by mom, The Skein Attraction, in Teaneck. And it was there that I found Valhalla...

Yarn, as far as the eye could see. A big table in the middle of the store, with women knitting away and laughing. A little spot for kids in the back, so I don't have to hear Alex's chorus of "BO-RING!" as I wander the baskets of yarn. A very, very nice proprieter who looked at the pattern I showed her (which I can't talk about here just yet, as the person for whom it's destined may be reading this) and led me to the most adorable yarn - and I didn't have to mortgage any future earnings to take it home. Skein Attraction rocks, and I'll definitely be back.

Um... actually, I have to go back... because the pattern is giving me agita already. Grr.

But I'm working on a different pattern for now, so all is well. As long as I have something to knit, I'm safe to be around these days.

One more word about knitting - I picked up the 25th Anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting. Awesome.

My Personal DNA

After Stacey's observation that we haven't been doing enough quizzes lately, I found this one courtesy of USA Today's Pop Candy...

My personalDNA Report

Star Trek Meets Monty Python

Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead Teaser 1

Steve & Barry's

I've been Bitten (get it? It's funny!) by Steve & Barry's Sarah Jessica Parker line. I love that the t-shirts are not only $7.98 for the most part, but that they run a little long (especially since they're on the skinny side). I bought five different tees that I can actually wear to work, plus one cute little tuxedo-type sleeveless shirt. I also got a pair of gunmetal-colored cargo-type pants that roll up and button to be two different lengths of capris (I must go back and buy different colors so I don't get Old Navy syndrome, where I buy one pair to see how it fits, go back and there are none left). Got a pair of jeans capris, too - two pairs of pants, $14.98 each? Whoo hoo! I will note that the pants are cut way low - almost too low for someone who's borne two children via c-section and isn't exactly built like Ms. SJP - but thankfully, the aforementioned long tees cover it. And hell, with some more Pilates and yoga, maybe in a couple of weeks I'll feel a little less uncomfortable. The clothes are made to be layered, which I also dig.

Methinks Steve & Barry has a new fan in me...

Okay, off to knit more of that hat. I've only got two rows cast on so far, so taking a picture of it wouldn't really show much. Talk to me tomorrow.

Lost - Synchronised events around Plane Crash

This is sooo cool.

Oh My God.

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login

I may never get off the computer again.

Gah!

I know, it's been too long since I finished my BEA blog about my goodies. Does anyone even care at this point? How 'bout I just blog about the books I've read from that pile so far? I've got two down that I'd love to blather on about because they are that good. And I've got a couple of great knitting projects to put y'all to sleep with, hee hee...

First off, I've found another baby hat charity to knit for. You know how much I love knitting up baby hats, and when I visited another knitter's blog, If You Want to Destroy My Sweater (saw her on Knitty Gritty!). She's knitting hats for Hats for Alex and I warn you now, this one is a heartbreaker. Nothing like crying into my coffee at 7 in the morning. All I can say is, no matter how stoic you are, you scroll down enough and you will lose it. I just can't understand how someone can hurt an infant. Any child, really, but an infant? Okay, I'm not going there on this blog.

So I've cast on another adorable hat from the book One Skein and I'll take a picture of its progress later today. And in related BEA news, I'm using the skein I got from Storey Publishing's booth (they publish One Skein and the book they were promoting this year, One Skein Wonders).

More about the actual books from BEA later; I'm actually at work now pulling messages off voice mail and now I need to start my day. Perhaps there will be details of a trip to Steve & Barry's to try on some of Sarah Jessica Parker's line, too... stay tuned!

One More...

Take it all in, baby... notice that two C. Thomas Howell posters mixed in among the Duran Duran ones?

We Interrupt The BEA Blogging to Bring You The 80s...

Yes, those are patterned jeans. And no, those posters aren't randomly up on the walls; I used to have extensive layouts created, assuring that each member of Duran Duran got air time on their own walls. What?

BEA, The Madness Continues...

Okay, so I'd left off as I working myself into a frenzy describing the sweet swag from BEA. So, being mom of the year, most of the stuff was for Will and Alex. I'll pick up where I left off from yesterday...

- The Boy's Body Book, by Kelli Dunham from Cider Mill Press. I told Mike he can give it to Will... and he promptly chickened out. It's a cool book, written basically for ages 9-10 and up, and doesn't cover the terrifying stuff just yet. It's really about being a good friend, making sure boys don't bow to peer pressure, and starts to touch on the basics of just taking care of your body and such. I gave it to Will and offered to read it with him or have him read it and come to Mike or I with any questions. He sat down on the couch and curled up with it, so let's see what comes of it...

- The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech from Harper. Any book with a cover that resembles an illuminated manuscript is going in my bag. Nancy got an autographed copy, the lucky dawg.

- Peanut Butter & Jeremy's Best Book Ever! by James Kochalka from the Alternative Comics table. It's cute, it's about a cat who thinks he works in an office and wears a little hat and tie, and an irritating crow. Heck, I read it before I handed it off to Will. It's cute!

- Soupy Saturdays with The Pain & The Great One by Judy Blume. It's Judy Blume, therefore I must have it. Heck, I may even give it to Will when I finish it...

- The Thief Queen's Daughter by Elizabeth Hayden from Starscape. It's fantasy, there's a dragon on the cover, what's the question?

- Yo! I Know Stuff! Brain-Building Quizzes - Got this from the World Almanac for Kids table; Will is all about those quizzes and bizarre facts. Predictably, he grabbed this one first.

- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie from Little, Brown. I have no idea what this one's about, but it was all over the place at BEA and I had about three different folks hand me a copy. Let me know if you read it.

- The What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys by Lynda Madras over at the Newmarket Press table. This one is for older boys; I'll hang onto it for a while. Can you guess I'm terrified of having an all-too rapidly approaching 'tween son? I'm arming myself with as much information as I can get.

- Fairy Haven & The Quest for the Wand, by Gail Carson Levine over at Disney Press. This is an example of me getting caught up in the freebie haze. I saw the title, figured it for some good fantasy to read with Will, and grabbed it, only to come home and see that it is a Disney Fairies adventure. After asking Will if he'd still be interested and getting the look of the century, I've decided that this will be a lovely addition to my 5-year old god-daughter's library.

- Nightmare Academy by Dean Lorey from Harper. Yeah, baby. Demon on the cover, spooky funky font - Will and I are all over this one.

- Pirate's Passage by William Gilkerson from Trumpeter. Yes, these books are in fact for Will, do you doubt me? He happens to be developing stellar taste in his literary genres.

- Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress from Weinstein Books. Another hot one at BEA, tons of them being given out. Kid frees his teacher from pirates. Whoo hoo!

- Homework Helpster Grade 3 from the Black Dog & Leventhal table. Cool little homework helper with its own little prop-up stand. Will gave me a somewhat hairy eyeball but accepted my gesture of love.

Speaking of hairy eyeballs, I'm getting one now, which tells me I've apparently overstayed my time on the computer. More to come...

Book Whore 2007 (or, Roe's Weekend at BookExpo)

I am a shameless book hussy. Those covers give me that sly wink, a subtle nod, and I'm all over them, caution flung to the wind. So you can imagine what it's like for me at BookExpo, when I'm in a place like the Jacob Javits Center - packed to the seams with books for the taking (for the most part).

I worked BookExpo this time around; normally I'm merely a visitor. Booth duty can be long and tough, but when you get a chance to wander every now and then, it makes it all worthwhile. Seeing so many of my friends was great, too. It's been a while for some of my Bookspan friends so it was a little like a reunion. And Nancy was there on Friday, so that was fun, chasing each other via voicemail to meet up somewhere (eventually, we met up - on the ride home that she and her parents were kind enough to extend to me!).

So where to begin? I brought home about 60 books and assorted other stuff. I got some great autographs and met some very cool people. Nancy got a crazy amount of autographs, I'm jealous. ;-) I did get Will a signed copy of Wizardology, which he was most excited to receive. I was Mom of the Year for like, five whole minutes or something. Wow.


I totally missed the Sabuda signings - he did like two or three - but I was determined to get this one. It is quite cool, and I'm sure we'll be curling up on the couch and reading this one after I get through Thor's Wedding Day, which I borrowed from Nancy eons ago...

The DC booth was rocking with grade-A freebies. Not only did I score tons of bookmarks for the kids, and buttons of Green Lantern, Flash and Superman, but I got hardcover copies of Justice (rocking the Alex Ross cover) and Identity Crisis, and a trade paperback of Watchmen . I also got two issues of Mad Kids magazine and an issue of Mad Magazine for Will.

Continuing in my "I'm a good Mom" vein, I scored more for Will and Alex:

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TPB of Out of the Shadows from the Titan Books table. (They're also doing a Stargate: Atlantis companion, which I scored a copy of for Mike - I'm a good wife, too). And Supernatural fans, wait - they're doing companions for that show, too (which I'm probably going to have to get Will). Back to TMNT - it's penned by Peter David, so I may have to read it myself...

- signed copy of What Stinks? by Marilyn Singer for Alex. Come on, with a name like that, I was supposed to pass it up?

- F&Gs (folded & gathered signatures, kind of a version of a galley for picture books) for Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems (Nancy got a signed copy... garrrr!), The Longest Christmas List Ever by Gregg & Evan Spiridellis (they're the brothers who did the hilarious This Land animation with Bush and Kerry; check it out on JibJab.com); and Do Unto Otters: A Book on Manners by Laurie Keller (complete with sheet of stickers!).

- Two more Hot Dog & Bob adventures, to go with the first two I picked up for Will last year.

- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle and Bill Martin, Jr. I was psyched not only to get copies of these books, but to find out that Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? will be coming out in August. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is one of Alex's fave books, so I was happy to bring him this news. He was even happier to get the poster.

Okay, I've got a lot more to describe but I'll pick this up tomorrow. I'm still exhausted. Later.

My Baby's Eight!!

Will, even as a baby, would ponder the mysteries of the universe...

So my baby turned 8 this week. I'm still not sure how exactly that happened. I feel like I just blinked and about 20 years of my life went on fast-forward. I have a son who is finishing second grade; who has developed a love of skulls, fantasy, history (we're currently debating the merits of the ancient Celts versus the Mongols), and video games. He plays in Little League, loves to ninja-attack his favorite uncles (hint - none of whom are related to him by blood), and at the same time, still crawls into my lap and hands me a book. Even if that means his legs are going from the edges of my lap and hanging over the couch legs, he still does it.

Happy Birthday, Baby. Mommy loves you.

Hey - It Was the 80s...

Little-known fact - Annie and I were up for replacing Vivian Campbell and Adrian VanDenburg in Whitesnake...

Hey, don't blame me - there is no product in this hair. Hormones caused this, and my well-known disdain for a hair dryer (I have better things to do with my time than spend an hour blowing my hair out straight, and it's dry enough, for Pete's sake) didn't help. But go ahead, suppress your giggles - or don't - and enjoy this little trip back to the late '80s.

Family Project...

So I've decided, after cleaning out my closet (see the post on Domestic Goddesses here), I've of course let my tangential mind wander again. I've decided that my copious photo albums - I'm not exaggerating here, I've got a lot - are in danger somehow of falling victim to some sort of natural disaster, so I'm scanning the photos and burning them to disc. (Yes, I know the discs can fall prey to a natural disaster or unnatural disaster too, but at least I'm doubly covered.) Of course, this will probably take me until the rest of my natural life, but hey - I need things to do, right?

Aside from alternately marveling and being mortified at some of my own hair and fashion choices (not to mention some of my family's), it's becoming a nice trip down memory lane. I haven't looked through many of these photos in a long time, and it's nice to see my Nana and my Aunt Do again. I miss them a lot. My Nana is probably laughing herself silly every time I ask my mom for advice on sewing a straight seam or show her proudly my latest knitting adventure. Nana tried to teach my mom all of this stuff years ago, only to have my mom stare blankly at her, then burst into giggles. So at least somehow, the gene got passed on. Kinda.

Seeing pictures of my cousin Tim still ache. He died way too young; I was newly pregnant with Alex when he died, so I pressed down a lot of the grief and anger because keeping my body healthy for my baby was the most important thing. It's been four years, and I notice it's starting to leak out in dribs and drabs every now and then. For some reason, I can't let myself just let go and grieve. Maybe I'm not done being angry yet. Maybe I'm just used to shoving something down until it doesn't show. Maybe it's a lot of things, an amalgamation of everything. But I find myself scanning through pictures with me and Timmy a lot more quickly than I do any other ones.

Love Office Fans...

Anyone counting unicorns or leprechauns? ;-)

Multimedia message

...and Goofball #2!

Multimedia message

Goofball #1 at Johnny Rockets...

To My Fellow Office-Fans Out There...

Gotta give a shout-out to the Snarkwife on this one. You know I immediately Googled "SchruteBuck" this morning, and her site came up. You ROCK, my friend. Now, if someone would just create a Stanley Nickel, I'd be thrilled.

It's gotten bad... just foraged and snarfed down some M&Ms left over from Valentine's Day. Anyone who knows me knows that unless they're peanut M&Ms, I don't bother. But I bothered. Grocery shopping this weekend, and I can finally get some healthy snacks back in the house. Gar!

I'm cleaning out closets today. Bleah. Gotta start getting rid of so much, I haven't done a proper spring cleaning in too long. Maybe if I feel better about dumping all the 'baggage', literally and figuratively, I'll get the reboot that I need.

I need to get back on track and get back to feeling good and taking care of myself. I'm tired of vacillating between self-destruct and barely maintaining. I've made such a major decision and it's taken so much crap off my shoulders, I guess I thought everything else would magically fall into place. But nothing really does that magically, does it? You have to work for everything you want. So now I just have to start working. Even if it's slow progress, it's progress.

And I really have to stop this mindset of eating all the crap in the house assures it won't be there to tempt me. Don't know how I fell into that trap, but it's got me. Yeesh.

Argh... Self Control, Please...

Mike, bless his heart, bought me three - count 'em, three - different bars of Lindt chocolate for Mother's Day. The first two - pistachio and toffee nut crunch - I was fairly judicious in my consumption of. But the third, Stracciatella - basically, cookies 'n' cream in a chocolate bar - well, I just sat down to work at my computer (I'm pulling together MQP's booth for Book Expo, baby! Whoo hoo!!) and now there aren't even crumbs to show this bar once existed. Wow.

I needs me some self-control. I was doing so well, too! Okay, no guilt. Back to square one. Ish.

At least there are no more Lindt bars in the house to tempt me, right?

Next Up... Lost

Tomorrow's the season finale, right? Something tells me there will be rage... on my part, that is. Last episode was so good - the past few episodes have really been very good, thankfully - so the fact that another season is coming to a close makes me nuts.

They've been wrapping up a lot of little things here and there, too, which is nice; it's like the first season and beginning of the second, where they would give answers to some things while presenting other things to think about. Hallelujah!

But one thing I haven't seen them get back to much is the numbers. Are they ever going to throw us that bone and tell us how the heck the numbers come into play? I need to know what the numbers mean, and how some guy in a mental institution knew what they were (remember, that's how Hurley got them).

And weren't we supposed to get more Libby flashbacks (I'm guessing via Desmond)? Hmm.

The big question, naturally, is what the heck happens to Locke. This is going to be soooo good...

Heroes Tonight!!

I am SO psyched. Every episode has been better than the one before.

BTW, I've started posting on Domestic Goddesses again, so click on over and read about my newest manic decision to redo my kitchen. Har, har, har...

The Best Part of Being a Mom

I was on CafeMom yesterday, and one of the questions posed was "What's the best part of being a mom?" As usual, I couldn't pick just one thing, so here's my response.

What's the best part about being a mom? Oh, that's easy. It's all about the hugs. You know which ones I'm talking about, those full body (literally - when they wrap their arms around your neck and their legs around your waist), squeeze you 'til you're both of out breath, giggly hugs. Or the sleepy hugs, the ones where they just sling an arm around your neck when you come in to kiss them goodnight just one more time. Usually accompanied with a crooked, sleepy smile and a murmured, "Love you, Mommmmm....zzzz..."

Or is it the gummy smiles of a new baby? Those are really good, too. Those first smiles, when you just roll your eyes at everyone who tries to burst your motherhood bubble by telling you that it's "just gas" and think, "What do you know about my kid? I just carried him/her inside my body for nine months, I think I know a real smile when I see it, thanks very much." I particularly love the ones that start out slowly, just like sunrise. A little smirk, slowly parting into a half-moon of lips, and ending with a full-on, toothless expression of pure joy just because you're standing there. That's the best part.

Or is it when you and your kids love the same things? When I sit next to my all-too-rapidly-approaching-8-year-old son, who wants me to sit with him and watch Star Wars: Episode 3 with him again because he knows that's the only one I consider even worth my time outside of the original Star Wars trilogy; the ones George Lucas originally conceived before a plethora of money apparently made him insane (Will disagrees, but what does he know? He's been tainted by CGI technology...) Or when we love the same parts of Lord of the Rings, and we scream at Gandalf together to watch out, that Balrog isn't really dead... Yeah, that's it. That rocks.

Oh, but wait... how about when your preschooler comes to you with a book, curls up in your lap, presents you with your favorite - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - and says, "Reading time is cuddle time, Mommy!" And proceeds to sit back in your lap like an easy chair, waiting for you to begin in your best Pigeon voice, and tell him the story about the Pigeon's meltdown. That's the best.

Um... but then there's when you're helping out at your kid's school book fair on your birthday, and he has his entire class wish you "Happy Birthday, William's Mommy," as they pass by the library on their way down to lunch. That's a tough one to beat...

Okay, just give me a while to think this through... I'll come up with the one thing, honest. Just give me a sec...

Garrrr!

Looks like Captain Jack Sparrow's crew has invaded my living room!

Bean Bag Fun

Alex finds a way to amuse himself while my mom and I shop yesterday...

Those giant Lands' End bean bags rock; I would totally outfit my living room with a bunch of them...

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One of the better things about freelancing... Spending time with Mommy friends and getting shots like this.

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Will and Alex kill time waiting for the photographer. I'm shocked they sat this still!

What the Hell?


Find out your Spider-Man personality at LiquidGeneration!

Um... dunno how accurate this one is...

How Cool Is This?

First Hokie KAL Scarf

Here's a shot of the first scarf I've done for the VA Tech KAL I'm involved with. It's the same yarn I used for my mom's collared wrap about a year ago, so it's a fine (DK weight) yarn I used size 6 needles on. It looks nice, I think, and my mom will be the recipient of the first scarf.

I was about to start another scarf when I realized I have way too many projects taking up needles that I need for more scarves. So I finished a sleeveless sweater from an Family Circle Easy Knitting pattern I started last month, just because it was 3/4 of the way done and I could feel accomplished. I finished it and blocked it last night; it's currently sitting pinned to my ironing board in my bedroom waiting to dry so I can seam it up. Yes, you read that right; I will actually seam it up. It's a new me.

I even got more work accomplished on a cute U-neck vest I am knitting myself. I got the pattern from the first issue of Knit.1 mag about a year or so ago, and fell in love with it. Of course, I didn't buy the yarn for it until earlier this year when I used my birthday gift card from Stacey, but hey - I bought it, right? It's a little more than halfway done, but of course, I need more yarn because I underbought. Argh. And that's the project that's taking up the two needles I need for more scarves. I think I'll just grit my teeth and use straight needles to keep the momentum going, scarfwise.

I have to split now, I have to go to Sears to get Will a new shirt for his Communion photos at 1 p.m. today. And I just saw that I have a Communion workshop for parents at Church from 11 to 1 today. So I have to bring Alex, which will be BIG fun. Gah!

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Finally finished the pillowcases I bought the fabric for a year ago!

When bad things happen, I'm one of those people who want to do something, but never know what to do. So I'm grateful to Cindy Cafaro, who figured out how to do something, anything, in the aftermath of Virginia Tech.

Mary Read
Hometown: Annandale, Va.
Age: 19 years old
Class: Freshman
Major: Undeclared
Location: Norris Hall
Related Links: Student, 19, with relatives here among the victims, (Rochester Democrat and Herald, April 17,2007)
Profile: Mary Read was a "fun-loving 19-year-old" who graduated from Fairfax's Annandale High School last spring, said her aunt, Karen Kuppinger of Rochester, N.Y.

Apparently, Mary was a knitter, too. Among some of her projects was a scarf that she made her grandmother. Her aunt, Karen Kuppinger shares:

"Here's a story about what a sweet, family-oriented girl she is," Kuppinger said. "The last time I saw her -- a year ago Thanksgiving here at my house -- she kept disappearing while she was here. I finally said, 'Mary, what are you up to? Are you reading a good book or something?' She was knitting a beautiful scarf -- a multicolored fluffy scarf like the girls wear -- for her grandmother for Christmas. My mother still wears it. She did very thoughtful things like that always and was very close to her mother and father and brothers."

Cindy decided to honor Mary's memory in the best way she could; she has organized a knit-a-long (I'm sure crochet-ers are welcome to join!) to honor Mary's memory, as well as the other victims. Participants will in this KAL will knit up their fluffiest novelty yarn into a scarf for an elderly person. Recipients can be loved ones or charities (e.g., nursing homes), but the gift will be made in honor of Mary Read. It's the simplest, more eloquent tribute and I'm happy to be a part.

You can check out Cindy's blog at http://maryreadmemorialkal.blogspot.com/, and e-mail her to join the knit-a-long. I will be posting pictures of my scarves (and scarves-in-progress) both here and on that blog (once you e-mail her to join the knit-a-long, she'll provide you with access to the blog).

Ghetto Knitter



I came across the most hilarious and true post today. While I do love myself the cashmere blends and the pricey yarns, I like to think that the craft store yarns do just fine by me - they sure as heck take it easier on my wallet. I know many yarn snobs tends to look down on this, and to them I say, "Buy my yarn, if it bothers you." Regardless - I'm not here to kick that debate into high gear one more time. But this post pretty much sums it up:

You Know You're a Ghetto Knitter If:

* Your fancy yarn comes from KnitPicks, or the clearance bin at the LYS.
* You don't understand why Plymouth Encore costs twice as much as Wool-Ease.
* You carry around your knitting in the plastic bag your yarn came in. Who's Jordana Paige? (I actually know the answer to that question, but it's only because I saw her on Knitty Gritty)
* You block your shawls with thumbtacks and bamboo skewers (um... do safety pins and an ironing board count?)
* You save those little charms that come with bottles of red wine to use as stitch markers. (No, but I have cut straws down and used those. I thought that made me dedicated.)
* You thought Addis were a new kind of athletic footwear.

If you can identify with one or more of these statements, then you are a Ghetto Knitter! Ghetto Knitters of the World, Unite! After all, it's easy to be a knitter when you've got Rowan Calmer to knit with. When all you've got is Red Heart and Lion Brand, but decide to knit anyway, well, that's true passion for the craft.

Keep an eye out for this logo, you'll be seeing it a lot soon... in the meantime, check out the site here.

Crochet Girl

I've decided to pick up an honest-to-goodness crochet pattern and give it a shot. I picked an "easy" one from an old issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting & Crochet, and found a cute capelet. Astonishingly, it's not making me pull my hair out while I jam the crochet hook into my eyes. I think it's - dare I say? - kind of cute. I'll take pictures soon.

It's so funny, I learned to crochet first - over 10 years ago, now - and never really advanced beyond scarves and blankets, all done in either single, double or triple crochet and that was that. So now I feel obligated to try and learn more.

Still hanging by the telephone, to paraphrase Blondie. I spent most of the late afternoon in bed. Have to shake it off. It's hard.

One thing that's helping, though, is actually doing marketing and publicity stuff for my buddy Dan's book, Closet Monsters: Zombied Out and Tales of Gothrotica. ISO has picked up the book (and they didn't even need a reader report from me, hee hee) and hopefully, he'll start getting some press. I also wrote the press release, if I may say so myself. Now, we've got to get the GLBT press to be aware of the book. I'm checking out different search engines to submit his site to.

And I've also started doing marketing and publicity for Patrick's upcoming show, Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead. This has been a blast; I've started submitting the sites to search engines, found a bunch of horror search engines, and am trying to get a table for the show to exhibit at the HorrorFind weekend in August. And I'm fooling around with a CafePress boutique, too. So more on all of that once it's ready to go.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Five Year Meme

I found this on a blog ideas board, thought it would be fun. Give descriptions of your life in five year jumps working back from 2007, so every year that ends with a 2 and 7.

1972 - I was two, we had just moved to the apartment I ended up spending the next 23 years in, and my first memory is around this time. My mom carried me into the kitchen, where my dad was on a ladder, painting the kitchen cupboards. He turned around and made a goofy face at me. That's about it. :-)

1977 - I was 7, and Star Wars entered my life. Need I say more? I remember my dad signing me up for the Star Wars fan club - still have my introductory poster, the dogfight by the Death Star.

1982 - I was a preteen (12) and roller skating with my three best friends, Annie and Sandy (twin sisters who are still two of my closest friends) and Manisha (who I lost touch with after college). We logged hours and hours of playtime on our block that summer. I was also whiny because Mom and Dad wouldn't let me see Blade Runner with my beloved Harrison Ford.

1987 - Ah, the beginning of my senior year of high school. Duran Duran toured Notorious earlier that year, so I got to see them in concert finally (with Erasure as their opening act - how great a show is that?!), Def Leppard released Hysteria, we had our senior trip to Busch Gardens Virginia, I was going on weekly trips down to Greenwich Village with my galfriends, and having a great year. Love 1987.

1992 - I was 21 and graduating college, working two part-time jobs until I could find a full-time one, and dating the man who'd eventually become my husband. I was a full-fledged book and sci-fi nerd (and I say that with pride) and hanging out with a bunch of people who I still have the privilege to call my friends all these years later. I was playing the Dark Conspiracy RPG and having a pretty good time overall. I started off the year making my first trip overseas, to visit my friend Helene in Sweden. Not a bad way to start off a year.

1997 - I was engaged and living with Mike. We'd go out, have friends over, host Vampire: The Masquerade card games, and generally just have a good time. Mike built a shelving set that went around our living room for our copious books. It looked like a drop ceiling filled with books. We had two bookshelves mounted on the walls to hold all Mike's pewter miniatures, and I had Star Wars action figures displayed on the walls. It was a great place. Hell, I still miss the dishwasher.

2002- I had a three-year old asking nonstop questions and ended the year finding out I'd have a new addition shortly. We had our best friends coming over every Friday night to eat, laugh, watch TV and occasionally, coerce the men into a Boys vs. Girls Trivial Pursuit game.

2007- We've still got the best buds coming over, maybe not weekly but often enough to keep us all happy. I've somehow managed to acquire a 7 1/2 and a 3 1/2 year old. I knit. Obsessively. I am still a happy sci-fi nerd and am currently researching Cthulhu knitting patterns. I've had some ups and downs - haven't we all - but learning how to deal with them comes with the territory.

Last One for Today...

Although it's showing up aqua, this is a baby green hat for Will's teacher (well, her baby-to-be), Mrs. Pine. It's knit in Lion Brand Baby and it's got a little basket weave pattern. I'm hoping to bang out a matching set of booties and cardigan, and with the pinwheel blanket, I'll have a whole layette set to give her.

I'll say this much; knitting keeps me from losing my mind these days.

Pinwheel Blanket - Complete!

Here's one of the two pinwheel blankets I began a little while ago. This one is in the softest pink Bernat Satin yarn, with a fuzzy yellow yarn (I think it's Hunny? Can't remember right now)crocheted border to finish it off. I love the way it turned out! I'm sending this off to a friend who's due in a couple of weeks (along with the ever-present Umbilical Cord Hat and one of the Jester Hats I just finished) shortly.

I've got the second pinwheel blanket done too; I did it in yellow Lion Brand Baby yarn with a green Lion Brand Baby border (single crocheted and then double crocheted) and it looks adorable; that's going to Will's teacher for her baby-to-be. Photos forthcoming.

Triumph Over Adversity!

Your eyes do not deceive you... I HAVE SEAMED! TWO HATS! Those cute little jester hats from a few posts ago? I sat down yesterday and told myself I could not knit anything new until I finished these. I fought myself for an hour, but I sewed them both up. And they look kinda cute. So who knows? Maybe it's the dawn of a new day.

Now I just have to make the pom-poms to add...

Preemie Hats

Learning to knit with circular needles - actually knit in the round with them - opened up a huge door to me, especially since I think I've documented pretty well by now my issues with seaming up my work. But learning to knit with double pointed needles allowed me to start doing small, fine work that was too small to even do on circular needles.

I've been wanting to knit preemie hats for ages; I had once read about knitters making things for premature babies, who are just too small for the standard-issue hats the hospitals have, and to give a nice, handmade touch to the babies and their parents, who are already out of their minds with worry. And since anyone who knows me knows how I tear up at anything involving kids in distress, preemie hats seemed like the way to go (although by Fall/Winter 2007-08, I will have more of my act together to take part in the Warm Up America Foundation afghan squares project, and the Caps to the Capital initative for newborns). I customized the Stitch & Bitch pattern for my current favorite, the Umbilical Cord Hat, to a tinier size. It's heartbreakingly cute; it looks like a doll's hat (and it very well can be) but when you realize that it's going to go on a baby's head - let the sniffles flow.

So enjoy. I'll go whip out a few more...

One More...

One of Theresa's and mine. :-)

Garden in Transit

With school being out all week, the operative phrase is "whatever keeps you sane". So when the opportunity to take part in Garden in Transit came up, I jumped. And I am so glad I did, because I had a blast, and as you can see, so did Will.

Garden in Transit is a public art project - Portraits of Hope, an organization that tries to make kids' lives brighter through art, is doing it. Check out their website(s), they've done some great stuff. Anyway, this time out, it's New York Taxicabs. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the yellow taxi, Garden in Transit is letting folks paint decals that cabs will sport all throughout the city. It was so much fun. My friends and I painted four decals; Will and his buddy George got through five. They look Warhol-esque, n'est pas? We even got to sign the petals, so who knows? Maybe one day, I'll see one of our cabs drive by.

The springy flowers got me out of this several week-long funk I've fallen back into. It was nice. I even knitted another baby hat.

Speaking of knitting, I finished two of the pinwheel blankets - pictures to come. I love how they look, especially the one with the slightly thicker yarn (Bernat Satin - what a beautiful sheen). I finished each with a row of single crochet and then a row of double crochet on top with a contrasting yarn. I have found a new blanket obsession.

More pictures to come...

Spring, Spring, Where Are You?

You know, when it snows, I normally get as excited as my kids. But I'm looking out the window at this wet glop falling out of the sky and I'm just irritable. When the heck is Spring going to stop teasing us and finally stay?

Anyway, positive thoughts. My little niece, Keira, turned one the other day (jeez, that went fast. Any my nephew, Brayden, will be three in a few weeks - yikes), so we went over for a little party. Here she is (recognize the hat?):

What a little cutie, right? I can't wait to cover this little girl in Hello Kitty garb; I've already warned my SIL Julie that Keira will enjoy my Hello Kitty obsession to its fullest. Why don't they make Hello Kitty baby gear, anyway? I think I may have to apply to Sanrio for a license and produce my own.

Lost...

Thoughts on last night's episode? I like that I got an answer to something we'd suspected for a little while now, and a meaningful flashback that provided that answer. Poor Charlie... any bets on whether or not he's making it out of Season 3?

Any commentary on the bit we saw on next week's episode?

It's been a while since Lost hasn't left me pissed off, so let's chat about it.

ROCK STAR!

Rock star, baby! I know this looks like an oversized Rasta hat here, but it's the blanket - those bamboo needles were just what the knitter ordered; I cast on my five stitches and started to boogie. By evening's end, I was off the double pointed needles and onto the 29" circular. Whoo hoo! It's a lot of fun, but something tells me this is going to be a loooong haul - glad the teacher's baby shower isn't until May. I love the pinwheel detail; it's so cute.

Self Challenge Update: Still struggling with journaling food, but I am getting exercise. I am being mindful of what I eat, so I'm getting 'there' slowly but surely. Once I get out of this damned holding pattern with the job I'm hoping to hear from, I'm hoping to get out of this funk and get back into a routine, both of which will help me get fully back on the rails.

Pinwheel Blanket

I came across this pattern on my website tour and fell head over heels in love immediately. It's round. How cool is that? If I could make this one work, I will be a rock star. I've included pictures of what the completed blanket should look like; I've also included a shot of my success at finally getting the five stitches cast onto three double-pointed needles. I must have tried this cast on about 50 times, but so far, it's knitting up nicely. I'll keep you posted; I am so psyched to do this blanket. I think I'll trim it in a nice chenille - but I'd better not get ahead of myself.

Also, in my quest to find all things sparkly and shiny to stick on my blog margin, I've included a new link to Naughty Secretary Club - get your minds out of the gutter; it's a crafter's blog by Jennifer Perkins, who's on two of my DIY obsessions, Craft Lab and the ultra-fabulous Stylelicious.

BTW, I'm in danger of becoming a crafting couch potato if I don't get some gainful employment soon. Now I'm DVR-ing Stylelicious, Knitty Gritty, Craft Lab, Uncommon Threads and Creative Juice. Creative Juice is very dangerous because they have crafting and cooking tips. Deadly. If I stop blogging for a significant amount of time, do me a favor and have someone check in on me. You may find me catatonic in front of my TV, remote frozen in my hand. Merci.

Yup... More Hats...

I fell in love with this Jester Hat from the Yarn Girls' Guide to Kids' Knits and decided to knit a few up. The pattern works out great; I loved doing it so much I threw a second one in there (my knits are on the right, the Yarn Girls' version is on the left). How cute will this look? I even went and bought one of those pom-pom makers, so I can get the fuzzy pom-poms down pat.

Guess what's holding me back? C'mon, take a good look. Seams. Sigh. I think I need to use my powers of Internet searching to find a site that walks people like me through painless seaming.

The Dog Sweater

So my mom got a dog, Chester, through a rescue in her neighborhood. He's a Jack Russell Terrier mix and he's psychotic but lovable (I say psychotic because he has that crazy Jack Russell nervous energy - holy crap, I thought having two boys was tough). And he needed a sweater. Enter, Roe.

Go 'head. Ask me if the sweater's done. Now that we're looking at 50 degree days. C'mon. Ask.

What's left to do, you may ask? Um... seaming. I just suck.

The Dark Ages of My Hat Knitting...

I wasn't always in love with the idea of knitting in the round. It confounded me. It made me nervous. I decided I wasn't good enough to give it a shot, so I shied away from it. I could just sew the darn things up the back, right? (Yes, I know I've stated many times that I am a seaming delinquent, but I needed to be able to make excuses, okay?) So my hats looked like little Frankensteins, a jagged seam running up the back. I shudder looking at them now, the poor little things. (Yup, the blue, white and yellow ones below are examples of my earlier work.)

What changed my mind? Preemie caps. I'd been dying to do something for charity (we knitters are a charitable bunch - check some of them out at http://www.dailyknitter.com/charity.html), and thought it would be great to do preemie caps for little premature babies. The problem? Can't have seams. They hurt the babies' little heads. Well, that just made me get all teary-eyed (you know anything with kids does that to me) at the thought of my Frankenstein-esque creations hurting a preemie, so I knuckled down and busted out my copy of SnB. I went to Rag Shop, bought a pair of 16" circulars, and went to work.

This white hat is the first hat I made for a preemie, on circular needles. The only problem is, the yarn gauge is a little too big - it won't fit a preemie. I hadn't figured out how to do smaller work, switching to double-pointed needles once even the circulars are too long. I've figured that out, too - that's where the umbilical cord hats came in.

Believe me, knitting on double pointed needles (dpns) is not as scary as it looks. It definitely takes some fooling around with, and some dexterity, but it's so much fun - and it's totally worth all the crazy looks you get from people who try to figure out what the hell you're doing.

Knitting has kept me sane in the months where I felt like I was worthless. Learning new things in knitting has made me stop feeling so worthless and useless. It really is as good as yoga.