mary makes merry

Onward

I sewed a pair of corduroys for myself several days ago -- details to follow, when I have time to put 'em together. Knitting-wise, I'm really wanting to lock myself away somewhere and just motor through on the Trellis cardigan for Ellie, partly because I am enjoying the process but also because I want to get the thing on her! It's not helping that I'm somewhat concerned that it's going to be on the small side. At least I now have no doubt that I'll have enough yarn, which was a concern earlier in the project. Thank you, Cascade 220.

The Young and the Clueless

Sorry I disappeared for a week and a half...and I'm returning with a rant post instead of a craft one. There is craft news, or what passes for news around here, but first this must come off the chest:

Dear Young Woman Behind Me at the Store Yesterday,

When you dropped your jar of salsa in the checkout line and it broke and splattered my new slacks with a weird substance that looked like salsa mixed with cheese, the thing to do was not to look blankly at me, then at the shattered jar, and mumble something about how you thought the jar was plastic. No, the thing to do was to apologize to me -- preferably profusely -- and then hustle to get the attention of an employee so that the CLEAN-UP ON AISLE ONE could begin. Instead, you just looked lost. Not in the sweet, naive way that makes people want to help you, but in the responsibility-shirking way that makes you look like a vapid, selfish boor.

I, the person who was in a rush as it was and who now had to detour into the gross grocery-store bathroom to wipe salsa off my shoe and the hem of my pants with toilet paper, had also to catch the eye of an employee and alert her to the mess, while you simply stepped around it and continued in line. The fact that the employee probably thought I dropped the jar and didn't have the grace to apologize to her for leaving her with the mess is simply icing on the cake. Just don't ever stand in line behind me with that cake, or you'll wish you'd stayed in bed that day.

All the best,

yours truly.

THREE WEEKS?!

I could have sworn I saw a magazine ad a couple of weeks for "Top Design" that said the premiere was Wednesday, Jan. 10. Looked forward to it all week; consulted my trusty guide to TV programming tonight...nothing. Worried that I had told people at KIP that it was on Wednesdays when it was on Tuesdays or something horrible like that; assumed the guide was rife with errors; felt certain that I had read the ad correctly. Consulted the Bravo site -- waaaah! It doesn't start until Wednesday, Jan. 31. I already have unreasonably high expectations for this show, so the delay is going to hurt.

Going to the web site and watching the clip there, however, did introduce me to this pearl: "He was like the mayor of Excuses Village." ~Jonathan Adler, described on the site as the show's "lead judge." Love it!

(I know, I know -- get a life, huh?)

First FO o' the year

Except for a couple of remaining ends, I've finished my scarf for the Red Scarf Project. It's a 2x2 rib in Rowan Polar on size 10 needles -- I'll hold off with a photo until I find a box in which to pack and send it to make sure I actually do that crucial final step!

It's gotten cold again in Chicago. Boo. I was getting used to that mild stuff.

Happy New Year!

A bit late with this, but best wishes to all for a wonderful 2007 -- let's all call it Lucky '07, then make our own good luck!

I'm enjoying working on Ellie's Trellis. The back is about a quarter finished; here are the sleeves:

The edges are very rolly, hence the weights. (As an aside, if you're ever looking for a baby gift, these are "ABC Block Books," published by Chronicle Books. They came in a very nice, sturdy box along with the rest of the alphabet. When she first received them, Ellie gummed and chewed them. Now she has a few of them memorized -- there's one word per page -- and she "reads" them. We also build towers with them.)

Cat-o-rama

Here's the cat I mentioned in passing a couple of weeks ago, a 2-hour project from my recently acquired copy of Plush-o-rama:

He's just flat like that, though the book's example had a tail engineered to allow the lil' fella to stand up. I really like this book -- the creatures tend to the rough-and-ugly side (intentionally, so don't fear that I just insulted the various designers!), but I see getting my money's worth and then some from it.

I made this for my brother-in-law in San Diego, one of the few relatives I have who actually requests and then does seem to appreciate hand-made gifts. I think I understood Clark correctly when he reported the name Dave gave this creature: Scrat, for SCaRy CAt. It's raining sheets in Chicago, Scrat -- enjoy sunny Southern California!

KIP the new year right!

I tried to send a note today to the Yahoo group, but they sent it back -- trouble with my e-mail address or something -- but I am going to KIP tonight and hope to see Lots and Lots of You!