Wednesday, August 31, 2011

watcha doin' wednesday?!!!


I am still looking
with chin on table
at the photos and videos of the destruction
caused by that
storm
now to add insult to injury
I got an e-mail from a friend
whose husband is a linesman
(he works on the power lines)
who has come up to the area to help get the power back on
and he and his co-workers are running into trouble with the locals
and having to stay in flea bag motels and pay the tolls on the way up
and now the men are
not sending them out on jobs or being very co-operative
the unions are stopping the jobs from being shared or given out
and the power isn't being turned on
I don't know what state he is in
or I would say
so if you were there you'd know
and maybe do something about it
what a way to treat people who have come to help
the power companies here are the pits
not ours...ours is the best ever
but the big ones further north
always down always making excuses and always late
it's a shame and a disgrace
:{


I had all those plans to make doilies while the wind roared
but it didn't turn out that way
something was off and I coudn't do it
one of them was tiny and completely useless so
it got frogged
and the other one I showed you
maybe had a mistake in the pattern because no matter how many times I tried a certain row
it was off
 so I
frogged it
and turned to this  new block that  I showed  the link to
much easier
faster
and
prettier
:)

and I found some extra balls of white cotton
so I whipped up a new table mat
like one I made a while ago and sent to someone
which I had forgotten about
 and searched hi and lo for
isn't it nice to be able to just make something you want
and not have to wait to go out to buy it
or order it online and wait
I think it is!!!
:}




and this is to say that I got a note from someone today asking me to stop identifying them or saying how they are made
as this person wants to sell a pattern for them
I don't understand this
 as this is a stitch
that has existed for a long time and no one knows the first maker of it
and if you make it in a certain way
you get a
flower
we all know this
we all can make this
and if you string them all together
all sorts of things can be made with them
so why should I not say what they are

it's still a matter of who owns what I guess and I don't want to get into a mess over it
so the fact that my description was removed
is all that I'll say about it
but I can show you them and tell you what they are
here
on my blog
if I want to
and if you want to know what they are and know how to make them
ask me
and I'll tell you and show you
for free.
:)x


don't you find this pattern interesting and think it would make a great pillow or blanket or hat
?????
:) :) :)


I do and I bought it because I saw the pattern in yarn
wonder how one would go about figuring it out
neat huh!!!???



I cleaned the kitchen yesterday and sorted things out and washed them all
some by hand and some in the
dishwasher...I changed the table cloth and djzzujjed up the planter
found the fake berries and stuck them in there
love
djzzujjing

sister how do you spell it?
:)




while I was browsing through
pinterest
and yes wasting time because I didn't want to put the big mess I had made back
and I was waiting for the dryer to finish and the dishwasher
you know the feeling
anyway
I came across a beautiful turquoise lamp base that has been
drawn on so I just happened to have my sharpie's handy because the husband needed one the other day
and grabbed a jar
and doodled
I didn't know you could draw on glass with
sharpies
did you 
?
well now we do
so if you have a sharpie and an old jar hanging around
give it a try
it's really neat
useless
but
neat
all the same





Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I'm trying...


BUT...



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also shouldn't look at this either


I'll be around
trying really hard to do what needs to be done
but
.........................................................

Sunday, August 28, 2011

goodbye Irene goodbye...

it came in like this
clouds and gusts of wind



it did this
 down south right outside the house we stay in
that's the pier I took so many photos of last year
and will again this year
!!!!
It was bad in North Carolina and on the coast of Virginia
five people were killed yesterday
the total today is eleven
so I won't make jokes about this storm
I just feel like we spent the whole day waiting for something to happen
and that made it frustrating
the forecasters and weathermen on TV get dramatic and over excited
and that's exhausting when all you want to know is where is the storm
what's it doing and is it coming to my house


(two above photos from the net)



in our case the answer was
no



look we had a branch fall down
:o
!


and some leaves  too


look at the pretty "moss" growing way up there in the trees!!!


and a couple of acorns got knocked down too



I really don't want to talk about it
I don't care about tidal surges anymore
or which way the figgin wind is blowing from
or if the radar shows it better or worse than pictures
don't care what stupid hat the stupid reporter is wearing while they get blown across the beach
or hit by flying debris standing in the intersection of two roads right beside a very full dumpster
if I never hear the name
 IRENE
again
it will be too soon
if your name is Irene don't come near me!!!!!!!

:}

I know they had to clear the coast and get everyone out of harms way
of course they did
I don't have a problem with that
and it really doesn't matter if I do or not
it's the constant build up of nothingness
today it's the
well it coulda done this that or the other
it didn't
and that's what we should be grateful for
and yes I
 did switch it off

soooo much hot air
and it wasn't from the
hurricane
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





this is what it left behind
heat and humidity
just as it was before it came

:}

thank you all for checking in all day long
I saw them all this morning and it made me smile

:}


Saturday, August 27, 2011

if you need something new on your hook


go and see what


made
I love it and already have one made
thank you Allyson for a
different and lovely
hex
now I'm off to move all the loose things outside
to a safer place
which is
I have no idea!!!!

stay safe and stay smart




Friday, August 26, 2011



all's well



I thought I would just post this so you all know we are fine
I got an invitation to evacuate to Louisiana this morning should we need to
Ellen, of Wildaboutcolor, offered us a place to go if we need to run.
That's how sweet people are, blog buddies and flickr friends are the best
and she even said kitty could go too
now that's a friend!!!

thank you sweet lady!!!
:)x

We are not in the path of the storm.
We will not have hurricane force winds over us.
We will be on the edge of the storm winds
or in the medium impact area.
We are in the tropical storm warning not the hurricane warning
big difference
We will get probably the same sort of thing we get in a regular storm
like the one we had last night
!!!!
So please don't worry about us
keep the light up for those on the coast and on the waterways
they will be in the fury and if they haven't left already
they really really should
and to those of you in the areas that will be hit
stay safe

so now to Canada
where apparently they had a show of force there too
very unusual for them to "write home" about it!!!!!
please do go to the link and see the fantastic light show they had
my sister was north of the city and drove back while it was happening
my fav is the lightning hitting the lake
that's
Lake
 Ontario
Toronto
Canada
where
nothing
much
ever
happens
!!!!


so
now you know
so please don't worry
thank you for all the good thoughts
and as Ruth (the butterfly bush) said
we'll tuck our socks in our knickers and we'll be just fine!!!!!


it isn't due until tomorrow so I'll spend today cleaning
doing laundry
collecting water in all the pots
making boiled eggs
and peanut butter sammiches (not really)
so if the wind should
scatter our belongings abroad
our knickers will be clean and our socks too
we'll have water to wash in
and something to eat

mmm  eggs
....................................................

xxx


Thursday, August 25, 2011

battening down the hatches


not that we have any!!!


seems Miss Irene is on her way and will come closer than they thought
we are in the lime green area right under the D of DC in VA!!!!!!!!


this is one bigass storm
over 500 miles across
250 miles from  the centre,on each side
(we are 200 miles from the coast....close but no cigar,I hope!!!)



big enough to get them to send the ships out to sea so they don't get damaged or damage the harbours
and as the silly woman on CNN said this morning
they can turn right around and save us all
no
that's the National Guard that does that
and they stay put
with us


the dominican republic

Hatteras Beach
has been evacuated along with all of the outer banks in
North Carolina
they will be hard hit if it makes landfall there
the whole coast will feel it
they just don't know how far inland it will go
so we don't know what to expect
time  will tell

(photos from CBS)


I got a call from a friend in Texas yesterday
she asked if we were OK with the Earthquake
and the person who she was with said she head it was because of
the founding fathers turning over in their graves
:) :) :) :) :) :) :)
best one yet!!!!



I got this in the mail from my friend
the one who wears baskets on her head !!!
she sent this as a farewell to my friend who died

an Indian wave all the way from
Alaska
with a Cherokee
 "goodbye"

Wakan Tankan Nici Un
May the Great Spirit
Walk Wth You

and I talked to her on the phone too and told her how wonderful it was she found it and sent it
pat would have loved it

my basket wearing friend has had her own share of scary things
they had one of those huge storms with high high winds and enormous amounts of rain last week
her house was damaged badly
not beyond repair thank goodness
but badly enough to get the insurance involved and a contractor out to see the damage
it's all going to be OK because she has the cheque and the work is lined up to start soon
she said how very fagile we  all  are
how close to disaster we all seem to be
a rain storm can take everything you have away in a blink
but this time it didn't
and she's OK and will have it all done before winter sets in
and we had an earthquake that rattled us and the buildings
but we are OK
the buildings can be fixed
so now
let's hope that this next event
is just
a passing breeze
for all of us

no one has died so far
that's all that counts
may it stay that way




and I'll be on the couch with my teeny tiny hook and some thin cotton trying to remember how to
make a doily
coz I want some doilies lots of them
so I better practice
:}


and maybe I'll get the pillow top finished too
have the back to join together which won't take long


so now it's time for tea and for me to get off here
coz
you aren't going to believe it
we are under a
severe thunderstorm warning
until late tonight
and I need to shut the 'puter down
so it doesn't fry

OH
and the hubs felt an aftershock last night
it was a 4.5


byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
xxxxx

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

all shook up...

sorry couldn't help it!!!!

well it's the day after and people are still talking about it
and trying hard to figure it all out.
the "experts" are having a tough time explaining the how's and whys and wherefores
and I am one of those annoying people who want
...nay, NEED to know the why
and the wherefore

while there is damage in some areas and of course where it happened there is the most
it still is strange how little damage there is
bricks have come off the front of buildings and fallen on cars
the top of the Washington Cathedral cracked and fell on the lawn
an "angel" and a few carved stones
they have found some cracks in the Monument
the Washington Monument
that symbol to all those supposedly powerful men up there
has cracks way up at the top
that speaks volumes
:) :) :) :)
but there is no big damage
and it's mind boggling
I do not want anyone to have any damage because it's so damn annoying to get things fixed and sorted
and we all know that no one has earthquake insurance here
because
WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE
5.9
earth shakers here
........................

at 8.04 pm we felt the third after shock
the first two were too small for us to feel up here
all the things on the tables shook for a few seconds
but those at the epicentre felt it much more
of course

I tried to call my son who lives closer to where it happened and the networks were down
instantly
while I was trying to find his number on the land line
(because who even knows numbers anymore now that we push buttons for everything)
he called us
all was fine except the
wt...heck is going on reaction
he said he was doing laundry and thought the washing machine was falling apart
so he switched it off but the sound kept going
and he looked at his cat
and he said
her eyes were bigger than her body
and all her hair was up
but the dogs
they didn't react at all
all his neighbours were out when he went out
and for some reason
and they said this on the news too
everyone was looking
UP
because


WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE
5.9
earth shakers here
.......................
when the husband and I were outside the neighbour behind us for some reason yelled
that was an earthquake
and the kid two doors down yelled back
yeah....that was soooo cooooolllll
hubs was not amused
oh to be a kid again!!!




I cannot tell you how touched I am by the concern some of you showed when you heard about it
e mails from all over the place
it really is such a small world now that we are all connected
and each time something happens somewhere
we seem to "know" someone and it makes it worse somehow
because if someone you know has troubles
they become yours
but all is fine and dandy this morning
the damage will be repaired
the little town where it happened is organising itself and going to the local
grocery store to help pick up all the stuff that fell
people will come together were necessary and help eachother
because we are all we have
and
we don't need those boys with their big monuments to themselves
to get by
and now we need to make sure we have the things we need incase the hurricane comes this way
if it does
 the buildings that are damaged may not survive the winds and rain
I guess it's our turn this time
so we better be as prepared as possible
and just keep our fingers crossed



can you knit with crossed fingers?

see ya all later

:) :) :) :)
xxxxx



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

holy cow






we just experienced
 5.9 Earthquake


HOLY CANNOLI BATMAN




we are fine
the house is fine
we were scared sssless
we have spoken to family
friends
all OK

what a fright
I didn't know earthquakes made a noise
a rumbling
deep and loud and palpable
 shaking
the whole entire house
everything....EVERYthing in the house shaking
some things fell
everything moved
it lasted maybe 30 seconds
the whole East Coast felt it
the people in the Pentagon thought they were being bombed

but not like we did
we are about 40 miles from the epicenter
this is the strongest ever recorded in Virginia
people
 I cannot tell you how frightening it was
I thought the trees were all falling down
I thought it was the marine base dropping bigger bombs than usual
I couldn't comprehend what the sound was

oh great...they have just shut down the nuclear plant....
hopefully just as a precaution


OH
and the story about the
animals warning us
huh
not true
she slept through the whole friggin' thing!!!

I will never forget the sound
and they say we will get after shocks
GREAT!!!!
better go get those delicates off the high shelves


 OMG
to the max!!!!!

we had an earthquake today

I didn't like it...

:{

Friday, August 19, 2011

plenty of room





now we all have a place to sit
with or without our sexy sandals
am still fighting that bloody stitch
but all your help
helped
I just need to concentrate and sit and do it
have a great
evening night morning
or what ever is in between those things

(of course you know these chairs are not my creations....I found them in various places on the 'net )

really neat pictures of the




take a peek at these fabulous photos and someone's imagination



thank you thank you thank you


to all of you


I knew someone would know
it drives me insane when I don't
know

I'll be back later
with
hopefully
a longer
rectangle
thing
!!!!

:}

Thursday, August 18, 2011

help...

please please please
can someone tell me how to keep the
box stitch pattern from
increasing with each row?
I have tried to figure it out and
I CAN"T
wwwaaaaaaaaah


I want ten stitches across
I have done 4 more rows since this was taken
so I have the ten stitches

I do not want an afghan
I do not want a square
I want a long rectangle
called a scarf
by another name
!!!
I have looked it up
I have wasted time
I have gone to every place I was sent to look and
I
can't
find
anything
I used to have a page that had the rectangular pattern
but it's gone
and I'm getting
grumpy
and we all know
we don't want me
grumpy
so if anyone can show me how or tell me what to do to stop it from
growing
or send me to the right place
I
will
be
very
grateful

I will
really
very
.........................................................
:)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

a post...

I've been sat here in my chairs
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(found these on Flickr
can't remember where but you've seen them before I'm sure!!) 





  wearing my sexy sandals
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:) :) :) :) :)

(from


working on some stuff


I was browsing somewhere and saw a blanket made with lots and lots and lots of flowers
and people were asking how to make the
lots and lots and lots of
flowers


and no one replied
so I took it upon myself
to make some
popcorn stitch Flowers
plain and simple
it was made in all different colours all sewn up together to make a
blanket for a baby boy that they had just had...
it's so annoying when no one answers
they are now no more just had to make some to see if I was right
I was

 

saw this new book by Brett Bara  who is on a show I watch on PBS
it's a sewing book and has a video that shows
how to make
these cute little fabric bowls
from a square of fabric
so I made one

need more cute fabric to make the others



and this is another thing that seems to be popping up again
the box stitch is back
and I wondered if I remembered how to do it
I do!!
with all the yarn I have
maybe a skinny scarf is in the making!!!

or a cushion top if I can't remember how to keep it from expanding


and the flat braid join with those
 closed granny squares as I call them

see the braid up the middle there


and making the fan in between the flowers on the pillow front
remember that too



 have you stopped to think how much we have all learned this past year
or how ever long it's been
since we all met up on Flickr and the blogs and are now spread all over the
WWW

well back to the pile o'wips
and it's almost time to make dinner too
oh goody
I'm hungry, haven't eaten all day
too busy making
piles o'wips

lol

:)


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Hello

I'm really sorry I'm such a lousy blogger these days
but it's just one of those things
I wish I could tell you I had been on some magic carpet ride
to exotic lands to meet fantabulous people
but I haven't and I won't be that I know of



I have had a headache
for days
 now
not a headache but a foggy head
a nackered noodle
brain blight
as Hercule would say
the leettle grrrey cells are not working Hastings
non,
mon dieu
they arre not working at all

we have had weather over us for a few days
by that I mean it's been raining on and off
and we've had storms popping up
and as I am one of those affected by the weather
I guess that's it
barometer brain
up and down
round and round
I am trying to finish what I stared
again



a little bag and the japanese flower scarf



and a little shawl I started with some purple cotton I bought
that I hope I have enough of to finish it


and it's all there
on the chair
 in the basket
on the coffee table and the
desk top
each one waiting it's turn to
say
ta daa

and trying things as I see them
saw a different way to join things
a flat braid  join
or something like that
its really nice so I tried it on some African Flowers that were hanging out on the desk top
with a bit more work and tweeking it may just be possible


it's a question of even numbers of stitches I think
but it looks nice
and it's
different
in a good way
ta daa
I'll show you if you want me to
oh did I just say that
oh dear
!!!!









well in this case
TAA DAA

I just love that dark teal colour
love it
I'm back to making African Flowers
they are quick and easy and so pretty
remember when they were everywhere
in all shades and colours of the rainbow
it seems they are making another appearance

I want to say thank you
again
for all the kindness you have shown me this past week
I am back to myself I think
haven't found big wet tears running down my face for two days
so I've come to terms with it
I see the prayer flags when I look out of the window
and there they'll stay until they are all
prayed out
I read that somewhere recently
someone asked why all the prayer flags are so tattered and torn and old
and the answer was
they stay there until they are all prayed out

well I'm off to finish what I had started
and have a cup of tea
and a biscuit
or
two
have a great rest of the day dear readers and I'll try to be around a little more
you know
give you
more
nothingness

OH over on the right hand side you'll see a little
P
click on it and you'll be taken to a new time waster
pinterest
a place for all your plans and dreams
or something like that
so that's somewhere else you can go
if you have a minute or two to spend

:)
xxx