Paramedknit

NEEDLE EXCHANGE ANSWERS

2006-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

1. What do you like to knit or crochet? (socks, sweaters, etc.)
EVERYTHING! I'm going to be starting my first sweater and my first lace soon!!

2. What fibers do you like?
No particular faves!! I like splurging on fab yarn when I can, though.
3. What type of needles do you use most often?
I prefer something wooden. I like rosewood a lot, but am open to new experiences.
4. Do you like to knit in the round?
Sure.
5. Do you use a magic loop method or any other we should know about? Are you interested in learning a new method?
I can barely spell "magic loop."
7. Do you have a favorite place that you shop online? (knitpicks.com, knitpixie.com, jimmybeanswool.com....)?
No

Alright already....

2006-01-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Evenin' Ya'll!

I know it's been awhile since I posted....okay, okay...yes I know I haven't written anything since THANKSGIVING. So, like someone else's blog, this too will be a 'catch up' entry.

Christmas was SUPER productive. Of course I have no pictures of my Christmas knitting, because they were wrapped and given before I snapped the pics. But, I will tell you that I made a fabulous pair of booties for my grandmother-in-law and an ear-flap hat for my grandfather-in-law.

The booties were very well received, but the outcome of the hat was questionable. My DH says everyone liked it - I'm not so sure. This leaves this particular portion of the family in a tenuous position when it comes to knitting. They might be off the list, I don't know...we'll see.

I'm currently working on a couple of projects. I am working on the mitered square afghan from the Summer '06 KnitIt! I changed a couple of the colors, but overall I like it very much. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and it has become my constant traveling companion. It's great for work or coffee with friends since I don't really have to think while I'm working on it. I figure I'm about an eighth of the way finished. When it's all done it will go to my brother-in-law, Chris.

I am also working on what will be the second knitted item that I have ever made for me: The Shapely Tank from White Lies. I'm doing it in All Seasons Cotton. Everything is going pretty well...no trouble with the short rows or anything like that. However, a moment of inattention resulted in an inadvertent increase on the row that I am currently on, so I am tinking away 60 stitches or so. At least it wasn't 15 rows back.

While at Hobby Lobby I found this yarn for half off and had to buy it. It is of course, not for me. But when I saw it, it said to me, "Buy me for Alex, she would love to have a long, slinky scarf that she could tie around her slender waist made of a funky, pink yarn like me." So I did - and cast it on the same day. To see a picture of Alex go to Cookies for Dinner. Alex is the dark haired young woman.

On other notes, Marta and I got together today for lunch at the Purple Turtle in La Porte for fab coffee, knitting, and lots of chatting. Marta came bearing gifts. She brought me this gorgeous scarf with a basket weave type pattern. In case the pic doesn't come out, it is a very yummy purple tweed. I am a purple person, BTW. Also it came with this angry sheep that when you push down on his back, brown jelly bean come out of his bottom. According to the package he came in, he's a "real party pooper"...get it? (For a rehash of similar antics, see the meme post from Marta and Me.) I'm fascinated by this, and keep ejecting the beans from the sheep, and then reloading them. Anyway, thank you Marta - you are a wonderful friend (and tolerate my shortcomings so well) Oh, and furthermore, I am the leader.

BTW, for all of those concerned, I will update this a little later with links and what not, so check back for some more techno-type features. I'll probably add them tomorrow evening, so check in on Wednesday or so.

Have a great evening...and I'll try to keep in touch a little better.

Marlanea

Take a seat...

2005-11-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know that I haven't written in awhile, so this will be a little long winded. There will be knitting, there will be suspense, there will be laughing and crying...okay, maybe it isn't that good, but it will be long.

I spent the weeked before Thanksgiving in Austin at Texas EMS Conference 2005. For you non-EMT types it is the annual gathering of EMTs from around the state for education and drinking. During the day you have the opportunity to take up to six classes to enrich your career and knowledge, and in the evening you have all of Austin to get drunk in.

There are many traditions assosciated with 'Conference'. The first is that on Sunday night there will be a huge party hosted by a business with lots of food and drink. This year it was hosted by Memorial Hermann LifeFlight. The party was held at Midnight Rodeo, and it was okay. The food was good and the booze was cheap. Other than that, kind of lame. The band was really bad and really loud. The group that I was hanging out with didn't stay long after the band started.

On Monday night, there was supposed to be a party somewhere in the Hilton, but none in my group ever found it, so we just stuck together. We started out by having drinks in the bar at the Hilton, and then had dinner there also. It was a nice, upscale kind of place that required everyone to use their "inside" voice and remember which fork goes with what. I must say, that all of my paramedic companions were able to successfully navigate dinner without any difficulty. I was proud of them.

Tuesday night, aka "The Last Night to Get Drunk at Confence", didn't really go off as planned. We were initially going dancing at the Broken Spoke (which I love), but that didn't work out. Things would have been okay, but we had a really rude waitress, and one of my dining companions told her and the manager off (in my defense) and we left.

From there we went to dinner at a place that I can't recall the name of, even though it was really good. The fun part was we dined in an encolosed patio-type setting, with these radiant heaters, so you didn't get cold. I really liked it, and will have to ask the people I was with what the name of the damn place was - they probably don't remember either.

During dinner, one of our companions got a phone call stating that he would have to return home ASAP. He is in charge of an EMS service in the Houston area, and there were some immediate issues that required his attention. That pretty much put an end to his evening.

After dinner, one member of our group split off to go dancing with a woman that he had brought to dinner. That was really okay with everyone else, because no one really liked her anyway. I think the last term that was used was "stuck up bitch." But I could be wrong. I don't really know what the guy was thinking...she was non-EMS, she didn't stand a chance.

Anyway, after that guy left, we went back to the hotel, dropped off the car we were using, and made the trek to 6th street. We didn't really have any plans, just to have a good time. The first place we stopped caught our eye becuase there was Shuffleboard. I don't know about you, but I think it could be my favorite bar game. I stand WAY better a chance with it than I do with darts or certainly pool. Anyway, we played that until around 10:30 or 11.

After that, we walked home the member of the group that had to return to Houston, and the party split up pretty soon after that.

Overall, a very good time was had by all who attended. I had never been to Conference before, but will definately be returning next year. I met some folks I haven't seen in a long time, and catching up with old friends is always fun. Even more than that, people that I was really only acquantences with before, I now definately call my friend.

Of course I realize that in this entire story, I never mentioned the names of any of the folks in the "group" I was hanging out with. Or the name of the girl our friend abandoned us for. That's just one of the rules of Confence.

"What happens at Conference, stays at Conference."

BUT HAVE YOU BEEN KNITTING???

Yes, I have been knitting, and if I don't keep knitting, I will never be done by Christmas.

I took all of my knitting essentials with me to Austin, with the thought of knitting during class. I even purchased this handy light that would clip to my cap so that I would have light during the never ending power point presentations. However, I decided on Monday morning that as tired as I was, if I took my knitting to class, I would relax myself right to sleep. So, Confence turned into a knit-free zone. It's hard for me to admit that to ya'll - please don't ban me from the group.

BUT...over Thursday thru Monday of Thanksgiving holiday, I got LOTS of knitting done 1.25 pairs of booties done for Christams, and a Manyly Brown Hat for the spouse.

The picture isn't very good, it was taken with the NKS's (non-knitting spouse) web-cam. What you can's see is that it is just a simple 2x1 rib all the way to the top. You know how the story goes...don't want it to be too fancy. But, the important thing to note here is that HE asked ME for a hat. Well, all other knitting immediately ceased, and I used yarn that was otherwise designated to immediately crank out a hat. I'm hoping he won't notice that the yarn is slightly varigated.

Okay, for whatever reason, the computer and I seem to be having a disagreement, and it won't let me give you the pictures of the Manly Brown Hat. I'll try again later.

I have to run, I'm sorry this is SO long. Ya'll have a TERRIFIC day!!

MP

Ta-Dah!!!!

2005-11-09T23:16:00.000-08:00

So, there it is. My Floppy-Brimmed Chemo Cap. Not quite as floppy as I'd hoped for, but I like it anyway. I ended up using almost two balls of the Debbie Bliss, and it was wonderful to work with. The only trouble I had came about half-way through the second ball...it started getting tangled up. I can't complain though. The pattern was easy, and I'm thinking of making a couple of these hats as gifts for non-chemo folks, as I've had some requests for it already.

On a different note, I have figured out the easiest way to take pics of yourself. If you don't have a timer on your camera, of course. I stood in the doorway to the bathroom, and had the screen of the camera turned on, so that while the camera was pointed at me, I could see the screen in the mirror. I realize that this probably isn't a great accomplishment for the average individual, but I was amused.

Ya'll would be proud of me (or amazed). While I was working on this hat, I didn't start, or even work on, any other projects. How about that? Huh? Are you impressed? I am. For one thing, I'm really interested in this yarn I got for the tea cozy, it's been talking to me...It just sits atop the filing cabinet and says things like, "Hey, you there with the wooden sticks, yeah, you. Please won't you let me be a tea-pot sweater soon? Please?"

My new goal is to finish something for DH. For the ladies from SnB you know what it is. I can't put a picture of it here until after it is gifted, in case the DH decides to browse the blog.

Alright...I should really go to bed...it's 0130, and I have a work related class to go to tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fascinating. "Traffic Control for the Emergency Responder", I know you are waiting to hear all the details.

Goodnight.

marlanea

A Purple Porcupine?!?!

2005-11-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

NO! Not a purple porcupine. That is my chemo cap for Jenni's brother's friend Wendy (3 degrees of separation). I hope that it comes out okay. I'm working it with Debbie Bliss's Cashmerino in this really super eggplant type purple color. I think this might be one of the softest things I've ever touched. I'm almost positive I'll be buying more of it, but not sure what for. Does it matter? Do I really need a reason? I didn't think so.

Anyway, I'm currently working on the "floppy brim" portion of the hat, and then I'm thinking of making a flower pin to add as extra decoration. We'll just have to see how that goes.

I'm either going to finish it up tomorrow or start on the tea cozy for my brother in law. We'll just have to see what happens. I'll be at work, and you just never can tell what's going to get done and what isn't.

In a couple of weeks I'll be going to a professional conference in Austin, and am looking forward to trying to figure out how to get some yarn store time in....I'm sure I'll manage to work it in somehow. As it is, I am planning small, easy projects that I can do during the three days of lectures. I figures as long as I sit in the back, no one will notice. :)

Until next time...keep checking by, I'm slowly making improvements around here. I'm definately more like the turtle than the hare.

marlanea

Meme

2005-11-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Alright, Martha and I have discussed this, and neither of us really knows what this Meme thing is about. We think that it is where we just list 25 things about ourselves that no one else knows. Upon further discussion, we decided if that was the case, that it would be fun to make them 25 things about us together. Some of these sound very strange. As people ask questions about the ones that don't make any sense, I'll answer them in later posts...or maybe Martha will. Furthermore, don't be afraid to ask. None of these things is nearly as strange as they sound, when they are explained...Until next time

Marlanea

The first conversation that Martha and Marlanea (henceforth M&M) ever had was an argument, and I thought she was a total bitch.
Joining forces against Satan (aka Mrs. Barker) is the only reason Martha and I are friends.
Martha firmly believes that she is the leader, and she’ll say when.
In spite of number 3, I always get my way.
When you live in a small town, going to Wal-Mart at 3am IS entertaining.
When visiting with either Martha or myself, cranberry juice is always a beverage option, and generally looked upon as the best choice, next to water.
It has been determined by M&M that swinging a live chicken over the pregnant belly of a woman can determine the sex of the child.
The only appropriate card games while at the House of Sex- which no one ever had sex at, to my knowledge - (aka Martha’s parent’s house) is Egyptian Rat Screw or the Fortune Telling Game.
Yes, it is still called Study Group @ Martha’s, even if you forget your books, and do nothing but participate in the card game mentioned in number 8.
It is important to look as sultry as a 17 year old can when Jose (whose parents own the only McDonald’s in town, that just opened up) shows up three hours late for study group.
M&M will not share either their Play-dough or their Crayola crayons with any boys, except for Mr. Crawford (aka, DECA Dad).
No matter what Martha says, her father believes that plaid is a religion.
Gumka (I know that is spelled correctly, I looked it up).
Martha has been banned from speaking foreign languages in the presence of Mr. & Mrs. Crawford due to rumors that she may have been using curse words. (I may have started the rumor.)
If traveling with M&M by airplane, and someone is already sitting where you want to sit, just tell me, I’ll ask them to move – Martha will protest, but then will be happy to sit where she wants.
M&M have been scientifically proven to not have an “inside voice.”
If I begin a conversation with “Have you ever noticed…?” and you see Martha put her head down on the table, watch out, you’re in for a long one.
M&M have played putt-putt golf in several locations around the country (although not on the professional circuit.)
M&M mourned the death of George the Dolphin until Mr. Crawford told Marlanea to shut-up. (then I mourned in silence)
I set Martha up with a weird guy that I used to work with. (It didn’t work out, Sorry Martha)
M&M know that Chinese food isn’t dinner, it’s a way of life.
If it doesn’t have sausage in it, it’s not Polish.
Yes, I probably am as weird as Martha’s mother suspects.
Martha’s parents look at me when they are talking about me in Polish – as if I don’t know.
Martha and I bring new meaning to the word ‘knitwit’ – as we are permanently knitted into the fabric of each other’s lives.

Cookies for Dinner

2005-10-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Let us just start out by saying, someday I will understand how all this dang computer stuff works, and I will be able to make these pictures do what I want. In the mean time...

The photo on the left is the scarf that I made from the Fiesta La Boheme. It turned out to be almost eight feet long (maybe) and at least eight inches wide. Unfortunately my crappy camera does not do this yarn justice. It is a beautiful material, and I am definately working with it again. I'm thinking of doing something in the round for myself. Very open and airy...a super long tubular scarf with tons of fringe and maybe beads. Oooohhh, and more purple. Always more purple.

The photo on the right is the recipient of the Fiesta Scarf with her daughter. Again two wonderful women deserve more credit than my dumb camera gives them. Cookie (the blonde) is a wonderful woman, whose birthday was yesterday. She and I met through my husband (they taught school together), and have become wonderful friends. There are not words to describe to those that do not know her, how fabulous she is. If you are on the good list, she would do anything for you. If you are not, well, not only is it YOUR misfortune, but watch out.

Oh, I neglected to mention that she LOVED the scarf. She noticed, like only a woman could, that the darkest color of blue in it matched her eyes.

The women at Yarns 2 Ewe knew that I working on a gift when I purchased that yarn, and mentioned how lucky the recipient was to receive a gift of such yarn...but they had it all wrong...I'm the lucky one.

The person beside Cookie is her daughter, Alex. She has just recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and is working in the publishing business. She if funny, outgoing, and extremely smart. It also looks like she is trying very hard to be taller in this picture. :)

Live, Live, Live!

2005-10-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Live, Live, Live...That's what Auntie Mame used to say. Have you seen this movie? It's one of my favorites. Well, as you can see from the picture, I lived.
Details to come later, but this photo is one of the reasons I couldn't come to SnB today.

Talk to ya'll later.

Goldilocks

Yarn Therapy

2005-10-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have participated in many forms of therapy over the years. One of my favorites has always been Chocolate Therapy. I'm sure you are familiar with this one...it's where you go to a good grocery store and buy the most expensive chocolate you can find, go home and eat it, generally with a glass of wine (or two)If you have a dear enough friend, you might share it, but likely not.

A close second for me is Fried Therapy. This, of course, involves eating any food that is fried. Similar to the above in how it works.

These above two forms of therapy are probably seriously contributing factors to why I have been on a diet since I was eight. Today, I exercised a new form of therapy: Yarn Therapy.

I went to Yarns 2 Ewe this morning and spent a pile of cash on yarn that makes me happy. The first is a hank of Peruvian Highland Wool that is variagate tones of greens and purples. I think that it is going to be a tea cozy for my Brother-In-Law, but I'm not sure.

My other new acquisition is two hanks of Fiesta La Boheme. The color is "Alaska" and I'm in love. I'm currently trying to crank out a scarf for a birthday this weekend for a dear friend. I figure when I run out of time, that's when the scarf is done.

Okay, well, I was going to post a pic of those, but my camara really makes that Fiesta yarn look like crap, so I'm not. Anyway, That is all.

Marlanea

And the Survey Says...

2005-10-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

A while back I posted a Two Truths and a Lie. Not many people answered, but for those of you who did, I will grace you with the answers.

1. I have been to Europe. Nope, I haven't. I've been lots of other neat places, just not across "The Pond."

2. I like to polish Brass. Yes. I know, it sounds strange, but it was a good family time activity. We lived on a boat when I was growing up, and that was just part of the day. Here is a pic of my Dad and I sailing. My Mom must be taking the picture.

3. I've had a sting ray on my head. That also is true. DH and I were snorkling off the coast of Belize. This isn't a very good pic, but the Ray closest to the camera was actually on my head!! The feel really soft. I want to say they feel "neat", because they do, but I try to avoid that word.

Now you know more about me. In a little while I'll post some more family pics.

Marlanea

The Miracle of the Indoor Outhouse...

2005-10-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Many of you may have been wondering where I have been (or maybe not), if that is the case settle down for quite a tale.

First a little background, or you'll be really confused: My brother-in-law (my husband's brother) lives approximately 20 minutes south of Lake Charles, LA. While this area hasn't gotten much press time, I assure you that Hurricane Rita thoroughly devastated his little corner of the world. It is estimated by some that the area had as much as 8-11 feet of standing water, however no one knows the EXACT measurement.

This weekend I went to LA to help him start to organize his life. First, let me tell you that he knows how truly blessed he is to still have a home, there are many that do not, and he thanks God daily.

Moving on...

He warned me before I came that things were primitive, and that "you don't have to come". I reminded him that I offered, and wouldn't have if I didn't mean it. His definition of primitive meant no electricity and no toilet. The had recently gotten running water, but the sewer system was destroyed, so you can't use the water in the house. Normally these are things which would have disturbed me. Not the electricity part, that I can deal with. The no bathroom part would, under everyday circumstances, cause some distress on my part. Not this time, this is my family, he needed my help, so I put aside my silly needs, and off I went to LA.

So here I go, off to LA. He had given me direction over the phone about how to get there. Very specific directions, which I wrote down. (I can see you shaking your head Martha, and NO, I didn't leave them at home. :> ) I took the directions with me, and decided to combine them with some MUCH easier and straight forward directions from the fine folks at Microsoft Streets and Trips. There was a reason for the directions he gave me. Duh. But, being the hard-head that I am, I had to go out on my own. The reason he gave me the route that he did is because the dang bridge on MY chosen route is closed.

Well, he called on my cell phone just shortly after I had turned around from the broken bridge (concerned about the length of time it was taking me to arrive at his place), and gave me some turn-by-turn help to find his house.

Upon my arrival I found him wondering around on the slab of his tall stilt house picking up random pieces of debris and putting them in piles. He was waiting for the insurance adjuster to show up before he really got down to business.

After the insurance people came and went (and what a screwed up system that is), we got to work. For the next two days we cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned. After we did that, we cleaned.

The final results of our weekend's work was the slab under his house is completely free of random debris. Now only his crap is under there, and it is organized in a reasonable manner. The slab has been powerwashed of the two or more inches of LA bottom mud that was on it, and that make Chris really happy. The inside of the house is looking better, too. His living room, which was a cluttered collection of tools and now organized into a living room again and his hardwood floors scrubbed and cleaned. And, maybe the biggest achievement of them all, we got all of the loose insulation out of the house.

Amazing moments in technology: Saturday it was rumored that the lady down the street had just gotten the electricity turned on to her house again, so we decided to try it out. Voila!! We did the "Happy 4 Electricity" dance for about thirty minutes, and just walked around trying out different electrical things to see if they worked.

Now, about this business of not having bathroom facilities. Anyone who has known me long, knows that I don't pee outside. I'm not good at it, and I have a fear of urinating on my shoes. No worries...Chris had a very nice five gallon bucket with a toilet seat. I was in business!

An important lesson that all of us can learn from this man. For all this is wrong in his life right now, he takes the time every evening that he is able to be at his house, to view the glory of the sunset from his balcony. He knows how lucky he is, and viewing that often overlooked event end his day with a positive tilt.

This is an photo taken from a helicoptor of his neighborhood just after Rita came through.

Tooting of my Horn

2005-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am almost positive that ya'll have been waiting all day to hear this, but, I have had a computing breakthough!! Now, if you click on "Booties" or "Blankie", you can see them!! Yea for me!!! That is all.

Marlanea

The Blankie

2005-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I felt like I worked on the dang blanket FOREVER, but it really wasn't that long. Thank you, Martha, for the yarn.
I know it's probably NOT the grandest blanket a child ever received, but it is mine. To date, it's the largest item I've produced, and I'm kinda proud of it, so here it is:

What I want to know is this: Why is it that the general public assumes that because you are working on a baby blanket that you are pregnant? What the hell is that about?

I was so happy about the blanket (and feeling kind of brave) so I decided to make some booties. I made these before I was willing to try DPNs, so they were done flat, and then stitched together.

So there you have it. I'm going to attempt to place these items in the "I'm done" category of the right hand side...we'll have to see how that goes.

Two Truths...

2005-10-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Martha did this, and we talked about it last night at the meeting, so I'll give it a try...

Which one is a lie?
a) I have traveled to Europe.
b) I like to polish brass.
c) I have had a sting ray on my head.

Now, the deal is, I won't tell you the answers until I think enough people have guessed. I'm not sure how many "enough" is, I'll let you know. :)

As you can see, the pictures didn't get done tonight. I got back from dinner too late, and I must work tomorrow. At least it is a Saturday, so the masses should be pretty well controlled until the afternoon...

Until next time...

Marlanea

My first SnB!!

2005-10-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Okay ya'll...

First of all, I went to my very first Stitch and Bitch last night. That was more fun than should be allowed at any one time. For the first time I have met people who don't think it would be wierd to wear a "dog hair sweater."

This is my first time blogging, and I don't really know anything about it, so you'll have to bear with me.

This initial post will be short, as I have some place to be tonight. I'm going to some friend's for dinner. I'm trying to be on a diet (not so successful) and they are having spaghetti. Great. I'll update ya'll on how that goes.

I initially set this up one night because my knitting and I weren't getting along, but we are on speaking terms again, so that's good.

Thank you to all the girls at Katy SnB for making Martha and Martha's friend feel SO welcomed. I was a blast and I will definately be back, probably w/ some whining thrown in about the distance. :)

Anyway, must run. Have a super evening!! Will post some pictures soon (maybe tonight!!).

Marlanea