Amazing Knitting, Amazing Quilting, and Amazing Kate (plus some books)

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First up is something I found via a comment on Donnell’s blog, WickedPete.  Katie, a blogger who raises chickens, is married to someone with great muttonchops, and knits, commented that she enjoyed D’s frankness.  I do, too, so I went to her site, Caffaknitted, and found a link to Lamaisonbisoux - and nominations for some of the coolest knitting I’ve found anywhere.  Katie’s work is called It’s The End of the World as We Knit It, and it’s just one example of rampant creativity.  Seriously, look at the sites.

Speaking of amazing knitting, I was at Book People last week (I’m in Book People every week, to be honest) and was attracted to the new American Scientist magazine, which features an article on scientific knitting by sarah-marie belcastro, whose work I’ve admired for years.  I don’t claim to understand it, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it.  Same goes for Wooly Thoughts, whose Some Square Over the Rainbow pattern I bought around 2007 but have not yet knit (and this is mathematical knitting I do understand).

As for quilting and amazing Kate (must be Katharine Hepburn – yes!):  I was reading Joanne’s blog (always interesting) and admiring her Grandmother’s Choice block this week (as I do every week), when she segued off to talk about Kate Hepburn (whom she resembles in many ways, physically as well as in character).  You should be a follower, too.

Last weekend I went to Cotton Cupboard in Lakeway, a fabric store I’d first found during the 2012 quilt hop.  Now that I live closer (well, 30 minutes’ drive), I thought I’d check it out again.  The folks are really nice and the selection is excellent.  I bought an ironing board top (a large wooden piece that fits on my board and makes ironing of large pieces (e.g., sheets) easier) – but I bought it mostly to use as a cutting board.  Yay!  In the apartment, I had a large granite island on which to cut fabric, but I have a much smaller kitchen here and the dining table is also small and low, so I haven’t cut a piece of fabric in three months.  This should help.  I’m so far behind on everything, though, that I’ve not yet tried it. Instead, I joined the embroidery group that meets at the store the first Friday of each month.  I had a good time and started a new project; yes, I have a redwork quilt in progress, but am going in a really different direction with this one and have already learned some things and improved my stitches.  Next Saturday is pajama class, and I am really excited about learning to make my own pajama bottoms.  They take just 2.5 yards of fabric, and there’s so much fun fabric available.  After that, there’s a good chance I’ll break down and make my own t-shirt quilt.  You may remember I was signed up for a class to learn just that at another quilt shop, but life intervened and I wasn’t able to go.  In fact, I’ve been wearing (out) the t-shirts I want to put in the quilt; need to stop that because they’re fraying and, really, it’s not as if I have a small supply of t-shirts.

Finally, books:  I am so far behind on the Tournament of Books that I feel like a loser already.  Some of them are irritating, as they are every year (Ivyland and How Should a Person Be); some I do want to read because they look challenging and I want to improve my reading diet (HHhH and The Round House); some are not engaging, for one reason or another (Fobbit, Yellow Birds).  I’m hopeful my favorites – which I’d read or planned to read  even without the tournament – will make it through and I can return a couple of the also-rans to the library without feeling as if I’m missing out on something important.  My favorites?  Building Stories, Bring Up the Bodies, The Orphan Master’s Son, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Gone Girl.  I also enjoyed Beautiful Ruins, Where’d You Go Bernadette, The Fault in Our Stars, and May We Be Forgiven.  I’m planning to read Arcadia, Dear Life, and The Song of Achilles next week .  Meanwhile, I’m reading The Glass Castle for one book group and Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie for another group (really enjoying the re-read of the latter; I’d listened to it the first time round but am reading it in real life now).  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  What others do you recommend?

I hope you have a restful day, filled with satisfying productivity or satisfying rest, as you please.

Two posts in one day, but this one is about chocolate

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I knew I forgot something!

For quite a while I’ve been thinking about drinking hot milk before bed, but do so only occasionally.  It’s supposed to help one drift off to sleep, but I found an old article in the NY Times that says it’s not true for the reason we think (i.e., it’s not the tryptophans).  It is, instead, “Scientists say the routine of drinking a glass of milk before bed can be as soothing as a favorite old blanket.”

In fact, hot chocolate may be counter productive, per an article in Wikipedia (“Hot chocolate is traditionally a bedtime drink but this contains high levels of xanthines (caffeine and theobromine), which are stimulants and so may be counter-productive.”).  The article goes on to say that a warm bath right before bed may help.  I rarely take baths, but sometimes – especially on cold, windy nights – the idea of a bath, freshly washed flannel jammies & matching robe (the matching aspect is important, as is the freshly washed), and warm socks makes me feel sleepy just thinking of it.

All that having been said, last night I drank hot chocolate and it was good.  It was very good.  Here’s the recipe I used, which comes from Laura Calder‘s French Food at Home (buy the book in any case, because there are so many good recipes*)

4 C/1 l whole milk        1 C/250 ml heavy cream         3 oz/80 g best-quality dark chocolate

4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dagoba for both chocolates)       4 Tbsp sugar

Heat the first three gently until the chocolate melts.  Combine the cocoa & sugar in a small bowl and stir in a bit of the milk mixture to make a smooth  paste, then stir the paste back into the warm milk.  Continue heating, now whisking constantly, until the chocolate milk is hot and frothy.

She suggests it could be served alone (or with madeleines, for which she also gives a simple recipe) for dessert, and yes it could.  I proved that to myself when I reheated the leftover milk and accidentally let it boil.  It made a delicious thick chocolaty sauce that made me glad I hadn’t given up chocolate for Lent, but also made me realize that this could become an addiction I will have to give it up next year.

*my notes for her Not a Recipe for Roast Chicken say, “OMG!  Cooked in cast-iron skillet.  Rated less than 10/10 [I rated it 9/10] because it was so good I sucked the bones and couldn’t make stock from them.  I stuffed it with a quartered lemon and a head of garlic with the top sliced off”  She also has a recipe for A Good Coffee Chop (2 pork chops and strong black coffee to make a syrupy sauce) that could be called a very good coffee chop.  Along with lots of others.  Anyway, buy it.

In which life improves, but I am proved a weakling

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Just re-read my last post and am glad to report I’ve found another book group that is interesting and promises to be satisfying.  The South Austin Women’s Book Club (find us on Goodreads and Meetup) had a newcomer’s meeting in January and our first book discussion two nights ago.  While the book we read was a disappointment (Nicholas Sparks lite, if you can imagine), the discussion was funny and insightful, and I was relieved to hear that everyone who spoke (and most of us did) agreed – and the other newbies were also relieved that this wasn’t typical of what the regulars liked to read.

The HOA book club was supposed to meet last night but on Tuesday the saleswoman said she couldn’t make it and hadn’t read the book anyway and another person said she hadn’t read the book and it was agreed we would meet in two weeks when, perhaps, more would have read it.  Deep sigh.  I, for one, am enjoying re-reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and I do recommend it.

Donnell and I took a class a couple of weeks ago and had a great time learning to knit via  magic loop, which is using a single long circular needle rather than two needles.  Really interesting technique I will definitely use in future.  We did toe-up socks using Noro and a size 7 needle.  I am not a Noro fan, and was confirmed in that feeling knitting the first sock because the yarn separated three times even though I was not rough with it.  It also doesn’t respond well to a Russian join, so one has to make a square knot to join the pieces, with a resulting bump.  Minor quibble since I won’t be making more socks with it, but the size of a complaint has never stopped me from making it.

Have wasted the morning watching CNN and Benedict XVI’s departure from the Vatican and the papacy.  It is surprisingly affecting, even though I have not been a fan of this pope (Pope John Paul was a hard act to follow), and it’s been interesting to watch the view of Rome from the air as the helicopter flies to Castel Gandolfo.  BTW, did you know Benedict has never had a driver’s license but does have a pilot’s license and frequently flies the helicopter himself.  Christiane Amanpour has had some interesting interviews and comments this morning (oh, I’ve missed her!  She reminds me that CNN used to be a news channel, not the fluff and opinion business it has become).  The interview with New York’s Cardinal  Dolan was excellent; he is such a good representative of the Church.  Also, a priest just said he hasn’t been proud of the Church much in recent years, but this Pope has made him proud (after which comments were made about pride being a sin, but it was in context).  Andrew Cuomo and Erin Burnett are doing a good job hosting this.

However. . .

I have been bad during Lent.  Yes, I’m a weakling.  I guess that’s part of what Lent is about, though:  a time of testing and renewing my commitment to try to be the person I know I can be.  It was an accident that I ate meat last Friday, but I’m trying to make up for that lapse.  I have weakened and had some alcoholic drinks, but will also try to make up for it.  Mea culpa.  It’s not easy being good.  Well, except for you.  Of course, it’s easy for you to be good.

I hope you continue to find being good easy and rewarding, but that you not become a prig.

Book Club

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With the emphasis on club – as in, club me over the head if I have to go through another evening like last night.

Or perhaps I’m simply not good at social meetings with other women.

No.  Upon further reflection, I don’t think that’s it.  I think this was not just a one-off mess-up.  I will go to the next meeting, scheduled for late February, but if it’s like this one that’s it for me.

You say you want details?  OK.  There were seven homeowners and the condo saleswoman, who started the group.  Three of us were there by the 5:30 start time, so we began talking about the book, A Twist at the End, by Steven Saylor (no – no book review here, although I will say I enjoyed it).   As each woman arrived after that, we started over, sort of.  It turned out only three of us had read the book; three were partway through; two hadn’t even started.  Three of us had thoughts on the book, but no one else did.  No one else wanted to discuss it; four engaged in sidebar conversations throughout the (exceedingly long) two hours we were there; and before long it turned into a homeowners’ gripe session since one of the women is on the HOA board (and she was the only other woman who had an interest in discussing the book in any depth, so that effectively ended the conversation since she was busy answering questions on the HOA).

After an hour of HOA, the discussion turned to what book we would read for next month.  I’d already decided to skip it because this evening had been such a drag.   Ja. had three book suggestions (culled from some website that lists books other book clubs have discussed); C. had two suggestions (Gone Girl and Killing Kennedy – the latter of which turned into some bizarre byways, including conspiracy theories as discussed on, I believe, Fox News); D. and B., who hadn’t read this month’s book, enjoy lightweight mysteries (anything that’s “fun” and features a spunky heroine who accidentally encounters murders everywhere – which brought Ja. back into the conversation to talk about all the free such books on Kindle, because she only gets them and since they’re free they’re a good, cheap way to pass the time).  L. (the HOA board member) got us back on track.  She had suggested (before the others arrived) that we work from a theme – an idea I really liked.  We had talked about possible themes (Texas, Austin, architecture, gardening) and how that might work (everyone choose a book on the theme and then discuss it at the meeting; that way everyone would have read a book they enjoyed and it would be interesting to hear about books we might not otherwise read).  I suggested we add “theme” to the list of possibilities for next month, and had to explain three times what was meant by that – because the folks who had engaged in sidebars earlier continued to do so and then asked questions because they hadn’t heard the main conversation.  By the third iteration,  the other women were shushing the rude ones and saying they thought it was a good idea.  So:  themes was added to pot.

C. drew from the pot.  The first one was something weird Ja. had suggested from the book club list; even she wasn’t interested.  C. drew again; it was Gone Girl.  Two of us had read it and were willing to read it again & I even said it was one of my top 20 for 2012.  However, no one else commented on it, so C. drew again.  It was The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag, the second in the Flavia de Luce mystery series.  It was another of Ja’s suggestions; she had no idea what it was about and kept referring to it as the Bagman book.   Two of us had read it and enjoyed it, and D. suggested we read the first in the series rather than the second.  Everyone else concurred.  B. asked it was available on Kindle and I said yes; Ja. asked how much it cost; Je said she’d read it if she could get it from the library.

L. said she really wanted us to go with the “themes” theme next time and everyone agreed after I explained again to the four sidebar-ists that they would be free to choose their own book.  If the theme was Austin, for example, the individual reader might choose something on history, or architecture, or Austin gardening, or a mystery or romance set in Austin.  We could bring the books to the meeting and even exchange them if others were interested.

I don’t normally drink alcohol after dinner.  In fact, I may do it once or twice a year if that often.  Last night I drank two large scotches and ate an entire bag of potato chips I had been saving for an emergency.  Yes, I had trouble sleeping but at least my dreams were about a PBS special on Paul Simon’s masterpiece, Graceland, rather than about the book club.  So that was all right.

Deep sigh here and thoughts about being careful what you wish for.

However, for you I wish that the next book you read will be so good you will want to send it to me because you know I will love it, too.  (If you’re not sure, check my reading lists for the last few years to get an idea what I like; bold face type is for best books and a small a. means I abandoned the book as hopeless)

Happy reading

I heart Albanian food

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Tonight was a Tour de Forks at Cafe Malta – and it was good, good, good.

Tour de Forks?  Here’s how it’s described at the site:  ”FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH we’ll make a new port-of-call, where you can enjoy a 4-course meal for a staggeringly reasonable $25.”   The stop this month was Albania.

Albania?  Seriously?

Here’s how it happened:   I ate brunch at Cafe Malta last Sunday, because Kerbey Lane, my first choice, was so busy – which turned out to be fortunate for me.  I had something they called Eggs Malta, a version of Eggs Benedict with pancetta instead of Canadian ham, a little wilted spinach, and some blood orange squeezed into the Hollandaise.  I thought it was really good, although their homemade biscuit was my least favorite part of it.  Since that was so good, it only made sense to have dessert:  basil-scented panna cotta with a grapefruit gelee.  I loved it.  I loved it so much I want to marry it.  I’m told it’s a regular part of their menu, with only the gelee changing each month.  That alone would be enough to make me go back, but fortunately there are other reasons.  Tour de Forks, for example.

Oh my, I’m gushing.  Ah well.  Don’t read any further if it bothers you.

The amuse bouche was terituar, a yummy little bowl of chopped cucumber with garlic and roasted walnut bits.  That’s it.  Just perfection in a bowl.  It came with a drink they called Tirana Toddy:  a simple water glass with a little honey, into which was poured some boiling water, followed by a little lemon juice and then some arak.  Excellent.  Great drink for a cold and rainy night.  From that point on it was all choices.  First course:  choice of Qofte të Fërguara (fried meatballs of beef, feta cheese, and parsley on a bed of bitter greens) or Qifqi (baked balls of rice flavored with fresh mint).  I had the former and it was good – very flavorful.  In fact, I could have been satisfied with just the terituar and qofte.  The soup was a choice of Jani Me Fasule (white bean soup with tomato, parsley, butter-sauteed onions & paprika) or Supë Borsh me Patate e Lakër (beet, cabbage & potato soup).  I had the former, but wish I’d had the latter, as the woman at the table next to me did; she said it was refreshing, while I found my choice too spicy and heavy for the overall meal.  The entree was a choice of Tavë Kosi (chunks of lamb and rice baked in a rich yogurt & egg custard) or Byrek ose Lakror (leek tart in a flaky phyllo crust served with fërgesë, a seasoned blend of peppers and tomato).  I could have made a meal of the custard alone – and may well do so, since I’ve already found a recipe for it on line and think it would be wonderful with sauteed green veg as an accompaniment.  Dessert was Sultjash, which is Albanian rice pudding flavored with nutmeg.  The drawbacks to the dessert?  That I was already so full – and that I didn’t have a big bowl of it waiting for me at home, so that tomorrow I could curl up in my jammies and watch the rain and pig out on it.  Rice pudding is one of my favorites of all time, along with crème brûlée, tapioca (especially the recipe in The Essential New York Times Cook Book, described as “a cloud in a casserole dish”), and bread pudding – and basil-scented panna cotta with grapefruit gelee.  This dessert was a great complement to exactly the right sort of meal for a cold, rainy winter night.  And $25?  Wow.

I hope you’ll go with me to the next Tour de Forks meal, on Tuesday, 5 February.  I don’t know which Mediterranean country will be featured, but I bet it will be good

Lost and Found

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What a way to end the year

Since my last post, I have: bought a condo; moved; spent every last penny of my savings; knit a hat for Donnell; unpacked most of my belongings; learned to knit short rows; caught up on my ironing; been sick; found a new church home; and decided I need to buy a winning lottery ticket so I can send Bailey to Sit Means Sit for some serious training.

Since my last post, I have not: sewn a lick, including the wedding quilt I promised Holly and the block of the month blocks I committed to complete; knit Donnell’s Christmas sweater; knit a Color Affection shawl (although I knit three-fourths of one before frogging it); gone to Tucson for my friend John’s retirement from the Air Force (and I’m feeling very disgusted about missing it); lost one single, solitary, measly pound; or finished unpacking to the point that I can get the car in the garage or myself into my bedroom closet.

Having missed Holly and RJ’s wedding in Germany, and facing imminent homelessness, I was feeling very sorry for myself – so I contacted Michael Ebeling, who had found me my apartment when I was first planning to move to Austin.   We had a great time together, looking from Cedar Park to Buda.  Signed a contract on 3 November, after getting input from Chris & Donnell.

I wanted a quick move-in, because I had to be out of the apartment on 17 December and I wanted to have carpeting replaced by hardwoods throughout, along with having it painted before I moved in (yes, it was new so didn’t really need paint, but this is my first home ever where I’m not contemplating another move and it seemed important to acknowledge that by having really personal things done to the place).  So, I closed on 28 November and moved in on 14 December (the move took three days, but that’s a whole other story, with the gory details available on Angie’s List).

Love my new home; love having hardwoods throughout, because my rugs look so beautiful against the dark flooring; love the paint colors (thanks to the decorator I hired – Kelli at Nine Design); love having a garage again, and a small back yard (even if Bailey doesn’t understand he’s supposed to poop out there, not just when I take him for a walk; poor boy’s having digestive issues over this).  Hate having no money, but I decided that this was why I’d saved it and I was much better off having no money but having a permanent home than having a small savings account and living in an apartment.  Best of all:  my mortgage & HOA combined equals what I was paying in monthly rent.

To see the floorplan, look here.  It’s the Lille plan.

Chris & Donnell built the futon and then tested it out over Christmas – so it’s ready for other guests (if you’re ever in Austin. . . ).  They also organized me – as they have in every home I’ve had in the US.  That I still can’t get all the way into my bedroom closet or find an entire pair of shoes beyond the ones I wore during the move cannot be blamed on them.  They tried to get me to finish, but I pooped out.  Also, don’t look behind the living room sofa.  Other than that, I’m fairly good to go – and ready for you to come visit.

 

Methinks the honeymoon is over

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First, the Tom Toles editorial cartoon in the Washington Post on John Boehner’s readiness to negotiate with our president.  [UPDATE:  Oops.  That link is to the current Toles cartoon, which is not the one that makes sense in this context.  The cartoon I wanted you to see was a take-off on Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown.  In this one, it's  Boehner holding a football with a label something like budget negotiations and saying, "Ready when you are, Mr President."  I tried to find it on the WP site but couldn't.  Sorry]

Next, fact-checking Mr Boehner’s Three Pinnochio statement about job losses if Mr. Obama does what he was re-elected to do.

Mr Boehner’s Nov 9 statement about lame duck congresses, as reported in the NY Times:  ”[His initial strategy is to stall—to delay the hard work that a grand bargain entails.] “I’ve never seen a lame duck Congress do big things,” he said. “And as Speaker, I feel pretty strongly that a lame duck Congress shouldn’t do big things.”

(It’s hard to imagine him saying that if Mitt Romney had won on Tuesday. This Congress is not substantially different from the next one—just short a few Republican seats. President Obama was re-elected. It’s time to get to work.)”

Fox News is unrepentant about being wrong about ever so many things and adding to the nation’s woes rather than helping to resolve them.

And then there’s the poor sport of the decade.  He apparently has a soul that makes the Grinch look magnanimous, and is going to teach the American people a lesson by laying off some of his workers.  That’ll teach us.

Poor Republicans:  they haven’t figured out that what went wrong has to do with their message about their principles:  they prefer to regulate personal behavior rather than organizational behavior.  They don’t want to regulate commerce; they do want to regulate woman’s reproductive lives.

Moving briskly on.  I found an interesting bakery today, Tous les Jours.  From the road it appeared to be a new French bakery.  Up close, it turned out to be Korean – and mighty tasty at that.  I had a donut with red bean paste that was interesting and brought home a croissant and something else I will sample tomorrow.  There were curry croquettes and Asian-style loaves of bread (extra thick and extra tall slices that don’t really fit in a toaster until one cuts them in half; typical of what one found in Japan, certainly) and other items with red bean paste and corn cream.  Most of the items are sealed in plastic, but there are still tongs with which to put the items on a plastic tray with a doily.  Interesting place; I will definitely go back.

I spent money today.  I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist and I don’t feel bad about it.  I’m not going to the llama & fiber fest this weekend and worst of all I’m not in Germany for Holly’s wedding, so I owe myself.  I’m not buying anything at Antonelli’s this weekend; more savings.  So, instead, I bought a ticket to Willie Nelson’s book signing at Book People on 15 November.  There were 300 tickets; I bought one of the last three – and the other two went within 15 minutes.  Someone called from San Antonio while I was there and cried on the phone because they wouldn’t take her credit card (only purchases in person); another person called and offered an extra $50 if the store employee would hold a ticket for him while he drove to the store.  Nope.  The ticket entitles me to get into line at any time after the store opens at 9 and wait for Willie to start signing his new book at 3.  He will sign until 5, but every one who has a ticket is guaranteed a signed book.  No time to talk or anything; just time to bask in his presence.  Seriously, I figure this may be my only chance to see him in person, so I didn’t want to waste the opportunity.  Yes, I have a knitting class that starts at 6:30 that day, but that just means I’ll have to grab dinner down on SoCo – poor me.

Second purchase:  Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen cookbook, and a ticket to her book signing on 30 November.  I love, love, love the cookbook – even more than the website – because it’s all here in one place, including the brown butter rice krispie bars and a whole lot more.  Yummy.  I have been to only one of these since I moved here (Chris Ware’s signing of Building Stories), and wouldn’t have signed up for two in one month*, but that’s the timing and I can’t control it.

*Okay, three in one month.  I’m going to a demo at Central Market next Wednesday where the chefs from Canal House will be preparing some of their delicious food and signing their new cookbook. I get their daily e-mail with a picture and description of what they’re preparing for lunch, and I vow daily to improve my life.   Again – this is the first time I’ve signed up for a meal at Central Market and I’m sorry it’s all happening in the course of two weeks, but there we are. [UPDATE:  Rats!  They've cancelled due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  I'm now throwing a tantrum  How awful for those folks on the east coast who have had to suffer through this and I hope all is well with the fine women at Canal House, whom I admire extravagantly]

And that’s it.  That’s my life right now.  Oh, yes, I’m working on Holly’s quilt and am ready to bind a Christmas gift for someone else and I’m behind on Becky’s socks (although I’ve finished one and am ready to turn the heel on the second) and Donnell’s hat is languishing, but should take just a couple more hours, and then there’s her yet-to-be-started-but-at-least-I-have-the-yarn Christmas sweater, but other than that there are just a couple of quilt blocks of the month and of the week and the Kaffe Fassett Pickle Dish quilt hibernating in the back room, along with the French General quilt that needs an interesting border – but other than those and a few other projects and about 60 books stacked up around the house, each begging to be next on my list, well, things are calm and pleasant and moving slowly here.  [UPDATE:  I couldn't face the stacks of books impeding my progress through my apartment, so went to the library today, returning 14 books, paying $18 in late charges, and checking out three more - one of which I've already read.  Clearly, I had the wrong books]

Oh – I got my Civic back from the repair shop and the bumper looks beautiful and they even washed the poor thing so she looks all shiny and happy.  The Dodge Avenger was solid and quiet and lovely to drive, but guzzled gas at a shocking rate; I’m delighted to be back in what now feels like a sports car by comparison, because it’s low and light-weight and noisy – and I really prefer it.  Life is good.

I hope your life is good, too.

 

Your apathy is their reward

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I meant to post this on Monday, as an inducement for you to vote, but because I knew you were smart enough to vote even without my encouragement (as you did:  witness the results), I decided to continue with my Parks and Recreation marathon on Netflix.  I would be filled with shame if Mr Obama hadn’t won, but I am aware my faithful readers live in red states and cast their votes as a cry in the wildnerness, so your actual failure to vote would linger in your conscience not mine.

Now that we’re somewhat safe, you might want to check out Parks and Recreation yourself.  It’s actually quite funny for commercial television.

 

B/P = 103/68

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Seriously.

I had a very good visit to the cardiologist today.  I was dreading the stress test, but the dr. said I only needed to get up to a heart rate of 133 and I did that.  He said I received a grade of “C” for physical fitness, but an “A” for blood pressure (it only got up to 157, after all that effort, and quickly returned to healthy normal).  He also said that if I would really follow through on my half-hearted desire to  walk every day I could certainly earn a better fitness grade; now that the weather’s cooling off, I think I may be ready to get back on track (as it were).

We talked about my meds, and he said – are you ready for it? – that if my stats are this good in March (the next time I see him), he would probably be able to take me off Multaq and (I’m sure I heard him say this) the other two heart meds.  As my faithful reader may remember, he took me off the BP meds in January and I’ve been fine.  If I can get off the Multaq I’ll be beyond grateful; if I can get off all three drugs – whoa!  That means I’m back where I was about five years ago, which is very very good.  Wait – SIX years ago.  Oh.  My.

I’m feeling like the Health Queen right now and just wanted to share that with you because I know you care.

It’s a lovely day today. . . (everybody sing)

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Last weekend I impulse-bought two boxes of fabric from gloriouscolor.com, described as “Before Kaffe Fassett designed his own line of quilting fabric, he and Liza amassed quite a large stash. These fabrics were collected for Glorious Patchwork, Passionate Patchwork and Museum Quilts.  It is time for us to clear some shelves, and so much of the glorious stash is being sold. All the fabric is 100% quilting weight cotton from companies such as Kauffman, Timeless Treasures, Hoffman, South Seas, Free Spirit, Benartex, and P &B. Most of the pieces of fabric are quarters and halves. Some have a bite taken out of them. There are some swatch size pieces. There are some bigger pieces.  We have filled medium sized flat fee boxes with fabric and each box weighs over 5 pounds (2+ kilos). 3-4 yards weighs 1 pound so each box contains 15- 20 yards total.”  I bought two boxes, one of reds and one of plaids & checks.  After unpacking, I realized I needed to have them guarded very closely:

 

 

 

Gloating and fondling isn’t all I’ve been doing, though.  I’ve also spent far too many hours on line, at sites about mathematical knitting and knit bombing.  For your further reading:

Knitting reinvented: Mathematics, feminism and metal:  http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19208292

Mathematical knitting in general:  http://toroidalsnark.net/mathknit.html

Curious Knitter: http://curiousknitter.blogspot.com/ (for a keyhole button)

Knit bombing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-19007088

What else have I done the last few days?  Finally saw Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along, and loved it (thanks, Chris & Donnell); watched Stage Door Canteen and Housewife, 49 (have been wanting to read Nella Last’s Diary, the book upon which the movie was loosely based, for years; will definitely do so now); and read or listened to a variety of books that were pleasurable, if not completely memorable.  Still knitting the sock for Becky, but I did finish and hang Superstar v2, aka Hubris (for the unnecessary pride I took in it, despite its evident frailties - Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one’s own competence or capabilities, according to Wikipedia).

Bought the yarn for DJC’s Christmas sweater; Class Reunion, by SundayKnits, will be knit in Madelinetosh DK, colorway Tart.  Bought 3 skeins of the same yarn, but in Saffron, to make a Mara scarf.

Tomorrow morning is my annual stress test (deep sigh of reluctance).  I wanted to get started binding a couple of quilts I’d had quilted at remnants: fiber[culture], but haven’t been able to decide what fabrics to use.  I also have another quilt top ready to go, and am pulling together and cutting out fabrics for two Kaffe Fassett quilts, one of which will be the pickle dish pattern (I’m taking a class at The Quilt Shop later this month).  In preparation for the class, I’m looking at some sites with tutorials on how-to sew curves, which I find very scary:  http://pileofabric.com/ and http://www.acraftyfox.net/ and http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/2012/09/06/curved-piecing-tutorial-the-i-have-way-too-many-quilts-to-make-and-too-many-deadlines-and-have-no-time-to-pin-because-i-need-these-done-yesterday-method/   and http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2012/08/piece-those-curves-to-be-totally-groovy.html.

Just noticed what time it is – this is one of those days that just slips away and you know it’s been good but you can’t remember any details.  I hope your day has been as good, but that you’ve added in happy memories, too.