2008 Questions and answers aka meme

Heck, not 2008, just 40

These are questions from my co-worker's facebook, and she gave me permission to use these here.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you've never done before?
caused a car accident









2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make any, ever. But I might try to draw/paint more in 2009.












3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
they were in the hospital, and I was not there, I wouldn't know what to do anyway.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
no,they died far away from me.

5. What countries/states/provinces did you visit?
Oregon, New York state, B.C (airport, that counts?)

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
more money, is there anything else anyone hopes to have these days?

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I can't even remember what I did yesterday, never mind a whole year.

8. What was your biggest achievement?
I stayed alive

9. What was your biggest failure?
see number one

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
bronchitis

11. What was the best thing you bought?
yarn, what can I say?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Anyone who saved lives, took care of less fortunate,
helped others, you got the idea?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?
Don't ask me why, but our mayor comes pretty close, and I can say
it, because I did not vote for him

14. Where did most of your money go?
bills, bills, bills

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
my trip to Portland, Oregon and meeting Janet and many of my
freeform group friends.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Mr. Tambourine Man

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a)happier or sadder? the same
b) thinner or fatter? the same
c) richer or poorer? the same

18. What do you wish you'd done more ?
behave more assertive, and be more aware of "politics"

19. What do you wish you'd done less ?
be so dang naive and believe what people say

20. How will you spend New Years?
at home with hubby, watching telly, eating empanadas, and sandwiches

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
sure, hubby gets that all the time

22. How many one-night stands?
like standing up all night? what the heck is one night stand? Lamp on a stand?












23. What was your favorite TV program?
Just one? House, CSI, Mentalist, Medium, Bones, .... etc

24. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
Yes, but I refuse to talk about politics,

25. What was the best book you read?
I have not finished one book yet, started about three, none of them
best books

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Music in my ears, the 24/7 string quartet in my ears.

27. What did you want and get?
ipod

28. What did you want and not get?
Lotto 6/49 jackpot

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Sleepless in Seattle, ouch, that's not this year's film. I think it's the one of a rat that
became a chef, in a French restaurant. I hope that was a 2008 film, if not, then I don't know.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went to work, staff gave me a lunch and got many nice gifts. Old? I forgot.
Had nice dinner with hubby.
One birthday I remember, I cried a lot, and I was one day old.

31.What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
Had I finished all my craft projects before Christmas

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Same as always, if it fits and doesn't cost too much, labels don't do a thing for me.

33. What kept you sane?
My insanity

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
Hillary Clinton

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Canuck socialist/liberals being a..holes

36. Who did you miss?
Carol at CGOA, she didn't come to Portland.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Janet

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Don't turn left in the intersection, even if the car coming straight comes
slowly, they will accelerate, trust me, I know

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE"
words and music by Pete Seeger

40. What is your goal for 2009?
Go to Argentina in May

Scarf progress

This is my first scarf, for the Special Olympics.
The second one is still hooked.

Back to almost normal

This is a decorated box for our grandson.










I went to a grocery store today. This store always has a nice collection of knitting and crocheting magazines. Well, this time they did so, but unfortunately I already had all of them. I felt let down.
I started checking the book section, and bought Sue Grafton's "T is for Trespass". I have read only a few chapters and am somewhat confused. I have to get back to read more carefully about who is who. I hate that in the books, when it's not a clear flowing theme, but all mixed up with different characters that are not cleared from the beginning, but instead jumped to here and there.

Well, I am finally starting to get the idea of these people in this book (maybe I just have not read enough books that were written in the style for modern people) (I haven't read any books for years).

I am going to use every willpower molecule in my attention span challenged mind to finish reading this book. I want to be able to tell my friend Janet that I have read a book.

Janet is a reader, and I am often wondering what happened to me. I was the busiest reader in our local library when I was young(er). Now you might see me with knitting or crocheting books, but that's about the size of my reading.

Christmas? It came and went. I ate too much on Christmas Eve. It was just hubby and I, but I still managed to make a many course meal. Nothing tasted excellent, though, but I ate anyway.

Christmas Day evening we went to my son's in-laws for dinner and gift exchanges. The little kids were tired and the adults were chatting and waiting for the food.
I had made a box for GS with Thomas the Tank stickers on it, but the kid didn't really care for it.
Oh, well, that is the Christmas Joy for you!

Today, Boxing Day, I have gone to the grocery store to buy coffee and look for magazines, like I said before. When I came home I had a cup of java, and then tried to work on Special Olympics Scarf. I had knitted about 11 inches, and then measured it. WOW, it was way too wide. My stich choice has this tendency to become stretchy and loose. I am now at a point of designing
another type of scarf, maybe crocheting.

So the Christmas is gone and I can sit down and eat my green pea soup, and be happy.
Simple things make me happy. Although, sometimes a big pile of yummy yarn would make
me happier than one single ball of yarn. Oh, that all depends.

If I need one ball of yarn for something, it would certainly make me happier than a pile of yarn that is meant for something, but not needed at that time.

White stuff

I was standing in our balcony, wearing a teeshirt and slippers. It was cold.

Christmas Cards

I received two beautiful, but oh, so different, hand-made Christmas cards:

This one is from Marjaliisa. It's made with fabric. Very beautiful, and unique.
This one is from Janet.
She had made it with interesting paper, and formed to a tree, as you can see.
Very creative as well.

Nice Dishcloth

My friend Gloria made this one, isn't it nice

Socks

Here is the latest project that took forever to finish. Well, for my defense, I had many interruptions, and attention span played tricks on me, plus some other projects seemed
far more interesting than socks that had no pattern. I am not an experienced sock knitter, as I have said umpteen times.

The socks were knitted with "Mission Falls" yarn, and size 4 mm needles.

The Cable pattern? 48 Stitches, divide stitches on four needles and k2,p2, k2, to the end. Do this for about 1 inch, or 2, if you want. Then for the Cable pattern: On the first needle, K2, P2, (The cable is: k2, p2, k2.) and it's time to twist the cable. This is what I did: From the left needle pick up two stitches (the two k2 ones), hold in front, then knit 2 (trust me, this is right...those two were purl stitches before), and the purl 2 (again, this is correct), then you knit the two stitches from the cable needle. This will take you back to your k2,p2,k2 pattern.

I twisted the cable every 7th (or 8th) row. Not sure, my row counter kept moving by itself, and the first twist looked right, so I just counted the rows from there on.

Continue for about 6" or more, if you want. Then it's time for the heel. At this point I needed to check a pattern in my sock book. I did k1, slp 1 pattern and purl the next row, until I had the desired rows. I needed to pick 12 stitches from the heel flap, later on. The rest of the sock, heel turning and sole plus toe part were carefully followed from my sock book. Cables I can do without pattern, but the whole sock...that is another story.

I've been quiet for some time, because I have had bronchitis, that has been so stubborn that
my doctor gave me antibiotics (strong ones) for 10 days. I still have one day left. He also gave
me cough syrup that is supposed to knock me down, and make me dizzy among other things.

I took half of the teaspoon on the first night, just to make sure I didn't suffer from any of those
ridiculous symptoms (ridiculous, because I am dizzy all the time,,,dizzy as in silly in mind).

Well, this strong cough medicine didn't do a thing for me. I was coughing the same way as before and didn't feel any dizzier than normally. Last night I took a full teaspoon. Nothing. I woke up
twice last night to cough. This morning I looked at the bottle more carefully: Chirldren's formula.

Well, guess who is going to get a phone call today. Not my doc, but that young chap at the pharmacist, who so much as warned me that I should not even drive when taking this medicine.

My regular pharmacist better be available today. He is NOT going to be happy, his assistant screwed up.

Off to work I go now. Have a great day all.

I found a scarf

or a capelet, or a small shawl (nah, not a shawl, it's too small for that). I knitted this thing
last summer. Or this past summer, ofps, summer of 2008.

I had gotten the fuzzy yarn, Foxy, if I remember correctly, at our Crochet group
retreat last spring. I also used some Moda Dea yarn that I got in a goodie bag
when I went to CGOA Chain link show in Manchester, in 2007.

Ok, the point to this is, that it is a yummy capelet, and I think it's a great gift for
someone in my friends or family group. I must decide soon.

Don't ya just love it, too!

Another fun list of things I have done

First Picture: Janet and I
Second: Bonnie Pierce, Noreen Crone-Findlay and I
Third: Margaret Hubert, Myra Wood, Noreen and Jorel Thomson
Fourth: Bonnie and Noreen
Fifth: Niagara Falls from Canadian side Looking at US Falls
Sixth: Crochet Dude and I
Seventh: Looking for my ancestors




This came from Janet's blog

I HAVE….

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney/Land/world (FL)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (ugh)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

And…

100. Ridden an elephant

Scarf for Special Olympics

I have been waiting for blue Red Heart yarn to begin knitting a scarf for Special Olympics.

While waiting, I made a graph for a snowflake, and then tested with another yarn, blue and white as well. This yarn is Bernat yarn.
The test piece is not finished yet, but when done, I'll post another picture.
This might take a while, though, so please feel free to try on your own, but please not for selling, just for your own use, or for Special Olympics.

I knitted five rows of garter stitches, and then the chart with stockinette
stitch. There are four edge stitches that are garter stitches. There are 38 stitches in all.

Level: Moderately advanced. Knowledge of Fair Isle or Intarsia knitting.

This could also be crocheted.

One square is one stitch . For a scarf I would make a plain stockinette piece to cover
the yarn twists on the wrong side.