Kiss My Knits!

Pattern: Jaywalkers
Needles: US Size 1/2.25
Yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes (half-off at now closed Peace of Yarn in Matthews)
Ravelry project page

Notes: Changed the heel to an eye of partridge heel, because it’s sturdy and I like the way it looks. Otherwise, these were according to pattern.

There is one difference, though. Because I had to steal time here and there to work on these, a lot of time passed between the first and second sock. When I got to the toe of sock two, I thought that I had switched to a size 0 for the toe on sock 1, so I switched to a 0 for sock 2. Apparently not. One toe does look a little wider than the other. However, since I had also muffed the foot on sock two once and had to rip back, I didn’t feel like re-knitting it. I decided it was good enough and sewed the toe closed. So one toe is a little snugger than the other. Big whoop.

These were originally going to be for me, but someone on Facebook admired them so greatly I decided to give them to her. She was my daughter’s preschool teacher, and a very good one. She has since moved over to our local children’s library/theater, called Imaginon, and she’s very good over there too. This week the Charlotte City Council announced massive budget cuts, including eliminating 140 library jobs and closing 12 branches. She’s having a bad week, waiting to see what her future is, and I think she needs happy feet. Here’s hoping that in this troubled time, she – and everyone affected – finds the feet of a dancer. I’m thinking of you, friend!

GM Vaschon: Your party is in town, and its mid-evening, roughly 10pm. The weather is calm and cloudy.

We go to the local tavern, where Aleanghi tries to get a room and I try to bum a few coins from Torkal on account of Klyx having stolen my purse.

Palin: “If I ever find that thieving scabrous little kobold again I will rip him a new steal-hole.”

Veracity, having gone ahead and gotten a bath, rejoins us, smelling great. Aleanghi slips me a few coins, possibly out of pity, possibly in appreciation for my ragging on Veracity’s new fancy smell.

Veracity: Veracity says genially, “You too could smell less middenheapish, my short and smelly friend. The bathhouse is still open for business. And they have a shallow end.”
Palin: “I don’t take your meaning.”
GM Vaschon: You stank
Veracity: “It is too deep for you.” Veracity nods at Palin and then says, “So what are we doing tonight?”
Palin: Stank is in the nose of the beholder.
Aleanghi: (quietly) Bathing right before we go to a probable fight doesn’t make much sense.
GM Vaschon: Yes, you’ll see one of those soon 🙂
So true.

This isn’t the jaywalker post I was going to make, but I’m going to make this post first because I am still FREAKING THE HELL OUT.

I was driving Em home from Scouts about 45 minutes ago, just past twilight. We were returning home along Fairview, which is a main thoroughfare here in Charlotte. No other cars were near me, I did have my lights on, and I had a very long, clear green light. All of a sudden a jogger starts crossing the street in front of me. Against the light. IN FRONT OF ME.

I slammed on the brakes, which is the point at which this guy saw me. It was very surreal from my point of view. I saw the guy, I stood on the brakes, and tried to move the car to an empty lane, then my brain said, “Well, I’ve done all I can do, I hope this isn’t too bad” and then just watched in horror to see how it would unfold.

I came to a stop right at the white line, hitting the guy lightly. He came up on my hood with a little hop and kept on jogging. KEPT ON JOGGING! Meanwhile, I’m freaking out. I shout out the window at his retreating form, “Are you okay?” and he gives me a little wave as he goes. Not satisfied, I shout back, “DUDE! Are you okay??” And he says, “Yeah! Yeah! I’m fine!” and keeps on going across the street to where his female jogging partner is. The light turns yellow (see how green it was? It was green through the entire transaction!) and so I sit there and watch him and his friend walk off. They seem fine, my car seems fine, so when the light turns green again… I drive on. I’ve never hit anyone before so I’m not up on the etiquette, but I guess it’s not exactly a hit and run if you wait through a light and the guy waves you off and walks off with a friend.

During all this, Em is in the back seat dying laughing. I asked her to stop while we were there with the guy, but when it was over and I looked in the rear view mirror she actually had both hands over her mouth so I told her she could laugh. Nobody was actually hurt, after all. Most of the way home I continue to repeat, “Oh my God.” Em finally says, “Oh my God is right!” so I stop doing that. If nothing else, it was a vivid lesson in why we do not cross against the light and why we look both ways when we cross the street. And why we don’t speed, thank God.

Why did he keep jogging? Did he want to impress his lady friend with his manliness? Did he want to avoid trouble from potentially damaging my car? I would not have been such a cool customer, I can tell you.

If you take something away from this episode, let it be this: no matter how much you want to get across the street, WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING.

Thank you. I’ll be over here continuing to freak out.

Today I was going to leap into action to take care of the Jayne hat backlog that built up last week while I was sick. I went to bed early last night in preparation and still woke up tired, but started to plow through. I’m exhausted already and it’s only 10am.

This is getting very old. I just need to be better. People need hats!

I don’t have my sense of smell back yet, but I still won’t be eating this.

Report on Em’s birthday party

I seem to have picked up allergies or a cold or possibly the plague. Okay, it’s not the plague (probably) but it comes at a very inconvenient time. Today is Em’s birthday. Friday, we have a party for somewhere between five and a dozen kids. We invited nine, but a couple have asked if they can bring siblings. Nobody else has responded. The kids are not big with the RSVPs. So I had been cleaning earlier in the week and planned to keep it up this week. Instead I’m totally exhausted from lack of sleep and my temperature is stubbornly parked at about 100F.

I called someone to come help with the cleaning tomorrow. If I’m feeling better, that’ll mean I can focus on de-cluttering while she gives the place some spit and polish. If I’m not feeling better, a lot of stuff is going to get shoved into the bedroom. Either way, I still have to do the basics, like pick up a pinata and figure out how we’re going to transport everyone if all twelve kids show up.

At least by Friday I should no longer be contagious.

Em’s birthday is upon us, so we’re having a party on Friday after school like last year. This year she’s invited nine people. Last year, she invited six, we got two RSVPs, and everybody showed up, so I have no idea what to expect. I have arranged for Mr. Tvini to be on standby with another car to ferry people back home. It’s not exactly safe to pack ’em all in to my car like sardines. Also, I do not want to have to explain to the police why I am carrying a dozen little girls in the back of the car, arms and legs sticking out the windows like I’m bringing home fence posts.

I wish I had more time to update here. I do have stories: the Day of Three Pies, the D&D Dumpling Gang Go Sailing, plus oh so many more. There’s never a dull moment. Of course, if there were more dull moments, I’d have more time to update but nothing to write about, so there’s your Catch-22.

At any rate. With so many people coming over, it’s time to shovel the hovel. If worse comes to worse, I can jam everything in one room and close it off like Fibber McGee’s closet. Nothing could go wrong with that plan!

Y’all know I like vintage magazines. Today I picked up an old Woman’s Day containing this ad for Ma Bell.

It’s fun to look at these ads as little retro bubbles of kitsch. But these ads weren’t made to be quaint, they were made to sell something. And while the products are often long gone, sometimes the ads still work. This ad encouraging people to call someone long distance actually made me call someone long distance.

I have a friend whom I’ve known since we were both nine years old. We went through elementary, middle, and high school together, and even went to the same college. Over the years as our lives have taken us further apart, we’ve still sent Christmas cards and called each other on our birthdays. Even though we’re not in regular contact anymore, I still consider him a close friend.

Looking at the ad, I realized that we didn’t exchange Christmas cards last year, and we didn’t call each other on our birthdays, which are both in February. So I called this afternoon. I got his answering machine and left a message. When he hears who it is, I’ll bet he smiles. I did, just to hear his voice, even if it was telling me to wait for the beep.

So thanks, anonymous ad writer of 1957, I appreciate the nudge.