Great American Aran Afghan

I've long admired this collection of cabled squares made into an afghan, and in January, using gift credit from my darling MIL, I decided to purchase the book of patterns and get cracking! My goal is to make about one square per month, which means it will take nearly 2 years to complete the blanket.

I'm using Knit Picks Bare, superwash merino. It's great yarn, feels good and squishy, and I think it will wear well. I apologize in advance for the color quality of these pics. I'm not my husband!


Each square was designed by someone different, and each one is unique.



Some are knit from one end to the other.










Some knit from the outside edge to the center. I found this technique to be really fun!







One square I've done has a center panel knit one end to the other and then you pick up stitches all around the edge as you knit the border on - very cool.


All in all, it is shaping up to be an interesting project. I like the variety of patterns, and I'm enjoying being able to knit one square at a time and move on to other things in between.

I'm currently on my 5th square, which is right on schedule, really, since we're almost to May. I might even finish this blanky earlier than expected, but I'm not going to push it. The process is enjoyable this way!

Jane in June

The Book Rat is doing a celebration of Jane Austen in June - care to join?

filler

Yea, so I got sick of my daily poems. You too, I imagine! I'll post again soon with some real-life content - this time I'll put some pix of Simon in the show that was this weekend. It's been a very busy week!

Childhood Joy in the Sun

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to volunteer to help out COSI for the festivities when the OSU studios were moving to share space with them. Part of the family days included storytimes by a few librarians like me. The big, fancy event the night before, however, included one of my heroes, Caroll Spinney, who created Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. I got to speak with him at that event, but the next day noticed that he and his wife actually observed about 10 minutes of my storytime! I was thrilled out of my gourd!

The ladies who were my contacts at COSI knew what a crazy fan I was and told him I'd love to talk to him again, so they waited around a bit. I told him what a huge influence Sesame Street had on my life, my creativity and even my career because they always thought about what children really needed so that they'd be motivated to pay attention to the parts that would be informational. It is so entertaining that children don't even realize they're learning. I also told him that we sing the song "I Love Trash" (one of Oscar's hits) at our house, and he said "Let's sing it together now". This first picture was taken when we were singing together. You can see that I totally became a kid again with him (I know, not a stretch to imagine).

Imagine playing the most recognizable character in the world (Big Bird) and never being recognized on the streets. He is an amazingly down-to-earth and kind man, just the way you hope he'd be. I will never forget that brush with fame, that day when my hero took time to make me feel special by singing with me . . . in public . . . about trash.

Do you have a favorite song from your childhood? I have hundreds, but the bright, beautiful day outside makes me think of this one:

Sunny Day! composed by Joe Raposo


Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Street

Come and play
Everything's A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That's where we meet

Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street

It's a magic carpet ride
Every door will open wide
To Happy people like you--
Happy people like
What a beautiful

Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame street...

How to get to Sesame Street

How to get to...

Poem of the Day

Haiku 4/5/11

He missed the school bus!
Hurry hurry get yourself dressed!
Drive the kid to school!


Yup. It's one of those days.

Morning Rush

daily routine, 4/4/11

dreams interrupted
grumbling acceptance
stumbling descent
awaken youth
mumbling engagement
bumbling breakfast
grateful acquiescence
rushing preparations
obligatory kiss
dreams pursued

Hoppity

Hoppity
Christopher Robin goes Hoppity, hoppity, Hoppity, hoppity, hop. Whenever I tell him Politely to stop it, he Says he can't possibly stop. If he stopped hopping, He couldn't go anywhere, Poor little Christopher Couldn't go anywhere... That's why he always goes Hoppity, hoppity, Hoppity, Hoppity, Hop. Alan Alexander Milne Many thanks to PoemFinder for this, one of my favorites from childhood.

National Poetry Month

I'd like to pretend that I didn't write and post a poem yesterday for some deep, meaningful reason, but honestly I just didn't get around to it, even though it was my day off. So here is yesterday's extemporaneous poem:

4-1-11
I had a Princess Day
My sis and I did play
we had ice cream
like in a dream
and time was whiled away!


Today's poem:

4/2/11: haiku for you

serving the people
#Saturdaylibrarian
all day on the desk

List #30 TO-DO LIST

Well, I'm a day late on the last list, as I've been a day late for the last couple. The to-do list is funny because I just made myself one that I hope will actually help me get stuff done when I am on breaks at work. We'll see! Currently, I have 2 lists that cover today . . . one just for today and one that will spill over into tomorrow since I have the day off.

Things I must do today:

• talk to key people about who to hire for the open position I have
• call my cleaning lady and ask her to come next week instead of this week
• see if I can finish the property tax form and get it in today to try to reduce our taxes for the year
• finally write a note to Alison C for being chosen as an LJ "Mover & Shaker" because trying to think of something clever and cute isn't working
• work

Things I need to do before tomorrow is over:

• figure out why our dental insurance suddenly doesn't want to cover Simon and correct them
• buy buttons for a baby sweater
• knit like crazy
• do something fun with my sister tomorrow
• sign my tax return and pay the tax guy
• send check to friend for GS cookies I've already started snarfing

So - that is 30 lists in 31 days. Not bad! Have you had fun? Found out anything surprising? Interesting? Done lists of your own? Have any topics you'd like to have me list about?

List #29 FAVORITE FOODS

Oh boy! This is almost as tricky as the list of books I want to read!

• sashimi (like sushi, but w/o the rice and stuff) and sushi
• pizza
• steak - thick, rare and grilled
• dark chocolate
• homemade mac and cheese
• homemade brownies
• cheesecake
• biscuits and sausage gravy (esp the gravy my brother makes)
• palak paneer
• chicken mole'
• vegetable biryani
• shwarma
• falafel
• homemade soup and thick warm bread
• circle toast
  
• homemade sweet rolls
  

List #28 PLACES I'D LIKE TO VISIT

• Grand Canyon (this summer, if it all works out!) and the area that Tony Hillerman writes about
  
• Hawaii
• Alaska
• France - Paris and the countryside
• Italy - Rome and the countryside
• Scotland
• Ireland
• London and other spots in England
• North Eastern China: Harbin, where my friend, Bu-ying is from
• Beijing
• Australia
• Brazil
• New Orleans
• Maine and Eastern Canada, Prince Edward Island, etc
• Oregon
• Singapore
• India
• Sweden
  

Places I've been before but always enjoy:

• Mom and Dad's house
• my in-laws'
• anywhere I go with Simon and Mike
• NYC
• Washington DC
• Cleveland
• Lake Erie shores
  

List #27 LESSONS LEARNED

• Always have books and music to listen to in the car and change it up as needed on a long car ride.
• Be sure you own more underwear than your husband and he'll end up doing laundry more often ;-).
• The house doesn't have to look perfect to be a welcoming, friendly place that people like to visit.
• A smile and a willing ear for listening are often the best things you can offer a friend (without offering unsolicited advice).
  
• People who are vastly different temperaments from me make for great friends, as well as those who are like me.
• Hard boiling an egg doesn't make it last longer. In fact, it takes oils off the shell and causes the egg to spoil more quickly than a raw egg in the shell.
  
• Food poisoning from a bad egg is really, really, really nasty.
• I don't always need to be the center of attention, but when it happens and I enjoy it, I don't need to feel guilty, either.
• I am not stupid or slow or lazy. Just because someone has called me those things it doesn't mean that any of it is true. And honestly, even if sometimes it is a little true, none of it makes me a horrible person.
• God loves me and has a plan for my life, even when I can't see the map.
  

List #26 BOOKS I WANT TO READ

There are a lot of books on my "to read" list on Good Reads. In fact, one of the reasons I like that website is that it lets me keep a very long list of books! The most recent additions to my list are:

• And Furthermore - Judi Dench
• Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: A Turn in the Road - Debbie Macomber
  
• Heresy (giordano Bruno series, #1) - S. J. Parris
• Graceling (Seven Kingdoms Trilogy #1) -- Kristin Cashore
• A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce, #3) - Alan Bradley
• The Strange Case of Origami Yoda - Tom Angleberger
• Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?! - K. A. Holt
• How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe - Charles Yu

That's just a few. :-)

Currently, I am reading:

• While My Pretty One Knits (Black Sheep Knitting Mystery, #1)- Anne Canadeo (my bedtime reading_
  
• Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference - Max Lucado (listening in the car)
  
• New Encyclopedia of Knitting Techniques - Lesley Stanfield (knitting advice)
  
• Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood - Edward M. Hallowell (for self-improvement)
  
• Changing the Odds for Children at Risk: Seven Essential Principles of Educational Programs that Break the Cycle of Poverty - Susan B. Neuman (for professional development)
  

List #25 THINGS I'D RATHER BE DOING

• reading
• knitting
• laying in the warm sun on a distant beach
• laughing with my son and husband
• playing dominoes with my family
• making music with friends
• holding a baby - no, I don't have a particular baby in mind - lol
• hanging out with knitting pals
• napping

List #24 I MAKE LISTS FOR . . .

• work to-do
• home/day off to-do
• shopping
• errands
• planning parties
• planning vacations
• what we see on vacation (keeping track of what we've done/seen)
  
• packing
• blogging (as you know, I love making lists on my blog)
• reminding myself that life is good
• 3 Beautiful Things
• program planning (work)
• meeting agendas (for meetings I'm leading)
• home to-do

What do you make lists for?

List #23 GUILTY PLEASURES

Definition of GUILTY PLEASURE

: something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt

First Known Use of GUILTY PLEASURE

1907 (FROM MERRIAM-WEBSTER)

• Survivor - I used to hate this show on principle, but I've been sucked into the mindless vortex. I comfort myself by saying that I really just watch it for the fun challenges, but I know in my heart that is like saying you only get Playboy for the articles.
• Two and a Half Men - I used to think that Charlie Sheen wasn't acting. Now I know he was because his Charlie Harper character is nicer and saner than he is. All the characters are despicable, but still I find it hilarious. All re-runs now, of course.
• Swearing/cussing (I'm not entirely sure of the distinction between the two) - my Dad's words of "swearing is for people who don't have adequate vocabularies" ring in my head, but I find it cathartic to let loose like a sailor from time to time.
• Breakfast out - I never get the oatmeal, I always go for the sausage gravy or the eggs and bacon sandwich or something like that, and really, what would be the point otherwise? Even McDonald's breakfast sandwiches - YUM!
  
• Facebook Games - I've limited myself to one silly game at a time, now, though. That helps, right?
• Romance Novels - I used to have this vaguely guilty feeling because people assume that in my profession I'd read the Great Works of Literature and Nobel Winners, etc. Bah! Give me a good, sappy romance or schlocky mystery and my day is made! Maybe what I really feel guilty about is that I no longer feel guilty about it?
  

List #22 TODAY I SAW . . .

• The Daily Show: watching it on our DVR is a nearly daily ritual for my son and I before he goes to school. It is so funny, whether I agree with his politics or not.
  
• my hair get poofy with styling, and then be flat-ish again in about an hour - typical
• the top surface of my desk - a miracle of cleaning and organization begun!
  
• a young man (20 something) who is a new Area Commissioner with me, teaching me more about Google Calendar than I knew before - that is a very cool FREE software!
• a man with his hand down his pants in my library branch - ugh
• the sweetest little 3-yr-old girl, happy as a clam to find a colorful computer game "just for her" at the library
• a new bakery near my branch - The Angry Baker - great egg/scone sandwich for dinner! and some yummy treats for home
  
• a firetruck with several fire fighters, but for some reason they didn't stay for the Area Commission meeting
  
• City Council President Pro Tem, Hearcel Craig who was a welcome surprise at our Area Commission meeting tonight - I really admire how he stayed for the whole meeting, and I really LOVE the wonderful things he said about libraries!
• watched Castle together as a family tonight when I finally got home
• hoping to see the inside of my eyelids soon!
  

List #21 TO DO THIS SPRING

My Spring TO DO:

• clean up front yard (get son to help)
  
• clean up back yard (get son to help)
• clean guest room out, including blue dresser
• finish and make 3 baby gifts
• DH's neice's wedding (next weekend!)
  

Seriously, I think that's enough. There are so many parts of my house that need to be organized/cleaned it's pathetic. We are not very good at this sort of thing at my house! LOL

List #20 CELEBRITY CRUSHES

Hmmm . . . this changes a lot, but it's just a silly list, right? One caveat about this list for me is that "crush" for me doesn't necessarily involve a lust for sex. I know, I'm boring, but honestly, I've always had crushes on people just because of their talent and gifting, and it isn't really always about their "hotness" factor.

So, right off the top of my head, here are the celebs I'd like to have to dinner at this moment . . .

• Michael Symon
  
- I love his laugh, and I love following him on twitter. He's delightful and down-to-earth, even though he is a cooking ROCK STAR!

• Nathan Fillion - Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and now Castle. Yum!
  
• Mario Batali
- yea, well, he does look alot like my DH, don't you think? And again, I love his sense of humor. I think I have a common theme here.
• Denzel Washington
Seriously? Do you really even need to ask?
• Hugh Laurie - we could really use a live-in Dr. House here, but I'd settle for some great conversation with this great actor - such range he's shown over his career!
  
• Pete Seeger
I've been a big fan of his music for more years than I can remember. I hear he's full of himself, but until I see it, I will keep my dreams alive. Oh yea, and he's about the age of my parents, too, so, well, that's weird.
• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - yummy with a sense of humor about himself - irresistable!
  
• Gwyneth Paltrow (see below)
  
• Tom Hanks - He totally won me in BIG.
  
• Alton Brown - a little too skinny for my "type" but he's smart, funny, and he cooks. I can forgive some angularity!
  
• Tony Bourdain - He's a little full of himself, and his delightful snark tips over into the RUDE category for me, but come on, he's really fun to watch. Can you imagine hanging out around a dinner table with him? I would be laughing as much as eating, I'm thinking.
  
• George Clooney - I am not a die-hard fan, and to be honest I've had times when I really don't care for him, but right now he just seems so ruggedly handsome and charming.
  
• Heather Morris, who plays Brittany on Glee - she is just so funny and deadpan - I'm hoping she's as fun in person.
  

List #19 RECIPES YOU WANT TO TRY

This is a tough one to list out because I've been cooking and baking a while and I generally will try stuff I want to try as soon as I get the chance! One thing I've really been enjoying lately is playing my own version of the show Chopped. I go into the kitchen and make dinner out of whatever we have and see if it ends up all going together. So far it has pleased the hubs, and usually the son, too. We've added a fun twist of late, getting a bin of fresh veggies and fruits delivered every Thursday from Green BEAN delivery - yum! I do still have a few recipes, though, that have intrigued me.

Recipes I Want to Try:

• Grandma's old recipe for homemade fortune cookies
• squash ravioli from scratch
• gnocchi
• palak paneer