7 Quick Takes (Vol 233)

Oh come what may, when Friday morning rolls around you know it’s time for your weekly blather prescription renewal. So when you are done here with your blather inoculation you need to click on the picture above to be whisked, at the speed of Congress spending us into oblivion, over to Conversion Diary to see what has been going on.

Fear not! For I have blathered.

1.
I have discovered something fabulous here at Chez Knit. And it has only come to light because we have now turned the heat on. Well really there are two things, related, now that I think about it.

Chez Knit retains heat amazingly well. It may be because OCK had a boat load of heat leaking windows (50 to be exact) and Chez Knit has a great deal less windows…and much smaller walls. But whatever the reason we just turned on the heat for the season yesterday.

But the really great thing. My towel in the bathroom hangs over a heating vent. Oh my stars and garters! It is like having my own heated towel bar when I get out of the shower. Fabulous!

2.
I seem to have added crochet to my pantheon of fiber arts. I didn’t think I ever would. Crochet is the orphan step child of the fiber world. It shouldn’t be but there it is.

Remember that I had been knitting “shawls” for the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, accumulating a vast and ever expanding supply of acrylic yarn in the process. But they have an overabundance of shawls at the moment and have called a pause on sending anymore. So I had to find some other project to use all that acrylic.

Enter Project Linus.

But I wanted to change things up a bit so I started noodling around on Ravelry, looking at pattern ideas. And I found this blanket of many stripes…..and it was crochet.

And now I am obsessed with working on the thing. The zen of crochet is like the Borg. Resistance is futile.

3.
Regarding #2, I haven’t been crochet monogamous by any means. I have been merrily knitting on a baby blanket for a “baby to be”. There are always the latest pair of socks to work on. And the ever continuing Tiny Mitered Square Blanket. I did manage to finish, or almost finish, the latest sweater. It is currently 99% dry and done blocking. I will weave in ends, sew on the grosgrain ribbon on the button band and sew on the buttons today. Most likely while watching episodes of I, Claudius which someone has so nicely posted on YouTube.

And that means that the sweater will be ready to wear tomorrow, when the cold spell shows up and the high is supposed to be 43F.

I love her, my Nemesis. The pattern just flew by! I am sure that there will be pictures next week. Because if there aren’t pictures taken and posted on Ravelry then the project isn’t really finished. Of course I am now contemplating my next sweater.

What to do. What to do.

4.
Next week……..

The appliance repairman will be here.

And we know how I dread that. I always pray that it will actually be something worthwhile for him and not something idiotically easy.

You see, the frig is making a noise that is quite similar to a 767 taking off. The frig is working, thankfully, it just is SO LOUD WHEN THE COMPRESSOR IS ON that I cannot hear myself think. And it gives me a headache. And it actually wakes me up at night because I can hear it in our bedroom and I can FEEL the vibrations. The other day the dishwasher was on, I was doing a load of laundry and then the frig came on. It was so loud in there that I had to retreat to the basement to take a phone call.

Thank goodness for a home warranty. We are not ready to replace that basic little frig yet. Someday yes, but not right at the moment. But I do not want to be deaf when that time comes.

Wish me repairman luck!

5.
I love thrift stores. I am always looking for vintage fabric or yarn and the occasional book. And I knew where all my fav stores were…..before I moved.

I went out scouting yesterday, list of stores in hand. And was very disappointed.

Two of the stores were no longer in existence as far as I could see. One was very small, not really thrift but consignment. And so the only store that was even marginally OK was the Goodwill. Where I did find some really cute, old kitchen curtain material with these beautiful roses printed on it. Perfect box bag material.

But I will just have to keep searching for thrift stores in my area. I know they are here somewhere.

6.
I finished watching all the current Doc Martin episodes available on Netflix Streaming. And I am in total withdrawal. Oh what am I going to do?? I understand that the latest season has been showing in the UK. But you know that Season 6 won’t show up on Netflix of a gosh awful long time. And I am not willing to sign up for something called AcornTV (at $10/month) just to see what happens with Doc Martin and Louisa and the baby and all the crazy inhabitants of Portwein. Will Mrs. Tishell get over her obsession with Doc Martin? Will All Large ever get over his money woes?

What am I going to do???

Why is this show so obsessing???

I am just going to have to find some way to watch online.

7.
OK, FINE! One more photo of my boyfriend so you all can be jealous.

We have a date this afternoon over Cheerios and juice.

He is such a charmer.