Vanity, thy name is Tvini
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "tvini" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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04:45 pm
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WOO!
Instant messaging with my husband late this afternoon:
Me: You have a package from Amazon.com
Me: Why would you go and buy something from Amazon this close to your birthday? You don't make things easy!
Him: Actually, it's not for me!
Him: SURPRISE!
Me: What??
Me: Um, sorry about busting your chops, then.
 Yes, turns out my wonderful husband bought me something I'd been talking about for a while now, the new Nike + iPod. It's a little dealiebop that attaches to your shoe which you sync with your iPod Nano (which I have one of, thanks to the lovely and generous Ellyn Ritterskamp of TV game show fame). When you sync your iPod with the internet, it transfers all the data from the last time you worked out and creates graphs of your performance, calories burned, etc. You can join up with online groups (runners for Obama, anyone?), download customized playmixes, and generally nerdify your workout however you like.
Goodbye, plateau!
Mr. Tvini, after I opened it and went nuts: Well, you've been a little low, and you've been talking about this, and I thought you deserved something nice as a pick-me-up.
I'm the luckiest geek girl ever. Let's hope the hurricane only skirts us so I can try this baby out tomorrow morning!
Tags: fitness
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08:06 am
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Morning update
 The last few days I've been launching into the day full speed. Did you know that the grocery stores don't have their bananas out at 7:15 in the morning? Slackers!
I'm trying to decide whether to go running this morning. It's still fairly cool, but even though I did get to bed at a reasonable hour last night (see, Mom? Your Mom GuiltTM worked!) I'm still pretty tired. Something had me kind of sickly last night, and I think I'm still recovering a bit. So maybe I'll let it go, since I did run yesterday and since the Greenway smells like dead skunk.
This morning: I'm stamping more padded mailers, knitting a hat for a guy in Belgium, and watching Becket. I may also stop by the hardware store and pick up some PVC pipe for a side project that I've wanted to get underway for some time.
At right, for no particular reason except that it amuses me: a cat's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?
Tags: fitness, jayne
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12:20 pm
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Misc. animals
After my comment yesterday about not leaving socks on the floor, this happened. I brought in some hand-knitted socks from the line. I was called away before I had a chance to put them up, so I put them on a plastic bag on a stool and walked off. I heard the bag hit the floor, and sure enough, there was the cat. Caught her red-pawed.
Lot of stamping of boxes, etc., this morning, for Jayne hats and kits. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's not the knitting that slows me down, it's all the other assorted stuff. Also, I'm almost out of shipping materials, so it's time to order another gigantic box of boxes. Our house may never be free of clutter.
I did find time to go out and run the Greenway this morning. The rains of last week flooded the stream. It crested over the bridge, and there are still bits of straw and debris stuck through the railings. It's been a week, and now there's a wet, rotting smell in places. It's definitely motivation to keep running - on the way back, at least, to get the heck out of it.
The Office Season 4 releases today, and yes, I will find time to grab a copy. Can't wait for 30 Rock to come out, too. If I'm knitting Jayne hats in the mornings, it's nice to have something new to watch. Although I did pull out Bowfinger for the first time in a long time, and it was just as funny as I remembered. Love that movie. I'm baffled that it didn't do better at the box office. Last night was The Last Emperor, a favorite movie of mine. A Jayne hat bound for Massachusetts came off the needles during that one. It's a long movie.
Time to eat some lunch and go stamp up some more padded mailers. People need kits!
Final question: the spider at left is living in my rosemary bush. It's big and it's pretty, but what is it? Anyone know?
Tags: cat, jayne
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01:01 pm
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Above: the reason I don't leave my hand-knitted socks on the floor. (Note: I know yarn is dangerous for cats to eat; that giant ball of wool behind her had just fallen off of a shelf prior to picture-taking.)
Right now Emily is busy writing a book called "Ruby the Copycat." Hopefully she won't be sued for copyright infingement.
I'm really proud of her for doing this. I've given her some of my Jayne hat pattern cardstock sheets and she's folded them in half and is planning out her pages. Earlier she said that I could do the pictures while she did the words, then she said she'd prefer the other way around, and now she's chosen to do it all herself. I can't wait to see it.
Tags: cat, emily
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07:18 pm
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Steady as she goes...
 Can you say "plateau?" I knew you could. Weight loss has slowed to the barest crawl. I thought I'd have more time to exercise when Em was back in school. Instead, I'm running around more than ever, and am more tired. I lack the energy and motivation to exercise as vigorously as I did before, when it was a special treat that I stole time for wherever I could. Hopefully now that the first week is behind us, I'll be able to slack off on the errands and calm down into a routine.
Also motivating: posting your weight loss or gain for the entire internet to see. Yikes.
 Next up on the "just for me" front, which doubles as a stashbusting exercise, are these socks. These probably won't go too fast, as I have an awful lot of "just for everyone else" knitting to take care of.
This yarn is Knitpicks Memories in the S'Mores colorway. It was a gift at least a year ago from Turtlegirl76's voluminous stash. Reminder: she's selling off a buncha stuff. If you're on Ravelry, check it out. She adds new stuff periodically. I see she's got some Blue Sky Alpaca Silk up that would make a fantastic scarf. Branching Out, anyone?
Okay, back to the salt mines. The hubby's off for the night, gone to visit his folks and ride in a bike thingie with his dad. Lest anyone think I'm working too hard, childcare tonight consists of watching Road Runner cartoons and eating pizza with my daughter. Beep beep!
Tags: fitness, socks
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11:36 am
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Yarn #6 - Cherrah!
One skein Paton's Classic Wool merino, which was a gift from Illiane. This has a tiny bit of variegation, but it was supposed to have more. Lesson learned on the proper order to add colors to the crockpot. Still, it's pretty!
Today my husband is brewing beer. His setup incudes a propane tank and burner with a gigantic pot. I'm eyeing it for dye days. Mwahahahaaaa...
Tags: dye
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09:34 am
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FO: Bluey blue socks
 
Pattern: Zhenya's MUMTU sock recipe
Yarn: 225 yds Louet Gems, handdyed by me with acid dyes
Needles: size 1 US
Comments: These had a 60 stitch foot to fit my 9 inch circumference, dropping to 56 for a standard 2x2 rib on the leg. I'm a loose knitter, so I never get a really tight gauge even on smaller needles than would normally be used.
The toe-up gusset method is my new favorite foot construction. These fit me SO much better than a standard short row heel. I'd recommend this pattern. Its ability to plug in whatever numbers you like would be especially helpful for those who don't care to do sock math.
 I dyed this yarn going for a random speckle effect. It was straight blue acid dye, blue mixed with black, and blue mixed with a little red, keeping the same base and varying the shade. I'm pleased with how this turned out.
It's nice to have a new pair of socks, since Em's really taken to walking to school. We went up again today, and saw two gray and white housecats, a flock of geese, and a dead Junebug. Also, from Em: "I stepped on an ant. The other ants are going to come and take it back and bury it." Aw.
Em wants to walk home, too, so I'll be hoofing it back up to the school this afternoon. It's about 7/8 of a mile from the house to the school, so it looks like I've got a new form of daily exercise.
Tags: dye, emily, socks
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08:13 am
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Yarn #5 - Greenie
 
 Something other than fingering weight! This is Knitpicks Bare DK weight 100% superwash merino. It was crockpot dyed, then I decided I wanted to add something to the chartreuse, so I overdyed it with black and a bit of midnight blue. I was concerned about how the blue would play off of the yellow tones, but it works. It's actually more striking in person. I'm pleased with this.
This morning, it had finally stopped raining, so Em and I walked to school. It turned out to be a good thing, since she had had a bit of a fragile morning. Walking up seemed to give her an opportunity to regroup. She told me a story about her dolls coming to life, and about a guinea pig magically turning into a white duck. She's big on magic wands and transformation right now.
Em felt she was running a little late, so she said, "We'll walk quickly." She did. I had to stretch my legs a bit to keep her pace, and she was shorter than me by a foot and was wearing a pack. That's my girl. She comes by her speed and walking determination honestly. It's a trait from my mother's side of the family. Soon she, too, will be alarming tour guides by rushing to the front of the group, rest of the tourists be damned.
It was also good to walk her to school, since I'm not running this morning. Instead, I have an optometrist's appointment. For quite a while now, I've been having difficulty focusing on things. If I look at something close up for more than a minute, then look up at something far away, it will sometimes take a good 20 seconds for my eyes to refocus on it. And I'm squinting a lot, even this morning when I should still be fresh. I've increased the size of the type on my computer, and that's helped, but clearly I need to get this looked at.
I have a feeling my optometrist is probably going to tell me I need bifocals. At right: artist's rendition of me in new eyewear.
Tags: dye, emily, fitness
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03:02 pm
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Sims 2. Rated W for WHOA!!
 Emily likes playing The Sims 2, enjoying the virtual dollhouse aspect of it. We don't forbid it entirely, but we do encourage her in other directions, since it's rated T for Teen. She hasn't played it in a while, which is probably for the best. She likes to make up imaginary expansion packs for the games that she plays (most of which actually are age-appropriate) and imagine upcoming DVD movies, like Enchanted 2 where everybody goes back to the animated world to visit.
We've had vague discussions about pregnancy and babies before. Last month, Emily finally asked about how a baby actually gets OUT of a woman's body when it's born. We had that discussion in the parking lot of a Target - you take your opportunities where you get them. Upon learning where the baby comes out, the smart and surprising question from her was, "What if a woman has to pee while she's pregnant?" Believe me, honey, the baby won't fall out. A woman has to pee a LOT while she's pregnant.
These two things led to this little tidbit from my daughter in Starbucks today:
Her: "There's a new thing in Sims coming. It's an animation where when a woman has a baby, the movie shows the baby coming out of the woman's genitals."
Yet in her imaginary expansion pack "Sims Doctors", also upcoming in Emilyland, there is pixelation over any bits of blood so you don't have to see them. Shows where her priorities are. Blood? Horrifying and gross. Nudity? A-OK! Such is the world of a 9-year-old.
Tags: emily
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08:16 am
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Yarn #4 - Butterfly Weed
 
Now we're cookin' with gas. This yarn is - you guessed it - Knitpicks Bare, but the fiber content is different. This is 70% wool, 30% silk fingering weight yarn, handdyed with acid dyes using cold pour method. This marks the first steps in exploring creating a Jayne hat colorway.
 
The shot to the left is the yarn, loose, spread so you can see the long color repeats. I pulled out a bit to show that the dye doesn't completely saturate. I'll want to mix a stronger orange if I want it to really pop, but I'm not sure I do want it to really pop.
The colors remind me of butterfly weed flowers. I'm thinking of putting one of these at the corner of the house, assuming it ever stops raining and/or our yard guy ever shows back up.
Tags: dye
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10:59 pm
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Yarn #3 - Berry Cobbler
 
Another Knitpicks 75% wool 25% nylon fingering weight yarn, acid dyed using cold pour method. This reminds me of berry cobbler. I believe the dye uptake would have been more thorough had it pre-soaked overnight, but then, I wasn't going for a total saturation.
 
Same skein, spread out to show color changes. Note white areas around ties. It's not a real issue here, since there's white interspersed throughout, but it could have been a big problem. Lesson learned - don't trust commercially tied yarn, retie it nice and loose yourself, and double-check any potential problem areas.
Tomorrow we move away from the blues, I promise.
At right: Mmmm... cobbler.
Tags: dye
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07:52 am
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Yarn #2 - Westley by night
 
Second skein of the day. Similar color palette to the first one. Tangles and Mud commented that if the first skein was Westley, then this one must be Westley by night. I can see that!
Mmmm... Westley by night.
Wait, what was I saying? Right, yarn! The methods were similar to the other, but the colors were mixed stronger but were laid down in larger swaths. There were also sky blue and richer black tones. I'm partial to this yarn, but then, blues and grays are the colors I'm naturally drawn to.
One more, spread out so you can see the lengths of the color sections, which are variable throughout the skein. The yarn is Knitpicks Bare 75% wool 25% nylon fingering weight sock yarn, dyed with acid dyes then steamed to set. After this batch, I'm really thinking that next time, I need to buy my yarn in bulk.
Rain today, and probably all week, so no walking to school this morning. Em had a good first day yesterday. I was very excited when she told me she wanted something different in her lunchbox and she selected an apple. I thought it meant she might actually eat what I sent with her. No dice. The apple came home uneaten ("Oh, I forgot about that.") and she told me she had a berry-flavored Capri-Sun for lunch. I can't decide if that's better or worse than the ice cream sandwich she chose to have every day yesterday. On the up side, at least she wants something different in her lunch now. For a long time, she wanted the exact same thing every day, even though she knew she wasn't going to eat it. She actually asked to change - that's progress!
I can't go running this morning, so we'll devote that extra time to boxing up more hats and knitting like the wind! Today, hats are ready to go out to Canada and Louisiana. Next up: ID, ID, and MA.
Tags: dye, emily
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07:59 pm
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Yarn #1 - Westley
Okay, we saw the final yarn from dye day, let's look at the first one of the morning. I was going to dole these out one day at a time, but hey, what the heck.
This was handpainted with acid dyes. Base yarn is Knitpicks' superwash "Bare" 75% wool 25% nylon sock yarn. This didn't come out exactly "perfect" in terms of the patterning I was trying to achieve, but I'm pleased with the color combo. I don't feel bad about it - I was rushing a bit, showing the technique to someone else, and frankly, my bottles released a bit more dye than I expected. I need to invest in some beauty supply squirt bottles for greater control.
The shades are three colors mixed from one base. A silver-gray, then the silver-gray mixed with a primary blue, and the silver-gray mixed with black. Thankfully, none of the red crud in the bottom of my black made its way into the mix. The color on the picture isn't quite true. It's not as high contrast as it appears here. The blue has more gray tones, and there's more shading between light and dark.
I think it'll be fun to knit with. Or gift or sell, as dye day has put me a little over the top on sock yarn.
At left is the same yarn spread out a bit to show the color length.
For some reason, my first yarn of the day is always more pastel and muted, and then things heat up a little bit as I get more into it. Maybe it's the equivalent of stretching before exercise.
This yarn is called "Westley" because turtlegirl made an offhand comment about the Princess Bride. She said this yarn reminded her of a line from the movie.
Man in black: Who was this love of yours? Another prince like this one...ugly, rich, and scabby?
Buttercup: No, a farmboy...poor! Poor and perfect, with eyes like the sea after a storm.
And there you have it. Westley.
More to come.
Tags: dye
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10:42 am
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Aaaaaand... action!
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09:37 am
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Overdye surprise
Before: This is the pic from yesterday. The yarn is the DK weight of Knitpicks' "Bare" 100% superwash merino wool, acid dyed in the crockpot, primary color blue plus a little violet. The dye uptake wasn't as thorough as I'd like, perhaps due to late addition of the blue, but more likely due to inadequate pre-soaking of the yarn. I decided to overdye the skein in darker tones.
 After: What in blue blazes? This is the same blue yarn overdyed in the crockpot with a mixture of purple, violet-blue, and black. Unfortunately, my black had been mixed long ago and the red/orange elements had begun to separate. I didn't realize this until I had upended the remainder of the bottle into the crockpot and started it going. Rinsing the bottle out released a flood of orange precipitate. Too late now! I hadn't mixed any vinegar into the dye, but I still let it sit a lot longer than it should have. Let this be a lesson not to be a miser by trying to store mixed dyes beyond their natural shelf life.
Well, I learned something and it's an interesting effect I would not otherwise have gotten, sooo... success? Sure. Why not.
Today's the first day of the new school year. Em was at the door and raring to go at 6:30 this morning, but I kind of stalled her until 7am (the earliest the school doors open). At that point, we were in the yard and she started to go around the house, saying she wanted to walk to school. Oops! If I'd known that in advance, I wouldn't have stalled so much. We wound up driving, but we'll walk together tomorrow if the weather permits. We did walk up to the school's open house last week, so she knows what she's getting into.
Coincidentally, I grew up in this house and went to Em's same school, starting there at the same age she is now. I walked to school myself. I think it'll be a great day to start the day.
Today I've run the greenway - I'm jumping on my first free morning - and come home and watered the plants and done a little wii fit stuff. My weight was up a little the last couple of days as I madly sucked down water bottles to free up enough for dyeing. Heh. It's back down now.
Later I'll be packing up more kits and hats, as well as a ball of stash yarn which someone bought. I need to post more for sale. Tonight, hopefully, I'll be binding off socks from my last batch of handdyed sock yarn.
I hope your day is as great as mine has been so far!
Tags: destash, dye, emily
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10:50 am
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Dye day!
Dye day went well yesterday. Songs were sung, pizzas were consumed, and much fiber was dyed. I'm lucky to have so many creative, fun people around me. Pictured: tangles and mud (who is extremely talented with color, by the way), turtlegirl76, and illiane of Emergency Knitting Bag fame.
Turtlegirl, by the way, is having a stash sale on Ravelry. I've seen her stash. It's impressive on a "My God, it's full of stars" level. When she lets stuff go, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Not pictured are several others, including Jetsyknits whose husband had us testing out his latest creations. When he's ready to share those babies with the world, they're going to rock the fiber world's handspun socks.
I may have said too much. Hopefully he won't have to kill me.
 I don't want to reveal what I've dyed yet, as it's not all done. This one skein is going to get overdyed. I'm not quite satisfied with it. Back to the crock pot with you, blue poser!
It was fun, guys! Let's do it again!
Tags: dye
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02:38 pm
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True dat.
My husband, ladies and gentlemen.
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09:02 am
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Happy birthday, Jetsyknits!
I was going to try to find hot pictures of Viggo Mortensen to share with you as a gift, but all I found was this horrible, horrible facial hair disaster. Seriously, Viggo. I know you're artsy, but come on.
Then, knowing what a good spinner you are, I did a search for "luxury spinning wheel." I didn't get exactly what I was hoping for. However, if you can spin yarn on these babies, you're really a good spinner
Then I thought maybe some nice chocolate. Everybody likes chocolate.
I give up.
Happy birthday, Jet!
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02:38 pm
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Next up: Go-Go boots!
I'm not thin enough to wear the Wonder Woman underoos without irony, but by gum, I can wear this Wonder Woman apron! Stand back, citizens! I'm making me some mighty muffins!
Christmas is coming up. I'm just sayin'.
Tags: wishlist
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08:31 am
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3-5 servings a day
Blackhawk Hardware at Park Road Shopping Center is running a special - a shotglass of winter crop seeds for 99 cents. We went there yesterday to get a few collard and spinach seeds, and now have far more than our garden can hold. We're especially full up on collards, since those seeds are tiny and an amazing amount fits into a shotglass.
If you're interested in seeds for spinach or collard greens, let me know.
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tvini's journal
