Twisted

So this has been a slightly twisted week, thus the song title "Twisted." It's a really cool song actually.  If you're following along on Itunes, I'd check out the versions by Joni Mitchell or Anne Ross.

I might have mentioned getting a calendar to manage my New Year's resolutions.  I got a purple monthly calendar from Staples, which Mary Kate R. has affectionately named "the purple calendar of doom."  Me, being me, have scheduled out time to work on both my resolutions.  What is amusing to me, is that although I don't necessarily follow the calendar, if there's a time and a goal written down, I will make it up in the same week even if I don't comply with the original plan.  For example, in order to make my new goal of a thousand words a week during those weeks in which I am not participating in a challenge, I scheduled writing time on Monday and Thursday from 7 to 9 pm.  On Monday I blew it off because by the time I finished the laundry, blocking a sweater, and making dinner it was 10 pm and I was too tired.  On Thursday I blew it off because my back was a wreck after digging out.  So on Saturday, I made it up.  However, if I don't schedule something, I won't do it.  And it has to be written down somewhere.  If it's just a vague intention, I won't do it.

So to report, on the writing front, I finished the challenge with Linda D, last weekend and gained 5,088 words, 18 more pages, for a grand total of 61,974 words and 205 pages.  Yesterday, in making up for blowing off the regularly scheduled writing, I gained is up 1,268 words, for a grand total of 63,242 words and 211 pages.  I'll be posting the file to the Misplaced Modifiers site for the meeting next week later today.
I did use the headset to use the speech recognition feature built into Windows 7 to dictate some of it. 

In spinning news, I'm supposed to spin 4 oz a month.  So yesterday I spun some roving from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks some time ago I think at NH Sheep and Wool.  It's a 50/50 wool silk and it was lovely.  It took a bit longer than the two hours I'd booked to spin it though. I decided that I wanted the barberpole effect with this yarn, although I considered a navaho ply, so it's plyed on itself.  It's quite soft, and it took care of one half of my goal for the month.  Woo hoo!

In knitting news, I have 24 out of 34 leaves done.  I have two more of the copper pennies color and then eight in spring green and then I can block them and start the actual sock itself. It's a toe up sock and the toe is a bit fiddlely as the toe has a leaf shaped hole in it so that you can sew one of the leafs into it.  Honestly, I'm going to try it, but if it's really god awful, I'm going knit a plain toe and applique the stupid leaf on it and call it good.

Lastly, as I reported above, I got the Tramline Cable Sweater blocked. I wore it to work on Friday.  I had some pictures taken of me in it.  However, none of the pictures that I actually look attractive in, had sufficient detail of the sweater, and the pictures which have sufficient detail of the sweater, I look horrible in.  The detail of the sweater picture won out, and here it is.  Yes, I'm well aware I'm not photogenic at all, damn it.  

On Friday, Shawn and I went to Le Gourmet Chef to get more CO2 for the Soda Stream machine and get some soda flavors. While we were there, I saw a silicone egg poacher that you could use in the microwave and the stove top. So I had to get it, because I love poached eggs, but I never make them because I hate the mess. If you're doing it on the stove top, you put the bottom part in a skillet with 3/4 of an inch of simmering water, crack the eggs in the cups, and cover the skillet.

I just tested the stove top version so far, as I am suspicious of the microwave version.  For that you crack the eggs in the cups, put the clear plastic cover on and microwave on medium for 30-45 seconds.   The stove top version worked, but I may need to cook them a little bit longer than the directions say.

And that's most of the news this week.  Say tuned.